Costs in Nauru

The Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) conducted from March 2024 to March 2025 provides Nauru's broadest recent picture of household spending. It covers consumption, food security, home production, transport, information and communication technology, health, education and transfers. Its national relative standard errors are 3.6% for food, 6.0% for housing, water, electricity and fuels, 8.7% for transport, 7.8% for communication and 11.3% for recreation and culture. The health and education estimates are less reliable, with relative standard errors of 44.4% and 35.5%. These figures describe spending patterns rather than a required amount for every household. The Australian dollar is Nauru's legal currency. Cash and cards are used, but imported goods depend heavily on shipping, fuel and freight availability. In 2026, Neptune Pacific was the sole Fiji–Nauru freight provider after Matson's withdrawal, and the government described freight costs as difficult to control. Retail prices can therefore vary and supplies can be interrupted. No current official national price series was found for a standard household basket, private rents, utility tariffs, public transport, leisure activities or a minimum household budget. Housing costs depend on the property and the limited local supply. The Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust and port-related relocation programme planned 75 houses; 11 had been handed over and 2 were complete but still lacked network connections in June 2024. Temporary rental accommodation was arranged island-wide for affected households, with government expenditure of AUD 2.8 million and partial ADB reimbursement. This programme concerns displaced red-zone families and does not establish a general rent allowance or a standard rent for all households. Private rents should be checked directly for the specific property. The Nauru Utilities Corporation (NUC) provides electricity, water and sanitation. Residential utility tariffs have historically been supported through a Community Service Obligation, and the government provided an AUD 2.86 million subsidy in 2024 because of fuel costs. NUC has been moving customers from post-paid billing to prepaid service. Water production uses reverse osmosis, while wastewater collection and treatment have operated since July 2023. Electricity, water and sanitation should be included as regular household costs, but the current tariff and connection charges need local confirmation. Food prices are mainly market-based and strongly affected by imports, freight and fuel. HIES separates purchased food, food security, home production, subsistence and gifts, so a household with access to local production may have a different cash budget from a household buying most food from retailers. There is no verified official minimum food budget. Households should allow for price differences between retailers and possible delivery interruptions rather than rely on a fixed national food basket. Transport planning should include fuel, vehicle ownership, maintenance and imported parts. Under Fuel Price Control Order No. 5 of 2025, effective 19 September 2025, the maximum retail prices were AUD 2.2257 per litre for diesel, AUD 2.0975 for petrol and AUD 1.5864 for Jet A1. No current official general fare list for buses, taxis or other local public transport was found. International travel, especially an overseas medical referral, is a separate high-cost item whose access and reimbursement depend on eligibility and the relevant referral arrangements. The Republic of Naoero Hospital in Yaren provides medical and dental treatment without direct charges for citizens within the local public service. Nauru offers basic island care, while serious conditions that cannot be treated locally may require air referral to Australia. Medicines are imported from Australia and the Netherlands, and shortages or distribution interruptions can affect availability. Non-citizens, private treatment, medicines, overseas travel and the costs of an accompanying person do not have a current general cost or co-payment table and need case-specific confirmation. Education costs are partly supported by government and external partners. The Naoero Education Assistance Trust Scheme (NEATS) provides AUD 5 per school day for eligible Nauruan and refugee students from preschool through Grade 12, with access to the trust after school completion. Social Welfare Services provides AUD 50 per term, or AUD 200 per year, for uniforms and books through its back-to-school support. These payments should not be treated as unrestricted recurring cash. Uniforms, books, transport and tertiary study overseas can still require separate planning. The Australia–Nauru Agreement of June 2024 included AUD 1.7 million for Brisbane students, expatriate teachers, TAFE Queensland and QCE licensing, but this is an education programme rather than a general household allowance. Social Welfare Services and the Department of Finance administer programmes including Birth Claim, Death Claim, Disability Payments, aged pensions and back-to-school support under the National Social Protection Strategy 2022–2032. Eligibility, amount, application and payment depend on the individual programme and status. There is no verified general automatic family-cost payment. Family budgets may need to cover food, housing, utilities, school, health, care and transport, together with irregular birth, death or disability-related expenses. Communication is a regular household expense, but current consumer mobile and data package prices were not verified. An older official SIM Card Policy listed AUD 0.30 per minute for local peak calls from 08:00 to 20:00, AUD 0.25 off-peak from 20:00 to 08:00, AUD 0.13 per SMS, international rates of AUD 0.75, AUD 1.60 and AUD 2.60 by band, and satellite calls at AUD 3.75. These figures are historical references, not a current tariff guarantee. The Department of ICT framework requires provider tariff publication, so the current provider plan should be checked before budgeting. No reliable current official standard prices were found for sports, museums, restaurants, hotels or other leisure services. Recreation spending is therefore mainly market- and event-dependent. For a household budget, separate fixed, variable and irregular costs: housing, utilities and communication are usually fixed or recurring; food, fuel, health and school costs vary; air referrals, relocation, repairs and education abroad may be irregular and substantial. The 2026–27 government budget, with AUD 359.2 million in revenue and AUD 359.0 million in expenditure, describes public finances and is not a household budget. Banking, debt and taxes are separate topics; they may affect the final amount but should not be treated as additional local cost categories without specific evidence.