Koror

Cost of Living in Koror

Budget around $2,100 a month as a solo remote worker in Koror, which is expensive and reflects a Pacific island nation of eighteen thousand people that imports almost everything. A one-bedroom place runs roughly $800 to $1,300. Groceries carry the full Pacific freight markup and fresh produce is limited. Palau uses the United States dollar, which removes any conversion. Diving is the line that dominates a real budget here, along with the environmental fees the country charges visitors. This is our own estimate rather than a reconciliation against measured data.

Where to Work in Koror

Palau's connectivity improved substantially with the Belau submarine cable and a second connection added since, and fibre reaches Koror at workable speeds, though prices are high and outages happen. Mobile data covers the populated islands. Power is reliable in Koror and expensive. There is essentially no coworking. Palauan and English are both official and English is used throughout government, business and education, which makes Palau one of the easiest Pacific nations to operate in. The country sits nine hours ahead of London. Anyone working with Australia will find the offset small, at an hour behind eastern Australian time, which makes that the practical business overlap.

Getting Around Koror

Koror is the country's main town and is compact enough to move around by taxi or the occasional bus, though most visitors rent a car. A causeway connects Koror to Babeldaob, the much larger and almost empty main island, where a single ring road passes the new capital at Ngerulmud, a purpose-built complex serving a country of eighteen thousand. Everything that matters, though, is by boat: the Rock Islands, the dive sites and Jellyfish Lake are all reached from the Koror harbours. Babeldaob also holds the Ngardmau waterfall and the stone monoliths at Badrulchau, both of which almost no visitor reaches.

Sorting transport? Book an airport transfer, or compare car rental on Auto Europe and QEEQ.

Visas for Koror

Palau grants visa-free entry to citizens of most countries for thirty days, extendable in-country, and to United States citizens indefinitely under the Compact of Free Association. On arrival every visitor must sign the Palau Pledge, stamped into the passport, a commitment to act responsibly toward the environment addressed to the children of Palau, which is the only such requirement anywhere. There is no remote work visa. An environmental impact fee is charged on departure and a separate permit is needed for the Rock Islands. Anyone diving should budget for the Rock Islands permit and the Jellyfish Lake surcharge separately, since both are charged in addition to the dive itself.

Best Time to Visit Koror

Palau is warm and humid all year at around thirty degrees, and the calendar turns on rain and wind. November to April is the drier half with the calmest seas and the best diving visibility, and it is the busy season. May to October is wetter, and while Palau sits at the edge of the western Pacific typhoon belt it is struck far less often than the Philippines or Guam. Diving is possible year-round and the manta and shark aggregations at German Channel and Blue Corner are not seasonal. Anyone hoping to dive Blue Corner should be aware it is a current dive requiring a reef hook, and operators will ask about logged experience.

Pros and Cons of Koror

Palau made its entire exclusive economic zone a marine sanctuary in 2015, closing eighty per cent of it to commercial fishing, and the diving that results is regularly called the best in the world: Blue Corner, German Channel, the Ulong Channel and dozens of Second World War wrecks. The Rock Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage site and Jellyfish Lake holds millions of stingless jellyfish. Against that, it is expensive, very small, English-speaking but extremely remote, and there is essentially nothing to do that is not on or under the water.

Who Koror Is For

Koror suits a diver, and like Bonaire the honest answer is that it suits almost nobody else. For someone who wants world-class diving with English throughout and the dollar as currency, Palau is exceptional and the country has organised its entire environmental policy around keeping it that way. It is a poor fit for anyone who does not dive, anyone on a budget, and anyone who needs variety, since the islands are small and the flights in and out are few and long. It also suits anyone interested in Pacific war history, since the Peleliu battlefield south of Koror is largely as it was left in 1944.