Living in Tarawa, Kiribati

Tarawa is a smaller coastal city in Gilbert Islands, Kiribati (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 1,951 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,836 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Kiribati is hard to obtain.

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Est. cost
€2,836
a month for a couple
Climate
28°C
1,951 mm rain a year
Size
Smaller
under 250,000 people
Safety
64/100
country-level
Residency
Hard to obtain
for most foreigners

Limited data for Kiribati. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Kiribati 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 Kiribati, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Tarawa

  • Warmer than 94% of the cities we track
  • Wet: about 1,951 mm of rain a year
  • Long-term residency is hard to obtain
  • On or near the sea

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. Long-term stay runs through employment-tied work permits or establishing a local business under the Foreign Investment Act; permanent residence follows after a qualifying period, but there is no passive-income or investor-by-capital route with a published threshold.

For short visits, 120 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 78 need a visa in advance.

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).

Climate

Tarawa averages 28°C across the year with about 1,951 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 94% 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.

Healthcare

Kiribati scores 51 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 7% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Kiribati: 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 €2,836 a month to live centrally in Tarawa, 4% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 43% 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

Kiribati scores 64 out of 100 on safety, safer than 57% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 8.0 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Kiribati: 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 Tarawa

Is Tarawa a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Tarawa scores well on political stability. It is weaker on healthcare. Our figures for Kiribati 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 Tarawa and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

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

We estimate about €2,836 a month for a couple living centrally, 4% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Kiribati, 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 Kiribati long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. Long-term stay runs through employment-tied work permits or establishing a local business under the Foreign Investment Act; permanent residence follows after a qualifying period, but there is no passive-income or investor-by-capital route with a published threshold.

What is the weather like in Tarawa?

Tarawa averages 28°C across the year with about 1,951 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 94% of the cities we track.

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