Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Marshall Islands and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in the Marshall Islands: $2,125 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in the Marshall Islands
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Marshall Islands Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index

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🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,125

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Marshall Islands and in the United States

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the Marshall Islands and in the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,125 in the Marshall Islands versus $2,734 in the United States.

Marshall Islands $2,125
United States $2,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,968 in the Marshall Islands versus $3,985 in the United States.

Marshall Islands $2,968
United States $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in the Marshall Islands versus $5,235 in the United States.

Marshall Islands $3,812
United States $5,235

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $2,143–$2,143 in the Marshall Islands. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the Marshall Islands costs about 22% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the Marshall Islands 56% above, the United States 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 $7.58

$20.03 $20.03

-62.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 $30.13

$80.0 $80.0

-62.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 $10.49

$11.80 $11.80

-11.10%

Cappuccino

$4.44 $4.44

$5.55 $5.55

-20.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.66 $2.66

-30.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.17 $2.17

40.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 $4.58

$6.12 $6.12

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$7.94 $7.94

-35.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.04 $1.04

115.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.59 $3.59

-4.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$4.52 $4.52

-59.07%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$4.28 $4.28

19.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.62 $30.62

$13.22 $13.22

131.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$12.60 $12.60

-14.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.31 $18.31

$17.60 $17.60

4.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$5.30 $5.30

-16.42%

Banana (1kg)

$7.20 $7.20

$1.69 $1.69

326.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$4.44 $4.44

94.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$4.77 $4.77

171.70%

Potato (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.97 $2.97

74.75%

Onion (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.15 $3.15

78.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.20 $2.20

75.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.35 $2.35

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.15 $6.15

$10.98 $10.98

-43.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$15.05 $15.05

-34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.79 $3.79

-36.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.94 $1.94

58.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.58 $3.58

-22.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 $5.11

$29.84 $29.84

-82.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.02 $1.02

74.51%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.3K $25.3K

$28.8K $28.8K

-11.95%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.3K $34.3K

$26.2K $26.2K

31.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 $252

$218 $218

15.73%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.24 $37.24

$62.5 $62.5

-40.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$74.5 $74.5

-1.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.89 $37.89

$41.86 $41.86

-9.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$152 $152

$1,489 $1,489

-89.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,612 $2,612

$25.3K $25.3K

-89.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 $70.9

$54.3 $54.3

30.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.81 $39.81

$42.71 $42.71

-6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.60 $29.60

$94.1 $94.1

-68.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.47 $49.47

$114 $114

-56.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 $766

$1,659 $1,659

-53.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$886 $886

$1,348 $1,348

-34.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 $1,342

$2,682 $2,682

-49.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$2,169 $2,169

-40.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 $988

$4,296 $4,296

-77.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for the Marshall Islands: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Marshall Islands

$886 41.7%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 52.1% $461

Groceries & Markets

Marshall Islands

$539 * 25.4%

United States

$415 15.2% 23% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marshall Islands

$363 17.1%

United States

$355 13% 2.1% $7.6

Eating Out

Marshall Islands

$198 9.3%

United States

$328 12% 65.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Marshall Islands

$85 4%

United States

$137 5% 60.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Marshall Islands

$38 * 1.8%

United States

$71 2.6% 88.1% $33

Getting Around

Marshall Islands

$15 * 0.7%

United States

$80 2.9% 431% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $782 in the Marshall Islands, $1,620 in the United States. Capital cities: $782 in Majuro vs $2,768 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $1,004 in the Marshall Islands, $4,549 in the United States. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 107% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 150% more in the United States.

Salaries are about 4.5 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

16 h behind the Marshall Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,127

340,110,988

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Marshall Islands United States 10,580 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Marshall Islands
United States

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Marshall Islands vs United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,125 per month in the Marshall Islands and $2,734 in the United States, there’s a 29% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $782 in the Marshall Islands. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In the Marshall Islands, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United States it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: the Marshall Islands wins on affordability; the United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.