Compare VI to Florida Keys

Tim,

I can probably help you on this one. I did almost three years there before I moved to St. Thomas. I'm a couple of months into St. Thomas so I can give you a pretty good perspective on both.

I'll give you a run down a little later. This is an actually good topic especially after reading about all these people wanting to move to a Caribbean island but are worried about the distance and the extreme cultural difference.

Anyways, I'll list it out for you in a bit. Gotta run into town.

Steve

If you get a chance, let me know what your thinking about doing and I can gear the information towards that.

Steve,

Thank you for offering some advice. As far as work goes I am not looking for anything in particular but I have a few years experience in food service(which would be one of my latter choices) I just recently started working at a hotel and by the time I can move will have at least a years experience there, and I grew up doing lightning protection work with my grandfather's business. I know lightning protection in big in Florida or so I am told. Is it bin in the Keys themselves? I am looking for any info I can get, mainly on the cost of living, rent and things like that. It would most likely be just me moving. Thank you again for wanting to help and for any info you give me.

Thanks,
Tim

Hi Steve

I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say too. I have a friend who lived in Key West for a year or so, but moved away to marry her Atlanta-based boyfriend. We had originally tossed around the Keys as a possible relocation spot but family is pulling us to STT.

Regards,
Cali

Okay St. Thomas vs. Key West.

The islands- Key West is approximately 3 X 5 miles versus STT at 3 X 13. Key west is flat as a board while St. Thomas is hilly/mountainous. This attribute itself is a huge difference in life style. You can ride your bike around the island in a half hour or so. St. Thomas it wouldn't happen. Maybe drive around the island in two hours. KW is attached to a chain of islands running the 100 miles to Miami. In three hours your in civilization. Well as much as S. Beach can be considered civilization. STT is a plane flight away from everything. There are obtainable other islands, but no escape to the mainland.

Getting there and away. KW get in your car, truck, U-haul, bus, motor cycle, bike, plane, boat, shoes. Its a long walk but many a person does it. STT is pretty much airline over.

Cost of living. KW is higher in regards to residences. Being the only Caribbean island as well as being tiny, it has a lot of people interested in living the life. A lot of the homes are owned by people who do not live there year round. You are competing with people who can pay for a second or third home. Rentals are also very high due to the fact that owners can make more in a week renting to tourists than they can rent to a long term person for a month. That and the size again makes rentals very expensive. Efficiencies are the base line which are one room occupancies. They will range from 7-800 on up. A few regular style apartments are available along the beaches and they start at around 12-1400. To purchase a home you do have to compete against the whole United States so it is competitive. Housing costs never declined even during the heavy recessions. Housing is a challenging market because the 100 year old run down house will still command half a million on up. Once somebody brings in a decorator the cost zooms up to the multi-millions. There are at least 20 Real estate agencies running on that little island so there is demand and supply, but you better have a decent bank roll to play. If you don't have to have the KW zip code, as soon as you leave KW the other islands become very reasonable. They are not as trendy but for some they would be perfect. Same tropics less tourists.

Cost of living (daily needs.) Pretty much the same mainland pricing. Getting the 18 wheelers down to Key West is not a huge effort so there is not an added cost on the products. The three major grocery stores are Publix, Albertsons, and Winn Dixie. The other big box retailers are Sears, Ross, Home Depot, Office Max, and Kmart. There is a good sampling of the major banks. Gas is fairly stable as well as utilities. There you have running water (drinkable), trash pickup, DSL/Cable, etc. Nothing that you wouldn't find in anywhere USA. Restaurants are a little pricy because of the influx of tourists, however there are a lot of local places that are reasonable. There are 24 hour places everywhere which is a big difference with STT.

Culture- STT is strong with cultural diversity and heritage. Its definately more defined in its past. KW has its Conchs (long term residents/lifers) but there is very little left. The huge influx of tourism and population growth has diluted it immensely. KW is a drinking/party town with a splash of romance. You see very little of its original past except in the books from Waldenbooks. STT is made up with mainly native islanders and a small percentage of outsiders throwing in a blend. KW does have its minorities. There are people from all over the world. Cubans, S. Americans, large groups of Europeans (Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, English, etc) and main landers. Its a quite neat group of adventurous people. Quite a few have just ended relationships and have driven as far as they can drive. They end up in Key West and find that they are accepted for whatever reason. Some heal and leave, some stay forever, it is unique. The gay community is very large in KW. The tolerance of everybody makes it a very free spirited place.

