Want to move, MANY questions (limited income)

Well the islands will most likely be more expensive for you than FL so you must be prepared for that. And no private health insurance plans are available. STX should be slightly cheaper for housing than STT and perhaps a few more options since we are larger and not as high in demand. We don't recommend buying property until living on island for at least a year but we do have many affordable condos for sale on STX right now. You will definitely need a small car as the public transportation options are very limited and not all that reliable and you'd go broke with taxis. You could possibly find a place to stay in C'sted as well as a job to walk to but you'd be extremely limited.

yes - one way to do this is come and find a cheaper small apt in the town area and secure a part time job in town doing - something?. You will have to be creative about a job - perhaps see a need and fill it. Town does have some very quaint apts. walkable to Main St and often located in 19th century Danish homes. You will have limited range w/o a car but getting out and around the island can be done if that is your desire.
If your pension and Social Security and Medicare supplemented with the part time work amounts to a reasonable #$ you will be able to live a simple and frugal lifestyle, enjoy the weather, find a community that you can participate in and new friends and become a happy and productive resident.

Exit, thank you. Scuba, that sounded more like a pitch. I wanted to make it clear while I have been in the panhandle of Florida the last couple of months, um, maybe I am wrong, but I came from South Florida the last couple of years. AKA, Miami, perhaps you have heard of it? While I know the pricing is high down there, please triple checks the rents or housing prices in Palm Beach County! I am NOT looking for a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo on the ocean. I am also very familiar with STX. NOT LOOKING TO BUY this second, but thanks.

My fault for not making it clear, but even just a rental with others if need be for a few months or possibly a year. And yes Exit, going to look near C'stead as it is not worth it for me to ship my car at this point. I am basically talking ghetto, but do not want to live in the areas I already know about there.

Thank you both so much

I live in FL (Tampa Bay area) and we're out of here in early 2017 moving to STX. I find the cost of living similar between both locations.

Some things cost more in STX (food, electricity) while some things cost less (housing rentals, car insurance - a lot less - if that helps) as compared to big city FL.

Plan to rent for at least 6 months so you're not in the short-term market.

Eat local - experiment with ingredients - you'll be fine with food, too.

Budgeting for a beater car would make life easier for you.

If you're exiting a job, make sure your health insurance COBRA will work in the VI.

It's chilly this morning.

It's chilly this morning.

I wish we had more than just a drizzle, though.

@coldx3I love St Croix, but I am guessing St Thomas would have more options for a cheap rental and possible part time job options

My comments about living in town were about Charlotte Amalie STT

Are you going to be alone or do you have a family that you will be moving with? If you will be alone, you can get by on the Islands for a lot less than people think.The job market will be better than St. Croix, although living spaces are cheaper on St. Croix than St. Thomas. You could get away without having a vehicle as long as you find a place to live and work that is near the public transportation route. When I say shoe string budget, I mean limited frills like cable, eating out buying a lot of groceries. Beans and rice have been a staple for my family on the Islands for generations. If you are able and have a limited working knowledge of carpentry, plumbing and electrical, there is always a need for handymen or handy persons on the Islands. Heck a person could make a full time job in just making new screens for windows and doors.

mike

Hello coldcoldcold,

You mentioned that you had many questions, but you only asked one; "...guessing St Thomas would have more options for a cheap rental and possible part time job options particularly if I do not ship my car?"

So commenting on that question... St. Thomas has a range of apartment prices but the general consensus seems to be that people find them to be more expensive than what they could find where-ever they came from for the same size apartments (studio, 1BR, 2 BR etc.). Of course there are exceptions like NY, SF, SD etc. that are pricey places to live.

Cheap rental is relative. A price range or budget you had in mind would be more useful for people to comment on, but if you are just trying to get general information before putting together a budget, then a good solution would be to pull up classifieds for St. Thomas and St. Croix. With the classifieds you can get an idea of what is available and their going prices. A room-mate can be an option too.

St. Thomas has a public bus system and also another public transportation system similar to a public bus called 'dollar ride'. It covers most of the popular commercial areas and points in between them. So if you found a rental and a part time job along the route then you can make due without a car. Can be a challenge sometimes and might require depending on friends for rides to make it work out.

Part-time work... sure there is part time work, availability varies by field.

Thank you for using ViMovingCenter.com to research the Virgin Islands as a potential place for you to live.

ALSO WONDERING IF you would have enough money to move back if you dont like it down here?