I want advice from anyone who has lived in St. Thomas, USVI?

Question

My husband and I are thinking of moving in 8 months to St. Thomas. We need advice from anyone who has made this move. The good and the bad, we need to hear it all. Unexpected things, living conditions, what to avoid and what to keep in mind and so on...please help! Is this crazy?

Answer 1

I am living in St homas. I was here in 2004 moved to FL then moved back some months ago. Well about St Thomas: It's really pretty island but really small. actually almost every month i see some new people downtown who move from the states to here and they like it. life is more expensive here than most of the states but you don't pay any taxes when you buy (Duty-free). Also it's depend on your skills it might be a little bit hard to get a job but if you are a professional it shouldn't be hard. the salary might be lower than expected. Or else the best thing to do is to open your own business, somthing that will attract tourists since st thomas has a cruise ship almost every day, especially during this time business is REALLY good. If you are a person who like the beach you can go every day 'cause it's never cold.
Oh, the customer service here is not the best but you will get use to it. And there are great restaurants with great food so I don't think is a crazy idea

Answer 2

I Lived in St. Thomas from 2003-2006. I liked living there, but it was something I could only do for a few years. The Good: the weather is perfect almost every day and NO SNOW, which was a big thrill for me who moved there from Cleveland. Also, the local people are very friendly. The Bad: Things like grocery lines, post office, bank lines, etc. just move slower than you would expect in the states. Also, There is K-Mart and that is really the only place to shop for things. And there isn't as much variety there as far as colors, sizes, styles, etc. Overall, It was a good experience for me and I would reccommend it to anyone.

Also, here's a St. Thomas Message Board where you can ask locals More questions:

Answer 3

chanunu and Rewak have hit some valid points; here's some others:

Is this crazy? Of course! If you're nuts, you'll fit right in the Virgin Islands....the world's largest open air asylum and petting zoo.....

taxes / finances: you pay income tax just like you do on the mainland; instead of writing the check to the IRS you write it to the local Bureau of Internal Revenue. There is no state income tax or sales tax. There is a Gross Receipts Tax that business pay on what they take in ( 3%) whether or not there's a profit on the transaction; this acts not only as a hidden sales tax but also an automatic 3% increase in the cost of everything.

We are the United States, but outside the US Customs zone ( it's a LONG story) so almost everything brought in, even form the mainland has some sort of duty on it.....yes I know that doesn't make any sense. Welcome to the Islands, mon.

Electricity is generated by fuel oil and costs, as of Dec 2006, 31 cents a kWH......that is probably 3x what you are paying on the mainland, so it is not uncommon to run $300-$500 a month on residential 1 bedroom apartment just for power ( I run a 75 unit condo complex so trust me on that!). Power also goes out on regular basis, so have surge protectors on everything!

Gasoline this morning was $3.22/gallon on St Thomas.



Because we are an island with limited room, rents are high....1200-1800 a month for a nice one bedroom..because we are an island EVERYTHING.and I do mean EVERYTHING is shipped in here so everything is higher than the States.

Long lines in banks, Post Office, telephone company are the norm....don't go to the above without something to read. Some government agencies, ditto........if you are planning on starting your own business.....well, I'd work here for someone else first just to see how it goes and to realize that, when people tell you it takes three times as long and costs twice as much....they aren't kidding.

As a tourist island we see a LOT of people passing through, and alot that say they are going to stay...and about 3/4 actually do. The rule of thumb is if you make it thru six months you'll stay. Becasue of the high turnover, thewre isa tendency for people to be a bit standoffish untill we see you around for a while and realize you're serious...so plan on 3-6 months getting settled and finding work.

Having said all that.......it is flat out gorgeous here 355 days a year;today at 10 AM it is 82 degrees with 15 knots of wind; the pace of life is half that of the rat race up north; you can sail swim snorkel beach tennis any day of the week. I've been here 30 plus years and I think I'll stay!

the author Herman Wouk tried to retire here in the 60's.......bought a hotel, etc etc...the frustrations of life eventually drove him back to New York.....but he wrote........and Jimmy Buffett turned into a musical....."Dont Stop The Carnival" which is as true today as it was 40 years ago.

Come down for two weeks and hunt around before you pack it all in....and in the meanwhile, www.stthomassource.com is an excellent on line newspaper, as well as www.vidailynews.com.

I'm going sailing for Christmas.Happy Holidays

Answer 4

Charlotte Amalie is the town on St Thomas, and yes we have numerous laundromats..........but you want to spend 2 hours or more doing your laundry while here? Plus 20 dollars or more taxi ride each way? ( Nothing by the cruise ship docks in ST T; ) Tom Cat is by the airport turn off road if your ship is on Crown Bay, and there's one behind K-Mart in TuTu Park if your ship is in Havensite Dock