Living in Funafuti, Tuvalu

Funafuti is a smaller coastal city in Tuvalu (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 3,249 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,194 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Tuvalu is hard to obtain.

See how Funafuti ranks for you

12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).

Est. cost
€3,194
a month for a couple
Climate
28°C
3,249 mm rain a year
Size
Smaller
under 250,000 people
Safety
66/100
country-level
Residency
Hard to obtain
for most foreigners

Limited data for Tuvalu. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Tuvalu are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Tuvalu, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Funafuti

  • Warmer than 96% of the cities we track
  • Wet: about 3,249 mm of rain a year
  • Long-term residency is hard to obtain
  • On or near the sea

Climate

Funafuti averages 28°C across the year with about 3,249 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 96% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. Long-term residency exists only through employer- or international-agency-sponsored work permits for essential roles (or family/descent); there is no self-funded means, retirement, or investor route and no naturalization pathway for foreign nationals.

For short visits, 31 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 167 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Healthcare

Tuvalu scores 59 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 26% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Tuvalu: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €3,194 a month to live centrally in Funafuti, 17% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 31% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Safety and stability

Tuvalu scores 66 out of 100 on safety, safer than 60% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 8.5 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Tuvalu: Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Funafuti

Is Funafuti a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Funafuti scores well on political stability. It is weaker on healthcare. Our figures for Tuvalu are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, very wet climate (28°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Funafuti and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Funafuti?

We estimate about €3,194 a month for a couple living centrally, 17% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Tuvalu, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

Can foreigners live in Tuvalu long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. Long-term residency exists only through employer- or international-agency-sponsored work permits for essential roles (or family/descent); there is no self-funded means, retirement, or investor route and no naturalization pathway for foreign nationals.

What is the weather like in Funafuti?

Funafuti averages 28°C across the year with about 3,249 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 96% of the cities we track.

Cities like Funafuti