looking to make the move

I just posted a very similar post about 2 days ago on this same forum. I received a wealth of information. You should check it out! Good luck!

K GREAT THANK YOU !!

Link here:
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,195801

Im laughing to myself I realize how redundant my post was I'm very sorry. I should have looked before posting, guess just a little eager its an exciting prospect this move. Thank you guys for your help

electric varies from 100-++++ lots of things to factor in. i pay about 220
gas for car 3:99
cable about 50-100 depending on package, there is also dish network. a poster here is affiliated with dish and can give you prices
internet 50
gallon of milk about 5 some half gallons are 5
wifi-yes, i know people who use skype all the time
i use att for cell
water-either cistern or delivery

there is a lot of info on this board. just browse a bit and see what you find. feel free to ask more questions

Electric is a whole lot more. We pay about $220 a month and that is without AC, only a few lamps, 1 TV, and kitchen appliances (no oven). Water is a lot as well, and we lose both weekly, plus we can't drink the water or use it for anything (Ice, coffee, etc.). Gas right now is $4.89 a gallon. Milk is about $6 for a half-gallon, and other groceries are about double. Internet is a lot slower than in the states, a lot slower, and we pay about $120 for cable and internet. I also wouldn't recommend moving to any of these islands with small children. Have you checked out the crime on STX? It's one of the highest in the country. Also, no Verizon at all here, we had to cancel that when we moved. The hardest thing is food here, sometimes they just don't have anything on the shelves for what you want because the boat didn't show up, or the stuff is all expired. Do a PMV first, don't just move here, it is a huge difference than the states, and incredibly different than NY. Also, everything takes forever down here, people are the slowest and laziest I've ever experienced. You can go to Mcdonalds and wait close to an hour for a happy meal and a #2. It is a huge adjustment and please visit first.

I disagree with Tolie - but that's what this forum is for.
Yes, crime is high and island life is expensive (but so is NYC) you won't pay nearly as much for rent in STX as you will in NY and you won't be paying a heat bill either! but Electric has gone through the roof down here over the past few months and water is expensive if you have to pay for it (a lot of places have/use cistern water)
I think the islands are a great place for young kids (before school-age and maybe EARLY elementary). Our Daughter was born on STX and from 3 mo. she's been swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. There are mommy groups on both stx and stt that are great resources of information for new parents and new-to-islands parents.
It's sad that our daughter doesn't get to see her family all the time, so she won't know her grandparents/aunts/uncles as well as she might if we lived state-side. But they love coming to visit and we try to take her to see them too.... now THAT gets expensive.

Tolie, why can't you use your water for drinking or cooking? And a couple of days ago I paid $4.59 for gas at Giant Gas. You can find groceries for cheaper than Tolie describes, but you have to go to several stores. It is definitely different than the States, that is true!

Tolle, I don't make ice, make coffee or cook with my cistern water either. I think the crime on both StX and StT is about equal. StT tourism (&cruise industry) just does a better job of covering-up. You have to change your diet and meal planning. We eat allot of eggs, brown rice and look for local fruits and veggies. I hardly buy bread and milk anymore.

I use water for cooking, bathing, laundry.....I just don't drink it. Mine is cistern water and doesn't taste good and not sure about the cleanliness. my neighbor uses a filter and drinks it. i purchase drinking water from the water stations with a refillable 2 or 5 gallon jug. Gas on St Croix is $3.96 today.

I don't drink the cistren water. I've seen what comes out of my cistern when the men clean it. I have filters, but still......... I do give tap water to the dog and cats. They don't complain.

The hospital in STX has good doctors and terrible reputation if you need to stay there. The nurses are not happy since the nurse assistants were let go and now they have to do all of the work that they should have done in the first place. Many of us have sky med insurance and get flown to the city of your choice for help.
Rents are lower here than in New York and food prices are comparable as well. City water is drinkable with filters to eliminate the impurities from the old pipes. The water is actually from desalinators so it is good water. A carbon filter eliminates the added chemicals and I drnk water from the tap.
Rents are much lower now that the island economy has tanked. We used Karen Stanton in Re Max to buy our condo. They also handle rentals. You learn to take quick showers and put a timer on your water heater.
Great place for a small child to grow and learn to swim, etc. Schooling can be expensive if you chose private school, however i know of quite a few with home schooling.
This is US and has all the same things as in a small USA town.

I don't drink the cistren water. I've seen what comes out of my cistern when the men clean it. I have filters, but still......... I do give tap water to the dog and cats. They don't complain.

