Moving to a remote island with a population of 60,000

[burningcandl]

I am seriously considering moving off shore to live on a remote island. I can either go to Bermuda, Grand Cayman, or Tortola. Both Bermuda and Grand Cayman have about 60,000 people. They are hours away on a plane from the nearest city.

My motivation for moving is to get a better quality of life. Currently live in central London. Do like it here but it’s too busy and fast paced.

Moving off shore is the only place where I can make more money than London.

How do people know if they are suited to island life?

I'd want to find info on tax implications, health care coverage, pension issues etc. All of those would impact how much you had to spend on housing and living after those costs. That will impact lifestyle and long term financial planning.

I wouldn’t call any of those ‘remote’, but I’m coming from a position of having lived on an island where I was the sole inhabitant.

I’m not sure I understand how you could ‘make’ more money living on Bermuda where salaries will be far lower than London, unless you retain your London job and are able to work remotely?

How much time have you spent in any of the places you mention?

What's wrong with the Isle of Wight? Easier to come home if you find that island life is not for you.

Go on holiday there for a few weeks and see. I was in grand cayman for a few months. Despite the sun, snorkelling and swimming I was bored once I'd exhausted that. The tourists are really rich and nauseating too.

Isle of Wight has no jobs for the area of work I do.

Never visited Bermuda or Cayman. Have been to USVI but not BVI.

Bermuda salaries for my work are only slightly lower than London. Far more favourable taxes though, even considering higher cost of living.

You wont know until you try. Go for a year.

Go for it! You only live once!

I once worked with someone who had spent several years in Bermuda. He loved it out there. Only downside is the perpetual threat of hurricanes.

Bermuda is sooo remote. Cayman would be much easier to escape from for a long weekend in Cuba or Mexico or any of the other countries around it.

I wish I’d done something like this in my 20’s, go for it!

A fiend of mine worked on a small and very beautiful Caribbean island (doing it for a good salary). Said she was going insane after a few month with "island fever" - felt trapped and nowhere to go. Even though she and her partner had a lovely house and there was a group of locals and expats to socialise with. My understanding is it was very boring and repetitive.

my best friend grew up in Cayman, and I spent 6 years there.

pluses and minuses to everything.

Cost of living means the value proposition isn’t what it was. ‘Tax free’ is misleading - what you save in direct income tax you pay much of in import duty.

beaches are obviously gorgeous, as is the snorkelling / diving.

the weather is Caribbean. I love the thundery days as much as the sunny ones - hurricanes a risk but there are good shelters + warning systems - you wouldn’t have to be in real physical danger unless you were monumentally silly

if you are into expat bar / brunch culture - it has a thriving one and lots of good food options considering the size of the population

cons :

it’s a really small population - and a lot of it is quite transient. People stay for short contracts and then move home - which means constantly making new buddies when old ones leave

Traffic is a bitch

life is pretty expensive if you want to do all the fun things

everything is quite booze centric

mosquitos.

some pretty small island political views when you dig under the surface

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you have to go and spend time there to see if it’s a fit I imagine. Would you be trying to move a spouse + children too? If not, maybe just try them all and see. Short term contracts in insurance (or whatever you do) are pretty easy to find if you’re competent and willing to move!

You been watching Murder in Paradise, OP? 😅

I think you have to be really attracted to the lifestyle that these tropical locations offer as it's so very different from the UK. Some of it is idyllic but there are some other significant challenges to navigate through.

If it's only a quieter lifestyle you want, there's probably loads of places in the UK that offer this and you might be able to find a way to work remotely.

Depends what you actually want. Is it just a quiet lifestyle or do you want a complete change and to give a tropical location a try? It seems pretty radical to move to a tropical island just because you don't like London!

Bermuda is probably the nicest out of the three options you gave. It’s all very manicured and beautiful houses.

Cayman rentals are now insane so if you are renting you probably aren’t saving much money. You’d be better off staying in London it you have bought.

BVI is tiny. Quite rustic. Beautiful islands nearby but insanely expensive to fly in and out of. Forget trips to Miami for the weekend, you’re looking £800 return for a 2 hour flight. It has the cheapest accommodation whilst there.