50K a Year Doable

Assuming it's just you and your wife and you have a job lined up, $50,000 should be ok if you have a fairly simple lifestyle. You will still need start up money, maybe $5,000 to $7,000 to get down here, get a rental, move/buy a car, etc. I would also have a separate nest egg in case something goes wrong with the job and you need to go back to the states.

Good Luck.

Ditto Linda. It's doable.

Yes, $50K is doable for a couple without kids. When you get here, track all of your ongoing expenses by category. After a month or three, you'll know if you're on track, or where you're over-spending.

50k is doable. It will be very tight (paycheck to paycheck living) and would work better if your wife has some income coming in as well. Another 20 to 30k a year would give you more room for emergencies and vacations home. I dont think you would be able to buy a house or condo on 50k unless you had a really good nest egg. Insurance on top of mortgage and bills would put you in debt quickly. It always comes down to how you live your life and how you want to live your life.

It is doable...I would caution you most strongly against accepting a job there sight unseen unless you have the cash to make a hasty retreat back to California or elsewhere if you are not happy there. It is a very small island - some people love it, but some people who live in the VI on other islands absolutely hate it.
The VI is not like PR at all. It is much more US influenced.
It appeals to some and others find it disappointing. On 50K, it would be difficult to maintain or build savings to finance another move if you had to.
Although 50 K sounds good - the cost of living, groceries, housing, utilities etc is high so Linda and Betty are spot on. It is doable.

Thanks for the info! I really appreciate. The job is with the company I have been working for/with for the past 3 years so I have no worries about the company, only concern is the pay. Does anyone know how the VI compares to other C'bean islands as far as cost of living goes?

J

Much much more expensive than PR.

More expensive than Trinidad and Tobago.

St. Thomas more expensive than the islands mentioned... based on what facts? I have heard differently from friends who live in Trinidad and San Juan, PR. Often it depends on one's life style. A more detailed comparison between the islands listed , rent etc., would supply West Indian with more precise information to make an informed decision.

san juan is not indicative of PR as a whole - that is like determing the cost of living in kansas by looking at NY.

Jane,

It depends on where in NY; Manhattan, the Bronx or Staten Island :).

You mentioned that St. Thomas is more expensive than PR; it depends on where you live in PR. Just as it depends on where you live in St. Thomas. I think that estimating a cross comparison between islands will require some leg work. It would be ideal for West Indian if the other Caribbean islands have an informative relocating forum such as as this one.

A good measure of cost of living is to look at the real estate market. Home prices will also determine rents in the long run. If you cant afford a house in the new area you are going to live you are probably (not always) going to be a paycheck to paycheck situation.

Hello West Indian,

To get an idea of cost of living/utilities check out the page on this site that contains average rents for different size rentals, telephone, Internet, electricity, cable and so forth. You can find it at https://www.vimovingcenter.com/cost_of_living/.

--Islander

Dear Johnnycake,
I think that you will find that even the most affordable are of NYC are still almost double that of the most expensive area of Kansas - Topeka @134K versus The Bronx @255,000.
I used to live on the West End of PR - Aguadilla/Rincon area - very beautiful, great beaches, golf, rainforest, , surfing etc.etc and somewhat affordable housing (relative to STT)

Western was asking for comparisons which means averages....if you were to take pr's average home price it would be cheaper the the vi's.