Tonga, NukuAlofa

Country Full Name: Kingdom of Tonga.

Location: Tonga is in Oceania, and consists of an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.

Country Climate: Tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December).

Country Terrain: Most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base.

Major Languages: Tongan, English.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 0.025 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Tonga is characterized by a large non monetary sector and a heavy dependence on remittances from the half of the country's population that lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Currency: Tonga Pa'anga (TOP).

Inflation: 6.9% (2011 est.).

Nuku'Alofa is the capital and commercial, transport and social centre of Tonga.

Nuku'Alofa is the economic hub of the country.

The cost of living in Nuku'Alofa in Tonga is very low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Nuku'Alofa in Tonga is currently ranked 722 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are average compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 413 places that are more expensive, and 366 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 632 places that are more expensive, and 147 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very low compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 750 places that are more expensive, and 29 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 514 places that are more expensive, and 265 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 438 places that are more expensive, and 341 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are high compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 179 places that are more expensive, and 600 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 623 places that are more expensive, and 156 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very low compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 771 places that are more expensive, and 8 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 668 places that are more expensive, and 111 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are average compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 382 places that are more expensive, and 397 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very low compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 737 places that are more expensive, and 42 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 749 places that are more expensive, and 30 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are average compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 376 places that are more expensive, and 403 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Nuku'Alofa in Tonga are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Nuku'Alofa in Tonga is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Nuku'Alofa in Tonga are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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