Oceania · Majuro
Cost of living in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands is 4% cheaper than the US, ranking #14 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 $95,500 in Marshall Islands.
Quality of life
69/100 · #119 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Marshall Islands
Humans arrived in the Marshall Islands in the first millennium B.C. and gradually created permanent settlements on the various atolls. The early inhabitants were skilled navigators who frequently traveled between atolls using stick charts to map the islands. Society became organized under two paramount chiefs, one each for the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain and the Ralik (Sunset) Chain. Spain formally claimed the islands in 1592. Germany established a supply station on Jaluit Atoll and bought the islands from Spain in 1884, although paramount chiefs continued to rule.
Read the full background
Japan seized the Marshall Islands in 1914 and was granted a League of Nations Mandate to administer the islands in 1920. The US captured the islands in heavy fighting during World War II, and the islands came under US administration as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) in 1947. Between 1946 and 1958, the US resettled populations from Bikini and Enewetak Atolls and conducted 67 nuclear tests; people from Ailinginae, Rongelap, and Utrik Atolls were also evacuated because of nuclear fallout, and Bikini and Rongelap remain largely uninhabited. In 1979, the Marshall Islands drafted a constitution separate from the rest of the TTPI and declared independence under President Amata KABUA, a paramount chief. In 2000, Kessai NOTE became the first commoner elected president. In 2016, Hilda HEINE was the first woman elected president.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Marshall Islands expensive to live in?
Marshall Islands is 4% cheaper than the US, ranking #14 of the 203 countries we track.
How much money do you need to live in Marshall Islands?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $95,500 in Marshall Islands, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Marshall Islands cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 95.7, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Marshall Islands?
Marshall Islands scores 69 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#119 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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