If you're giving cistern water to your dog and cats, you might wanna rethink that.

My doggie got quite sick. My vet said to me, "You don't drink water from the cistern, do you? Then why are you giving it to your dog?"

That a good point about the dog. The cats, however, enjoy a study diet of raw rat. Not sure if they care....

Before we moved, been here 10 days now, people always laughed and said bring suitcases of cash. IMHO that's really what ya need. Not that everythjng is crazy expensive but it all ads up... and FAST! If you have a sense of adventure and a bunch of $$ you can make it or at least try it our for a year. We saved for a year putting half our paychecks away every 2 weeks, planned for a year, did a 3week PMV to STX (ended up on much different STT) and sold our cars, furniture and make a profit monthly on my house in the states. So bring a BIG chunk of change. I would say 10k if you plan on buying cars and an unfurnished place. You will go through it your first month. IMO 20k is a great number to bring. 10 to get you settled and 10 for emergency and what have you's. i am SOOOOO glad I listened to my BF and saved double the $$ we were going to come with. I am sure people have done it with less but actually doing it, I can't imagine it on any less $.

Best lesson I've learned on this forum is BRING YOUR CAR!! Hahah! I will totally take the "I told you so's!"... They did!

Have a positive attitude, SMILE and just be friendly, it openes up a world of fantastic, usually like minded people.

I would say 10k if you plan on buying cars and an unfurnished place. You will go through it your first month. IMO 20k is a great number to bring. 10 to get you settled and 10 for emergency and what have you's.

Best lesson I've learned on this forum is BRING YOUR CAR!! Hahah! I will totally take the "I told you so's!"... They did!

Have a positive attitude, SMILE and just be friendly, it openes up a world of fantastic, usually like minded people.

Good to know, shipping my vehicle isn't cheap, but its not terribly expensive either (plus I LOVE it and wont give it up) so it's nice to know that the idea of shipping is a good one.

I do want a back up vehicle, so I'll still have to battle what you have (it appears, though I am somewhat mechanically inclined so that should help a bit).

for the money side, you are just finding that incidental expenses are adding up? furniture and etc?

how bad has your vehicle hunting been? can you expand a bit on that? maybe it's just because STT has a lower population?

We shipped our vehicles(2003 Ford Excursion and 2004 Ford Explorer Spots Trac) and glad we did.

Cost $5,300 + BVM title fees.

We used VI Cargo out of Medley, FL. and couldn't be happier, great service.

We shipped both because we also wanted a backup vehicle which has proven a good idea as parts take some time to get here.

Start up is a major expense but once you've replenished your basics the cost is tolerable.

There are lots of cars for sale here on STX, but picking the right one could be a problem.

The old saying "a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush" applies here.

Good Luck

CD

CaDreamers is right: Overall cost is manageable but the start up cost for an unfurnished place is pretty high. Most places we went to wanted 3k average for a couch and loveseat set. We bought a used love seat for $150 ti have something ti sit on, then yesterday i couldnt take it anymore and found a rent to own place and paid $900 for a set. pretty happy with that. Get furnished if you can. So u have a $ amount were at 8k all in, including car, rent, some furniture, wapa, gas, kitchen goods and more. its a lot of stuff. For us a 2 bedroom and on northside was just a right fit so unfurnished it was. The main reason is that our place has killer breezes, allows our cats and has a garden area. It met all all my wants.

The cars been a nightmare. We don't know anything about foreign cars. cars are HARD to find right now, my bet is because its high season. Maybe in low season you'd have better luck but IMHO just bring your car. Buying an island car is a gamble, we got a reference for a great mechanic that finally helped us lock down a $2500 island car. We're at the BMV right now LOL! We ended up renting a car from dollar and its going to be $600. We only estimated $400 so you can see when something doesn't go just as planned it end up costing $$.

FWIW we did our PMV in STX in June and found a bunch of cars to buy, HOWEVER again buying an island car is a gable. I would bring a stateside car no matter what.

GOOD LUCK!

There is a barge that runs from STX to STT (called Norma H). If it's that hard to find cars on STT and there are tons on STX it might be worth a try to look over here. Last I checked (2-3 years) it's about $250 to ship from STX to STT.

There is a barge that runs from STX to STT (called Norma H). If it's that hard to find cars on STT and there are tons on STX it might be worth a try to look over here. Last I checked (2-3 years) it's about $250 to ship from STX to STT.

so the ferry is down, but a barge is up?

i assume barge means no passengers

Correct. There is no regular ferry service between STX & STT. There is a barge that carries cargo - it also goes to PR.