The Cost Of Living

Dear Rev. Turcot,
I just emailed you. =)
~S

Rev. Turcot,

Linda's post "Life in Paradise" has a lot of info regarding cost of living.

~S

Cost of living can be found in the moving guide. Depends on the island as far as rents go. St. John is more expensive than St. Thomas. In St. Thomas you can find a one or two bedroom starting around 800/month. A few one bedrooms may be cheaper. Utilities are high. Depends whether or not you have air conditioning. I can tell you what I spend on a 3 bedroom home with apartment and pool and no a/c and that is around $300/month. Homeowners insurance is high but it looks like that won't matter to you. Auto insurance is comparable to the big cities in the states. Pay around $800/year for newer car. Food is too subjective. Produce costs more, milk costs more but other things are comparable. You have to remember that your lifestyle is different here. You don't drive as much. Going out is different - can't have food delivered to home so people tend to cook more at home and that saves money. If you like that beach, it's free.

Ronald,

Go to http://www.vinow.com/move/Islandlife/cost.php
cut and paste that link. Lots of info there about the things you asked... groceries, gas, electricity.

--Islander

Good link Islander.

The groceries (produce) aren't all that different than winter in the midwest where we have to have it all shipped in too. Gas and electricity are comparable, although natural gas...WOW! My phone's more expensive just to have...heh.

I wonder about the rain water you collect...is it potable or do you have to boil it or anything?

I am also thinking of relocating..so the same questions are going through my mind. What about education? I have a six year old daughter and want her to receive the same level of education she would get here. What do you think? Also what is the moving guide and how do I access it?

PS I am a single mother with limited funds right now. Which would be better? St.Thomas or St.John? And how would I go about fiding employment?

thank you for any advice.

Jay; I grew up drinking cistern water. If the cistern is clean the rain water collected in it is safe to drink. The only time I recall boiling the water is after a storm... although as one of the hurricane measures of protection we climb up on the roof and block the rain collecting pipes, still the water is boiled just in case. Also I don't usually assume I can drink water from the tap at other people's houses... I have known some folks who have frogs in their cistern because they don't put screens over the pipes or I just don't know their water situation. So ask if you are renting if the owner of the property drinks the cistern water or buys bottled water to drink. Also when buying water became a necessity I stopped drinking the water because sometimes it smelled a bit clorinated and so I buy bottled water.

Erin - St. Thomas is less expensive then St. John. Employment depends on your field - what type of job are you looking for? Also in terms of schools, the public school systems are OK, their are a couple of the elementary schools (in my opinion Peace Corps School and Sibilly School) that are good... the junior high and high schools are under a magnifiying glass right now because of losing their accreditation... so there are issues on the higher levels. There are a few private schools that are pricey but offer great educations.

The Moving Guide is at the top of this page - select Moving Guide and there is a section about various topics concerning island life and living.

All the best.

--Islander