USVI Moving Center - Cost of Living

Summer will be more expensive since it it warmer and most people will utilize their fans and A/C units which will drive up your already high electricity bill while during the winter there are pretty nice breezes and lower temps to enjoy. I see prices climb regularly for everything from gas for your car, food, electricity, general merchandise, services and other utilities. If you are already used to high prices in DC, you won't have too much of a sticker shock here. If you're used to FL prices, you'll probably faint when you go thru your first check out at the grocery store.

Makes sense. Visits to FL are always amazing (as in "wow, that's cheap") to us when we compare to costs here in DC. One can hardly find a restaurant near my office (suburban Maryland) and not pay more than $10 for a sandwich, side and soda. That's why my colleague and I use an InstaPot cooker to make quick meals in our shared office suite, SodaStream for cheaper soft drinks / seltzer and we stock up on healthy lunch-like items from the grocery store.

Of course, I understand there is a steep discrepancy with most incomes between any region and that's a critical variable.

Side bar (perhaps worthy of a new post): what are the most common commercial health insurance plans in the area? For example, CIGNA, local incarnations of BCBS, and Aetna are a few popular ones here. Any common ones on St. Croix?

Side bar (perhaps worthy of a new post): what are the most common commercial health insurance plans in the area? For example, CIGNA, local incarnations of BCBS, and Aetna are a few popular ones here. Any common ones on St. Croix?

I think you'll find everything you need to know (and weep over) on this recent thread:

https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,201668

You may have to purchase truckloads of water during dry spells. It depends on your usage and location. East end of STX is usually dryer than west end.

With Marco, 5300 gallons of distilled water is $390. You can also buy well water for less.

Gasoline on STX is around $4/gallon.

If you are conservative, you won't have to purchase water unless you live in condo/apt. that has metered water. Then you pay for usage.
I have never purchased water unless I was having repairs to cistern and having it cleaned but then I don't live in a very dry location.

East and South sides of STT are drier than North side. Don't spend much time out West so cannot comment as to how dry or wet they get.
I think when I purchased water recently after cleaning the cistern for the rental house it ran me (STT) $355.00 for 5200 gallons.

We do pay more for gas then STX. I just paid $4.58 per gallon on Friday to fill the truck and that was a good price compared to what other
gas stations were selling for here in STT.

Alana - is it permissible to install a second cistern (if one has additional land / space on private property)? I've read about the pros and cons of drinking water directly from a cistern on the board. it sounds like a personal decision. Perhaps some people install water filtration units to draw smaller amounts of drinking water (in the kitchen)?

Given my volunteerism in emergency response and expeiences with incidents that have shut down our utilities for days/weeks at a shot, my personal resources include a "when all else fails" water storage and filtration system ( http://www.htiwater.com/divisions/humanitarian/products.html). I even have a solar generator (large rechargeable solar powered battery) to keep my business afloat when the power fails here. (It's not as common as you would experience, but we have a utility with a very poor track record ... And when that stuff happens here, the world just seems to come to a grinding haunt).

Bob - thanks for that update. Gas is higher, for sure. I'd guess hybrid vehicles are not common (don't laugh!). You've inspired me to look at our monthly water usage and bill to make a cost comparison.

OT - thanks. I've read that thread and it's regretful. Sounds like Medicaid / Medicare, TriCare (military) and specialty expat insurance plans are the most common ones. I'm curious as a healthcare provider that accepts in-network benefit assignment for many plans (which also gets me weeping). Guess the big commercial plans are not popular.

There are codes in place for minimum cistern sizes. I think it's 10 gallons per sq ft of roof area for single-story houses, and 15 gallons for two-story. You can install more cistern space, but you may want more catchment area (usually roof area) to make ti worthwhile.

Adding chlorine bleach to the cistern is a common purification method, and so is UV light purification.

I guess it's a matter of applying for a permit and the cost of building such. You can also add the large plastic water containers to store additional water caught off the roof. I think they come in 400, 600, 1000 gallon size, if you think you will require more water.
Depends if you are an owner or a renter as well. If renting and water not metered, the cost is divided between tenants, should you run out.

Many people have dbl. cisterns where water can be used out of one and then turn on the other when it runs dry. It's wise to keep your roof area clean and debris, mildew/mold free since this is where you are catching water for cooking, bathing drinking, etc.. It's good to have a filtration system (whole house or just the kitchen sink tap for drinking). As STXBob said, it's good to add clorox to cistern periodically.
There is a formula for how much (not a whole bottle, maybe a cup or so depending on how much water as remember you still have to drink the water and too much will spoil the taste.)

I have always used cistern water for drinking. Some places had filtration systems, some did not. My present property have a whole house system and change filters monthly.

OT - thanks. I've read that thread and it's regretful. Sounds like Medicaid / Medicare, TriCare (military) and specialty expat insurance plans are the most common ones. I'm curious as a healthcare provider that accepts in-network benefit assignment for many plans (which also gets me weeping). Guess the big commercial plans are not popular.

Cigna is used by the government for their health plan and thus is widely accepted on island. Several businesses I know of use United healthcare, which also seems to be widely accepted.

The largest private non-hospital employer on the island also uses Cigna.

Have heard pros on BIG cisterns, bigger than required. It depends on where you live, East or West. If you have a BIG cistern you may not have to buy water. Cons on Bigger cisterns the prices I was quoted a few years ago was over $1 per gallon for cistern size. ie; 10,000 gallon = $10K. Do do you spend and extra $40 to 50 K to have a really big cistern or do you buy water at maybe $500 a year MAYBE?
Also the bigger the cistern, the more to maintain, keep clean, and reseal every few years.
I have friends that have done it both ways.
A bigger cistern is probably a good selling point.