Employment- Now hiring is everywhere with a larger demand during the tourist season. Even outside of tourism all the major avenues are represented. You just don't have to wear a tie. Entry level wages are around $7-8 for the most basic job. I would say pay for a person with a decent work ethic will find $10-12 with no problem. Even worse than in STT, the turnover because of vagrancies is huge. Although it is a nice place to be, it is expensive and not all that people imagine it is when they are there for a week on vacation. My first year there I was #1 in turnover in the country at around 250%. The work ethic as in STT can be questioned because of the island mentality, but like STT most people work 2-3 jobs to survive so it just doesn't flly with me. The military has bases there so there are governmental jobs available as well. I would say that the work opportunity in KW is better than in STT especially for an outsider.

Things to do. Beaches are real in STT. KW does not have any real beaches. They are fairly poor if you have actually been anywhere. The postcard pictures of KW are not representative of the actual thing. Off the island and out to the reef is totally different. There things are gorgeous. Duval st. is the world famous party street. Its a 20 hour party with the bars closing at 4:00 am and re-opening at 8. The cruise ship drops off a city and all the people staying in the resorts and B&B's come out to raise havoc 7 days a week. Throw in all the cool gay clubs and classic bars like Sloppy Joes and that little street is crazy. Fantasy Fest is KW's carnival happening in October. Still, 7 days a week of partying is available. Fishing is exellent there. World class with world class variety. I first mated for a light tackle charter boat so I got the opportunity to catch most everything. Heck I have even caught 8' sharks and 120lb Tarpon off the docks. Stt has very little water access for fishing. In KW boat ownership is often a must. There are public docks all over the island with marinas every mile. There is a decent amount of storied history about KW that to some would be very interesting. Cultural events are very important because of the high brow people living there. A lot of money floats around KW because of the influx of people from all over the states. Plays, operas, orchestras, art exhibits, musical interludes, are available 7 days a week. A lot of main-liners go to KW to escape the mainland for a little while. KW does a great job of marketing year round events that keep the island packed with tourists. You would definately never get bored. I have not done much in STT because of work so what you read from others would be more significant than what I have experienced so far. I haven't even been able to make it to one of the meet and greets yet.

Dating. Its one big party in KW. If your in your teens of twenties, its an experience of a lifetime. If you are looking for something serious I would probably say not the place to look for a meaningful relationship. There are a lot of European women looking for an american man for marriage and a green card. If dating a model is your thing its a good place to go. For the older crowd, its a bit tougher. Most of the single people are divorced who are living in KW for the recovery benefits. That can get kind of scary. There are plenty of tourists to hook up with for a day or two, but they always leave (that is a good and bad thing.) If your gay, definately the place to go. Its got to be the most gay friendly place that I have ever seen. I think of it as a good representation of what everybody symbolizes when people say "can't we get along."

Crime. There is virtually none. Yes there is a few drug arrests, but the majority involves the alcohol side of things. Break ins and violent crime are almost zero. The bad part of town and I say that with a bit of a smirk is Bahama Village. Its basically the slums of KW. It looks the same as the other parts of KW except that there is a larger proportion of Black people who live there. Were talking maybe a block or two squared. The funny thing is that there really aren't that much difference except that supposedly you can buy drugs there. The funny part of it is that its the same as the surrounding areas. I think they had to name a part of the island as being bad so they threw a dart or something. Its kind of tough maintaining a slum image when you have a bunch of tourists in hawaiian shirts and sandals walking through it and the average cost of the homes are in the 3-500 thousand dollar range. Its the first million dollar houses slum that I have ever seen. It can be dangerous though, about once a month a tourist will get killed in a moped accident. Sun burns take there tole as well. Hangovers are a definate threat.

Transportation. Cars suck. Mopeds rule. Bikes are even better. Parking sucks. With a car its a huge hassle that is not necessary. Mopeds are the main mode of transportation. Heck, most of the kids don't even have any vehicle. They just walk. Find a place by where you work and don't worry about it. Buses are extremely good. They have the little caravan buses that will pick you up and taxis are everywhere. Remember 3 X 5 miles. Your not far from anything. There is only one traffic jam and it is at the bridge that enters/exits on to KW. At 9am and at 5pm. Thats pretty much it. If you live on the island, you never have to deal with it. To leave KW there is Greyhound, Fast Ferries, and a airport which flys to Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Atlanta, and ?.

Negatives. Its a small hick town with tourists. It does get old after a while. It gets hot during the summer, real hot. Its expensive to live there and once you have done things once its not such a life changing experience. You still have to deal with the small town problems of being disconnected from society.

Well thats all I can think of at the moment. If there is anything else that you would like to know, just fire away. I still have a lot of friends down there so I do have connections. For probably 75% of the people that I see posting about wanting to live in STT (or an island,) I would probably say they would be better off trying out KW first. STT is nice but it has inheritantly larger risks/costs involved with it. The people who are successful in moving to KW still might have a challenge transitioning to STT. For me I alwyas like where I am at. Heck, I even had a good time living in Overland Park, Kansas.

