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Average salary in Palau

Gross and take-home pay, by industry and against other countries

#6 best-paid in Oceania

Average salary

Take-home / mo

$1,232

Gross / yr

$17,184

Gross$1,432/mo
Net$1,23286%
Tax & contributions$20014%

Palau is a small, tourism-leaning Pacific nation with close American ties, and a real plus for a working professional is that tax takes almost nothing — your pay is essentially yours to keep. Earnings sit in the upper band against the world and mid-range within the region.

Salaries in Palau by industry

Your field decides a great deal of your pay here. Finance, the technical and scientific roles, and tech sit clearly on top, while hospitality, retail, and farming trail behind — so for someone who already has a profession, that profession is what really sets the number.

take-home/mo · % vs national average
Finance & insurance
$2,043+66%
Professional & scientific
$1,749+42%
IT & communication
$1,579+28%
Energy & utilities
$1,538+25%
Wholesale & retail
$966-22%
Agriculture & fishing
$753-39%

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What you could earn in Palau

Tell us what you do and what you earn today — we'll estimate what someone with your background could earn in Palau, what your living costs might be, and what you could save

  • What someone in your field earns
  • What you could spend and save
  • How it compares with today
IT & communication

Take-home in Palau

$632/mo

vs $1,200 in your country

Cost of living

$506

vs $800 in your country

Potential savings

$126

more than in your country

Standard of living

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How salaries in Palau compare

Palau earns more than much of the world but sits mid-table in Oceania. The American link and a steady tourism trade keep it ahead of many islands, though it's a small economy where the well-paid fields are few and the gap below them is wide.

take-home/mo · % vs Palau
1Guam
$1,652+34%
2Palau
$1,232
3Philippines
$306-75%
4Indonesia
$179-85%
5East Timor
$133-89%

Data source: Mean monthly earnings 2023 (ILOSTAT), adjusted to 2026 using IMF GDP-per-capita growth

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Frequently asked questions

What is the average salary in Palau?

The average salary in Palau is $1,432 a month before tax, or $1,232 take-home after tax and social contributions. Over a year that's $17,184 before tax and $14,784 after.

What salary do you need to live comfortably in Palau?

A typical person in Palau spends about $1,184 a month, while the average take-home pay is $1,232. How much you need to live comfortably depends on the city, your family situation, and how you usually spend. See the cost of living in Palau for the full picture.

What are the highest-paying jobs in Palau?

The highest-paying jobs in Palau are in finance, professional, and IT. Take-home pay in these industries averages around $2,043 a month (about $28,500 gross a year), roughly 66% above the national average.

What are the lowest-paying jobs in Palau?

Agriculture is the lowest-paying industry in Palau. Pay there averages around $753 a month take-home (about $10,512 gross a year). For comparison, the highest-paying industries pay about 2.7 times more.

What is a good salary in Palau?

A good salary in Palau is generally one above the national average — more than $1,232 take-home a month, or $17,184 gross a year. But a lot depends on your spending, where you live, and your financial goals.

Is Palau a high-salary country?

Yes. By average after-tax pay, Palau is ahead of 67% of countries worldwide and ranks 6th out of 11 countries in Oceania.

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Living in Palau

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