Is it an Expensive Place to live ?

I am in the same boat as Mahtilda, need to get away from the rat race. How are the job prospects and the living situation?
Darryl

Mathilda,

An answer to your question about moving to STT..yes, yes, and yes. It is expensive to get established. It depends on how attached to your stuff that you have from home; if you can do without it, you'll be fine, but otherwise it is expensive not only to move things there, but to get settled. I moved to STT in 1996, and it cost about $800 to ship my car through Tropical Shipping (who by the way, did a great job), and the rest of my stuff at a cost of about $5.00 per cubic meter (it is more expensive if you don't ship a car). The hitch with a car...it must be paid off. You can't ship a car you owe money on. You HAVE to have the title in hand. Once there, it costs roughly another $300 to get is registered, and you have to pay a tax on it, based on whether it is US made or foreign made car (and while it may be a foreign company, if it was made in the US, you pay the domestic tax)...anyway, check with Tropical for their current rates.

As for water..there are no inland water sources, so most houses have cisterns. They are not expensive at all, until they go empty. If there is no rain, and you are careless with your water usage, water can get VERY pricey, and you may have to wait for it to be delivered..not what you want to do when you need to brush your teeth in the morning. Expect to pay about $250 (on average ) for around 3000 gallons of water (which is a drop in the bucket in most cisterns. For example, my house has a 30,000 gallon cistern)

Rent: Depends...if you want furnished, yes, it will cost you a bit more. Try to find one that has utilities included, too, as electricity is a bit pricey compared to the states. When I moved to St. Thomas, I lived in a two bedroom house on Flag Hill (nice neighborhood) WITHOUT utilities included (except water), and my rent was $1575/mo. Had I not known my landlord ahead of time, I'm sure it would have cost more. The house was small, about 900 sq. feet, too, and it wasn't air-conditioned at all. My electricity bill, on average, was about $160 dollars a month.

GROCERIES: yes, more expensive than the states. You get used to it, though. Produce (unless you use some of the markets like Marina Market) is generally of poorer quality than you get in the states, too.

Don't let any of this stop you..you DO learn how to make it manageable. I loved it when I lived there full-time (my husband and I, whom I met while living there, moved back stateside in last year due to his job transfer, though we still own a house there)....they have been the best years of my life up until now. We can't wait until we move back for good!!!

Best of luck,

Heather

Darryl (and Mathilda),
Job prospects...hmm...depends on what you want to do. Professional positions are hard to find (I was a teacher there).

If you want a seasonal job, there are plenty, but keep in mind that the pickins are a bit slim when there are few tourists (like in the summer). Bartending and waitress jobs are a dime a dozen, and there is some good money to be made if you're smart about it. Also, if you're good at something, like working on boats, you'll be in demand. Licensed health care workers are DESPERATELY needed, and pull down some pretty decent salaries.

Write back and say what it is that you do, or want to do, so that some of us can give you a better idea of what to expect.

Heather