What currency do the Marshall Islands use?

The Marshall Islands uses the US Dollar (USD) as its official currency. There is no local Marshallese currency. All prices, ATMs, and transactions are in USD. This makes things simple for American visitors, with no exchange needed. Non-US visitors should bring USD cash or use a no-FX-fee card.

Are there ATMs in the Marshall Islands?

Yes, but only in Majuro. The Bank of Marshall Islands (BOMI) and Bank of Guam have ATMs in the Delap-Uliga-Darrit (DUD) area of Majuro. They accept Visa and sometimes Mastercard. There are no ATMs on Ebeye, outer atolls, or anywhere outside Majuro's main strip. Bring cash.

Do businesses accept credit cards?

A few. The Marshall Islands Resort, Robert Reimers Hotel, and a handful of restaurants in Majuro accept Visa. Card acceptance is very limited overall. Everything on outer atolls (Arno, Mili, Jaluit) is cash-only. Even in Majuro, most shops, taxis, and local restaurants need cash.

Is the Marshall Islands expensive?

Moderate. A restaurant meal in Majuro costs $10-20, a beer $3-5, and hotel rooms run $80-150 per night. Groceries are expensive since nearly everything is imported. Flights to outer atolls via Air Marshall Islands add $100-300+ round trip. Budget $100-200 per person per day.

How do I get to Bikini Atoll?

Bikini Atoll dive trips are extremely rare and expensive, typically organized by specialist operators. When available, trips cost $3,000-5,000+ per person for a week-long expedition from Majuro. These are prepaid but bring cash for tips and incidentals. There is zero infrastructure on Bikini.

Do I need to tip in the Marshall Islands?

Tipping is not a strong local custom. At restaurants, rounding up or leaving 10% is appreciated at tourist-oriented spots. For dive guides or fishing charters, $10-20 per day is generous. At local eateries, tips are not expected.

Money in the Marshall Islands: Currency & ATMs

💰 Quick Context: US Dollars in the Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands uses the US Dollar (USD) as its sole official currency. No local currency exists. All prices and transactions are in USD. ATMs are only in Majuro (the capital atoll). Card acceptance is very limited. Outer atolls have zero financial infrastructure. The Marshall Islands is a Compact of Free Association state with the US, which explains the dollar usage. Bring enough USD cash for your entire trip, especially if visiting any atoll beyond Majuro.

Cash vs. Card: What to Expect in the Marshall Islands

In Majuro, the Marshall Islands Resort (MIR), Robert Reimers Hotel, and a few restaurants along the DUD (Delap-Uliga-Darrit) strip accept Visa. The RRE Commercial Center and a couple of larger stores have card machines. But most businesses in Majuro are cash-only: the local restaurants, taxi drivers, copra-processing area shops, and the Saturday market at Laura Beach.

Ebeye (the residential island next to US military Kwajalein) has extremely limited services and is almost entirely cash. All outer atolls (Arno, Mili, Jaluit, Ailinglaplap, Bikini) have no banking, no ATMs, and no card acceptance. If you are visiting any atoll beyond Majuro, bring all the cash you need.

How to Get Cash for Your Marshall Islands Trip

The Marshall Islands uses the US dollar as its sole official currency, so US travelers face zero exchange friction on the dollar itself. The catch is infrastructure: ATMs exist only on Majuro atoll (in the DUD area), and card acceptance is limited to the Marshall Islands Resort, Robert Reimers Hotel, and a handful of larger DUD-strip stores. Ebeye has near-zero services. Outer atolls (Arno, Mili, Jaluit, Bikini) have no banks, no ATMs, no card terminals. Pre-arrival cash is non-negotiable for any trip past Majuro.

✈️ Easiest Arrival

Bring USD cash before you fly

Cost: 0% (USD is the local currency) Convenience: Critical for outer atolls

The Marshall Islands runs on USD natively, so US travelers don't need a currency-exchange service for this trip. Bring USD in clean post-2009 mixed denominations: $1, $5, $10, $20 for daily spending, plus $50s and $100s for hotel deposits and outer-atoll boat charters. If you're flying in from outside the US and don't have USD on hand, CEI Currency Exchange can ship clean USD with insured 2–5 day delivery, and Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citi all stock USD by default. The Marshall Islands does not have a Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner. Budget aggressively for outer atolls: estimate daily costs × trip days × 1.3 and bring the full amount in cash, since there is no in-country backup once you leave Majuro.

💰 Cheapest

Withdraw USD from a Majuro ATM

Cost: Standard rate when functional Convenience: Majuro DUD area only

On the ground, the only working ATMs are in the DUD (Delap-Uliga-Darrit) area of Majuro. Bank of Marshall Islands (BOMI) has an ATM on the main road in Uliga that accepts Visa on the Plus network and is the most reliable for visitors. Bank of Guam has an ATM near the RRE Commercial Center that accepts Visa and Mastercard, useful as a BOMI backup. Both can run low on cash before weekends. Withdrawal limits run roughly $300–$500 per transaction. Coverage outside DUD-Majuro is zero: Ebeye, Arno, Mili, Jaluit, and the rest of the outer atolls have no working machines. Decline DCC every time the screen offers a non-USD charge. Curious how this compares to a normal-banking-country path? Our ATM fee calculator shows the math for somewhere your card actually works.

⚠️ Avoid

Hotel exchange windows & airport counters

Cost: 5–10% hidden markup Convenience: High (right at arrivals)

Three traps to walk past in the Marshall Islands. Since USD is the working currency, there's almost no legitimate reason for a US traveler to use any currency-exchange service in-country, but if you arrived with foreign currency, the MAJ (Marshall Islands International) airport counter and Marshall Islands Resort front-desk exchange windows can run 5–10% off the interbank rate. The cleanest move for non-USD travelers is to convert to USD before flying in. For US travelers, the only meaningful trap is DCC at BOMI or Bank of Guam ATMs (decline if the screen offers a non-USD conversion) and the assumption that cards will work outside DUD-Majuro (they won't). The Marshall Islands does not yet have a city-specific guide on this site, but the ATMs section below covers the (very limited) bank lineup.

For a side-by-side comparison of every method (bank wire, travel card, pre-order, ATM, exchange counter) including USD-only timing tips, see our complete Getting Currency guide →.

Marshall Islands Money Guide