Moving to Bermuda 🇧🇲

[phannyphoophoo]

I have the opportunity to move to Bermuda. Currently based in London. Pay will be the same as London but far far lower taxation. Understand rentals are as expensive as prime central London though.

Dh and I have no kids. Is it boring?

Cost of living is very high - not just rentals, but also food / drink as everything has to be imported.

Do you golf, sail, dive, swim? If not, I can imagine it could get boring.

Remember, Bermuda is a relatively small island a long way from anywhere.

London salary doesn't sound very generous to me - are you being offered any other benefits to sweeten the deal? Moving expenses, home leave flights, etc.?

I sail, dive, and swim. Grew up on the coast and miss the sea.

Exact package is TBC. It does include relocation package and housing help. Salary is c £250k. In London I pay almost 50% tax. It’s crazy. Do you think the higher cost of living would eat up the tax saving?

Are you planning on staying there? There are specific rules designed to protect native Bermudians and even if you're born there (to non Bermudian parents) you would not be Bermudian

It's a lovely island, everything is very expensive as it's all shipped in

Do try and negotiate a good relocating package. Do be careful that cheaper rentals will often be because the owner has sold off or passed the single car ownership permit to their friend or family. You are only allowed one car per property.

I've no idea, I've never been, but I'm fascinated about the tax thing....how do they pay for anything without collecting taxes do you know?

Your salary sounds great for Bermuda. It's when people look at salaries of c60k GBP for secretaries and think that sounds great versus the 40k they'd get in London. That's where the issue is, because the boost will not be as great vs someone on a professional salary (presume you are an accountant or lawyer). The reason so many Brits still come here is because of the favourable tax system.

I have family who live there. They moved there in the 70's. Married another non Bermudian and managed to get Bermudian citizenship under the rules at the time as they had Bermudian born children.

I have been to visit a few times and frankly couldn't live there permanently. I love swimming, diving and sailing but after a couple of weeks I had what I can only describe as claustrophobia. I desperately needed to leave. Apparently it's called island fever and anyone who can will leave the island for a month or two every year.

I also found it shockingly racist in a very much a 'them and us' type of situation. Oddly though very wealthy people would happily mix with those of significantly lower means as long as they were white. Very little interracial mixing which was concerning and frankly odd.

It just wasn't somewhere I'd particularly want to go and live.

Have you made a decision? My partner has just started a job there - I’m going back and forth for now so I can keep my job here in London. We are late 30s, no kids. One of his good friends lives there already. My partner is already loving it aside from me not being there all the time (better work life balance etc) - I’m less sure. PM me if you’d like to discuss!

Just to ask if anyone has moved to Bermuda now? My husband has been offered a job there.

Grateful for any views @phannyphoophoo @Onelifeonly22

A family member lives there. I visited but couldn't imagine living there longterm. Very small and conversations are not invited unless it's about parking or the weather. Don't expect anyone to ask you anything about yourself. Weird.
My cousin's company pays his rent on a smallish flat - $18,000 per month.
Booze is dead cheap as it's tax free and this also means there's a massive drinking culture (problem) on the island. No cinema or theatre. You have to fly to NYC or Boston for anything vaguely cultural.