Tuvalu
Profiled in Funafuti · Oceania and the Pacific
Nine low-lying atolls with a total land area of twenty-six square kilometres, where the airstrip doubles as the national gathering place and sea-level rise is an existential question.
Cost of living
What a month costs
Almost everything arrives by ship a few times a month. The Australian dollar is legal tender and prices reflect extreme freight costs.
The scores
How it rates for a moving family
See and do
Top 10 in Funafuti
- Funafuti International AirportThe runway that serves as the island's public square.
- Funafuti Conservation AreaThirty-three square kilometres of protected reef and lagoon.
- FongafaleThe main islet holding most of the population.
- Tuvalu Philatelic BureauStamps, historically a significant revenue source.
- David's Drill1897 borehole site testing Darwin's coral atoll theory.
- Vaiaku Lagi HotelThe country's only hotel, on the lagoon.
- Tuvalu Meteorological ServiceSea-level monitoring station of global significance.
- NanumagaNorthern island with a submerged cave.
Where to go
Weekend escapes
- Funafuti Conservation AreaProtected lagoon islets and reef.
- FunafalaUninhabited islet at the southern end of the atoll.
- NanumeaNorthern atoll with a wartime airstrip.
- VaitupuThe largest island by land area.
- NukufetauLagoon atoll with wartime remains.
Residency
Residence follows work permits, and there is no investor route. Australia's 2023 Falepili Union treaty offers a migration pathway for Tuvaluans as sea levels rise.
Tax
Personal and corporate rates are both 30%, with a 7% consumption tax. The Australian dollar is legal tender. Fishing licences, the Tuvalu Trust Fund and .tv domain licensing dominate revenue.
Curious what you would actually pay? See the Tuvalu tax profile: income, corporate, VAT and exit rules →
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