Oceania · Funafuti
Cost of living in Tuvalu
Tuvalu is 5% more expensive than the US, ranking #5 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $104,500 in Tuvalu.
Quality of life
45/100 · #178 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Tuvalu
Voyagers from either Samoa or Tonga first populated Tuvalu in the first millennium A.D., and the islands provided a stepping-stone for various Polynesian communities that subsequently settled in Melanesia and Micronesia. Tuvalu eventually came under Samoan and Tongan spheres of influence, although proximity to Micronesia allowed some Micronesian communities to flourish in Tuvalu, in particular on Nui Atoll. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a series of American, British, Dutch, and Russian ships visited the islands, which were named the Ellice Islands in 1819.
Read the full background
The UK declared a protectorate over islands in 1892 and merged them with the Micronesian Gilbert Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate became a colony in 1916. During World War II, the US set up military bases on a few islands, and in 1943, after Japan captured many of the northern Gilbert Islands, the UK transferred administration of the colony southward to Funafuti. After the war, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was once again made the colony’s capital, and the center of power was firmly in the Gilbert Islands, including the colony’s only secondary school. Amid growing tensions with the Gilbertese, Tuvaluans voted to secede from the colony in 1974, were granted self-rule in 1975, and gained independence in 1978 as Tuvalu. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims to the Tuvaluan islands in a treaty of friendship.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Tuvalu expensive to live in?
Tuvalu is 5% more expensive than the US, ranking #5 of the 203 countries we track.
How much money do you need to live in Tuvalu?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $104,500 in Tuvalu, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Tuvalu cheaper than the United States?
No. Its overall price level is 104.7, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Tuvalu?
Tuvalu scores 45 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#178 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 67 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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