Cost of Living inTarawa, Kiribati
Image credit: Photo taken by Government of Kiribati employee in the course of their work
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Kiribati: $3,257/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 24% higher than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
Public-schooling rules and international-school pricing are not sourced for Kiribati yet. Quality, expat-access, instruction language, and tuition will appear here once verified.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Tarawa. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Tarawa is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Kiribati.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Hospital and clinic listings for Tarawa are still being verified. The country-level health-system summary for Kiribati applies; named facilities and direct self-pay prices appear here only after they are source-backed.
Healthcare system
LimitedLow out-of-pocket burden help, but coverage looks thinner and doctor staffing is lighter.
Public care
LimitedStrong public funding and relatively low patient cost-sharing help, but public coverage looks thinner and country-level outcomes are weaker.
Private care
LimitedThis is an inferred read based on facility depth, private ownership signals, and available self-pay pricing.
UHC coverage
51/100
2023
Physicians
0.19/1k
2013
Hospital beds
1.86/1k
2016
Out of pocket
3%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
66.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
80/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
21.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Kiribati yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
2023 annual wages in Tarawa, Kiribati · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Tarawa compared with the US?
Your money goes about 1.5x further in Tarawa than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Kiribati here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Tarawa cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Tarawa is more expensive overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 24% more expensive than the global benchmark (New York City) for Tarawa. We are using the country-level cost index for Kiribati here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Tarawa compare with New York City?
Rent in Tarawa is about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Kiribati here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Tarawa?
Groceries in Tarawa are about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 100% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Kiribati here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Tarawa
Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati, with about 40,000 residents concentrated on South Tarawa, a narrow chain of low coral islets in the central Pacific straddling the equator. The local economy combines government, fisheries license revenue, services, copra exports, and remittances from the Kiribati diaspora and seafarers; the country is heavily aid-dependent. Gilbertese and English are both official languages, with English used in government and business. The climate is tropical, hot year-round, and the islands sit at only a few meters above sea level, which makes Kiribati one of the countries most directly exposed to sea level rise and freshwater intrusion. Bonriki International Airport offers limited regional flights. Tarawa is not a typical relocation target; activity is largely diplomatic, aid, or fisheries-sector.
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