Steve you are a trip! Makes me want to go to Key West and find a European model! Great comparison! One small correction though. St. Thomas is made up of a few native islanders and a large percentage of outsiders making the blend. Natibe Virgin Islanders run about 20%.
Ronnie

Steve: I have never been to Key West, sounds like Big America to me 😉 ... One small question..you said:

"Stt has very little water access for fishing"

I am not sure exactly what you mean. There are boats worth about a bazillion dollars over in American Yacht Harbor awaiting the third and largest marlin tournament of the summer. I know folks who are catching just about year around. Yes, you do need boat access, but there is plenty of that...

I think he means off the docks.
Ronnie

Thanks, Steve. Very informative.

You haven't, perhaps, lived in Hawaii, have you? I would be most curious to hear a comparison of that.

Thanks, Steve. I visited Key West for a week last June and loved it... all but the "flat as a board" part. It is sooo flat and the trees so big, I felt claustrophobic. Duval was insane and fabulous, but I'm certain it would get old after a while.

Anyway, thanks again.

Cali

Ronnie, my bad, more Islander as in not an extreme amount of N. Americans, European, Asian, S. American, etc. vs Puerto Rico on down through the (Antilles?), down islanders I think they are called.

Fishing is pretty much boat only. Having a boat is a huge undertaking as well. It is fairly impracticle to have a trailered boat on STT. Can you imagine trying to tow a 25-30 ft center console up and down the hills? Boats are dime a dozen in KW because you have all of the Keys to pick from but also can drive up to Miami to pick something up. Turnover is high on boats because it gets boring after a while as well. Plus, there are a lot of facilities to store a boat as well as a little more room to keep one at the house. KW also is intertwined with canals that allow you to dock your boat in the back yard canals. Just hop in and head out to the ocean. Much more accessible. Charter fishing is huge in KW. I would estimate that there is probably 50 to 1 ratio in charter boats working out of KW vs. STT. Not cheaper however. If you do a search on fishing in either destination you will get the jist of what I am talking about in regards to what is available.

East Ender. KW is much more mainland than STT. Its still a hick town in comparison to the big cities, but have all the same amenitites of living in the continental US. I guess the biggest difference is that there is much less inherent risk in moving and attempting to live in KW over STT. It does actually offer a lot of the same Caribbean flavors as STT such as the weather (Hurricane threats as well), similar flora and fauna, some of the same species of creatures, but to a much lesser extent since 90% of KW is developed, and a island comradre of outsiders and insiders,(again in a lot smaller percentage.) One thing that does occur in KW that you will never see in STT is the snow birds driving down in their motorhomes parking in every open lot. It's like a zoo sometimes. Gets a bit annoying but understandable. Homeless are another big difference. The homeless are much more tolerated than most places. That in conjunction with the weather being pleasant year round makes bench living a KW part of life.

Taxes- 7.5% in KW, STT 0% (however, there is inherent mark-ups that you pay for the taxes paid by the retailers and the extra costs for shipping.)

Schools- Suck as well. Private schools are favored quite a bit over the public schools. One high school for the lower Keys. There are a City college which is awesome. It has one of the best views of the island. Very nice design and architecture. The Staff is very educated for a City college. There is also a University based on the military post.

Kids- Not a lot for kids to do once you get bored with going to the beach. It is very typical for families to go to visit family on weekends to get off the island and get to the mainland. Its a two lane road to Miami and is one of the most spectacular drives in the world. Once a month for meetings and I dreaded that drive.

Key West - Hurricane evacuation routes.

STT - tie yourself to a tree like Gilligan.

😉

(just funnin)

Angela,

Did a year on Oahu, honolulu. Its been about six years so kind of dated but I can come up with some basic gleenings. Gotta wait though, work beckons.

Steve

Thank you very much for all the info Steve. Had a couple more questions though if you dont mind. In the VI its cheaper to live on STX, at least thats what I gather from everyone on here, is it different in the Keys? I mainly mean the rent, since you said the other islands in the Keys dont have as much tourism is it cheaper on the other ones? I am sure its not as it is in the VI but do you still get the "Island" feel of living, if you know what I mean, or does it being so easily accessed by the mainland keep a lot of the mainland feeling? I definitely want to experience the Island life and the VI is my main goal but money wise for now the Keys are looking more do-able. One thing I mentioned the first time that you didnt touch on was lightning protection, do you know if its big in the Keys like I have heard it is on mainland Florida? Any other info you can give will be greatly appreciated. By the way it seems like you have lived a pretty interesting life being able to live so many varied places. Must be nice.

Thanks again,
Tim