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Hi Y'all,
I should be relocating to "heaven" in a few months and am in the process of doing my due diligence for St. Thomas living expenses. Would anyone be so kind as to tell me what the exact expenses will be on a monthly basis for a single guy with a small dog, specifically what I should expect to pay for electricity (kwh usage and cost), gas or fuel oil (if any), cost of a cell phone plan that would include calls to the mainland, internet and basic cable. I have seen some messages, blogs, etc but would appreciate if a kind soul could give me something concrete to go by. I will be looking to rent a small apartment with the possibility of sharing something bigger down the road. Also, what would be the minimum yearly salary I should earn to carry a simple lifestyle? I have all of my current New York State expenses on a spreadsheet and need real figures to compare them to. Thank you for any info you can share.
Posted : June 9, 2010 9:17 pm
Cost of living data can be found here https://www.vimovingcenter.com/cost_of_living/ and employment data here https://www.vimovingcenter.com/employment/wages.php
Posted : June 9, 2010 10:21 pm
As for your cell phone, AT&T seems to give the best coverage...a basic individual plan is $70 a month, $5 extra for text messaging, $30 extra if you want a data plan with that.
The cheapest studio apartment I've seen was $750 a month plus utilities...I think it is safe to say $1000 a month (+- for utilities) for a modest studio would be a fair figure...
Posted : June 10, 2010 2:35 am
$100-150 mo WAPA elec.only ----------- my May bill $.40 KWH
Water - depends on area and cistern at location -could be $100 mo could be $0 per year
Cable TV - $60-100 mo. Satellite comparable but has upfront cost and possible hurricane maintenance
Land line -$35 mo.
Cell Phone - about $80-100
Propane - maybe $20-30 mo
Apt - studio / 1 bdrm unfurnished $600-800 Furnished $750 - 1000 mo plus utilities in 'most' cases [legal apts]
Cost of Auto
Insurance
Income Tax
Clothing
Entertainment
Food - $20-40 a day w/some dining out
Bar Bill - could be $0 could be outrageous
Yearly Salary -- use the spread sheet and let us know !!
Posted : June 10, 2010 4:47 am
also remember that if you have a pet the number of landlords is GREATLY reduced. Forget about major condos. We took pets in our rental units and now are thinking twice about having them. The clean up is not easy and of course there is problem of the pet being social with others.
Good luck,
billd
Posted : June 10, 2010 1:15 pm
Islander should get after updating those prices. :@) Gas is now $3.60 or so. The fact that one chain has been closed down for months has probably added to the cost.
When you said you were relocating to heaven, I wondered if you were in hospice.;)
Posted : June 10, 2010 10:36 pm
