Cost of living comparison

Panama City, Panama

compared to

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City Cost of Living Summary

Nuku'alofa is 25.9% more expensive than Panama City.

Restaurants: pay 26.7% more in Nuku'alofa
Groceries: pay 10.8% more in Nuku'alofa
Transportation: pay 90.9% more in Nuku'alofa
Housing: pay 97.2% more in Nuku'alofa
Childcare: pay 80.6% less in Nuku'alofa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.1 times more in Nuku'alofa
Clothing: pay 73.5% less in Nuku'alofa

The cost of entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, restaurants, and groceries in Nuku'alofa are more expensive than in Panama City. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Nuku'alofa. Notably, entertainment and sports, housing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Nuku'alofa.

Nuku'alofa vs. Panama City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Nuku'alofa instead of Panama City, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 26.7% more for restaurants

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$13.25 PAB13.25	$8.40 TOP20.23	-36.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.00 PAB8.00	$10.50 TOP25.29	+31.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.86 PAB1.86	$2.66 TOP6.41	+43.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.41 PAB1.41	$2.38 TOP5.73	+68.7%
Average			+26.7%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 10.8% more for groceries

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Bread 1 loaf	$2.51 PAB2.51	$1.05 TOP2.53	-58.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.39 PAB6.39	$4.55 TOP10.96	-28.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.80 PAB6.80	$5.99 TOP14.42	-11.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.68 PAB2.68	$5.15 TOP12.41	+92.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.41 PAB3.41	$2.70 TOP6.50	-20.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.48 PAB1.48	$1.27 TOP3.06	-14.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.72 PAB0.72	$1.27 TOP3.06	+75.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.24 PAB1.24	$1.33 TOP3.21	+7.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.40 PAB1.40	$1.71 TOP4.13	+22.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.98 PAB0.98	$1.46 TOP3.52	+48.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.15 PAB1.15	$1.21 TOP2.91	+5.3%
Average			+10.8%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of groceries

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pay 90.9% more for transportation

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.69 PAB3.69	$5.57 TOP13.40	+50.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$25.00 PAB25.00	$42.01 TOP101.15	+68.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,750.00 PAB19,750.00	$5,881.34 TOP14,160.85	-70.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.71 PAB16.71	$69.32 TOP166.90	+314.9%
Average			+90.9%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of transportation

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pay 97.2% more for housing

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$52.10 PAB52.10	$126.03 TOP303.45	+141.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,023.81 PAB1,023.81	??
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$755.88 PAB755.88	??
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$94.84 PAB94.84	$144.56 TOP348.07	+52.4%
Average			+97.2%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of housing

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pay 80.6% less for childcare

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$439.17 PAB439.17	$159.64 TOP384.37	-63.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,092.67 PAB10,092.67	$252.06 TOP606.89	-97.5%
Average			-80.6%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.00 PAB3.00	$3.36 TOP8.09	+12.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.59 PAB3.59	$2.94 TOP7.08	-18.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.50 PAB5.50	$10.29 TOP24.78	+87.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$47.27 PAB47.27	$31.51 TOP75.86	-33.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.00 PAB7.00	$42.01 TOP101.15	+500.1%
Average			+109.5%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 73.5% less for clothing

	Panama City	Nuku'alofa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$53.91 PAB53.91	$4.20 TOP10.11	-92.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.78 PAB37.78	$17.85 TOP42.99	-52.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.62 PAB87.62	$21.00 TOP50.57	-76.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$108.75 PAB108.75	$29.41 TOP70.80	-73.0%
Average			-73.5%

Panama City vs. Nuku'alofa - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025

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