When we got offered the chance to move abroad to St Kitts for work we had no idea what living abroad and life as an expat would look like. Now we have been living in St Kitts for over 4 years we have a pretty good idea of what life in St Kitts is really like for expats. In this post we are going to give you all the insider tips and essential information you need to know about moving to and living in St Kitts and Nevis.

Moving to St Kitts

First of all deciding to move abroad is a big decision whether it’s for work, school or fun and there’s a couple of things you should have in place before moving abroad. Use our moving abroad checklist to help with this. Also check out our moving abroad packing list for a comprehensive list of what to bring with you and what to leave behind or get rid of.

To be able to live in St Kitts you will need to obtain either: citizenship, residency or a temporary residency which can be granted by having a work permit.

Whatever reason you want to live in St Kitts you should be financially stable enough to support your lifestyle either with savings, student loans or by working and earning, we will go into the cost of living in St Kitts later in this post.

There are some people who live in St Kitts permanently on a visitor visa, they just leave before it expires every few months and return after a week or two. This is a grey area as to whether it’s legally allowed or not and we don’t recommend doing this long term as you could face deportation if you are caught.

Visas for St Kitts

Most people arriving in St Kitts by air will automatically be issued with a visitor’s visa for either 3 or 6 months which will allow you to stay on the island but not work. Currently St Kitts offers visa free entry to residents of 156 countries, check this list to see if your country is included. If you are coming to St Kitts for work you or your employer will need to apply for a work permit prior to your arrival so you can start working immediately.

Work Permit for St Kitts

Work permits are issued every year usually from January-December and you will get a stamp in your passport which allows you to live in St Kitts for that working year without needing to get your visa renewed. To apply for a work permit there are several steps that must be followed and all original documents must be submitted to the government before they will grant the work permit.

Temporary Residency in St Kitts

If you are not coming to St Kitts to work but rather to study then you will be granted temporary residency. This is done through the school you are attending and they will tell you exactly what you need to apply for the residency. Similar to the work permit you will need to submit your passport for stamping every year however the temporary residency doesn’t allow you to work on island.

Citizenship By Investment

If you want to move to St Kitts and become a citizen the easiest but by far the most expensive way to do so is citizenship by investment. St Kitts has offered citizenship by investment since 1984 when it gained independence and since then people from all over the world have taken advantage of the scheme, mainly for the benefits of owning a strong passport.

The St Kitts passport is currently the 55th strongest passport in the world and allows visa free travel to 154 countries! St Kitts citizenship by investment currently costs $125,000USD for a single applicant but spouses and other family members over 18 can be added to the application for $25,000USD and dependants can be added for $10,000USD each. There are also legal fees and a processing fee of $7500USD to consider before taking this approach.

Bringing pets to St Kitts

If you have a fur family you want to move to St Kitts with you then you will be pleased to know it’s not difficult to import your pets to St Kitts. When we moved from England we brought our 2 cats with us on the flight from London and the process was relatively straight forward.

The process for importing pets to St Kitts does depend on which country you are bringing them in from as St Kitts is a rabies free country they can be strict if travelling from a country that has rabies.

You can read about our experience of travelling with cats in this post.

While bringing your pets to St Kitts is relatively easy to do getting them off the island again if you need to is a different matter. St Kitts airport no longer puts pets into cargo on any flight so if you have a large dog to export you may be looking at some expensive options to get them off the island.

American Airlines which flies daily from St Kitts to Miami will allow a certain number of pets in the cabin currently this is 7 animals per flight. The amount of pets is also restricted to 2 pets per person and they must be less than 9kg in weight and small enough to be counted as carryon luggage so the carrier with the pet must fit under the seat in front.

For larger animals the only way to get them off the island is either by private charter flight or by transporting them to another island either by boat or plane. Some of the local airlines will allow larger dogs to fly to other nearby islands so that could be an option.

Although pets cannot be loaded into the British Airways cargo in St Kitts they can be loaded in Antigua when the plane lands there after takeoff for direct fight to the UK with pets.

Community in St Kitts

St Kitts has a great local community and it can be tempting to stay with other expats who understand what life as an expat is like. However if you break away from the expat bubble you will inevitably find some amazing friends for life. We love our St Kitts family and we wouldn’t change it for anything.

Throughout the year there are so many local community events from walks for charity to the annual channel swim to fashion shows and the highlights of the year the St Kitts Music Festival in June and Sugar Mas Carnival in December.

When you move abroad you need to really break out of your comfort zone to integrate with the local community but most Kittitians and Nevisians are so friendly and welcoming and now we have lived in St Kitts for 4 years we really are treated as part of the family.

Housing in St Kitts

Residential properties in St Kitts range from studio apartments to mansions and everything in between. Most people moving to St Kitts will be coming for work or school and will probably start by renting a place.

Housing in St Kitts can be very affordable depending on what you are looking for and the location. If you want to live in Frigate Bay with mostly expats and near to all the bars and restaurants you are going to pay for the privilege.

Studio apartments in Frigate bay start around $600USD, one bedroom apartments around $1000USD, and 2 bedroom apartments around $1200USD. Standalone housing in Frigate Bay starts around $1500USD without a pool.

In other areas of St Kitts housing is cheaper and often you can find a good deal with local real estate agents, we currently rent a 2 bedroom ground floor apartment in Birdrock with a private garden and off street parking for $700USD a month.

If you are less bothered about proximity to bars and restaurants you can find some wonderful hidden gems in the local villages and the countryside and most will have their own garden and parking.

Students attending UMHS or Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine might prefer to live in areas closer to campus like Mattingley, Camps and Boyds which means being able to walk to campus rather than having to buy or rent a car.

The cost of housing in St Kitts varies dramatically as a place with a swimming pool is likely to cost more than a place without and the majority of apartments come fully furnished so you won’t have to worry about bringing lots of furniture with you when you move.

When we moved to St Kitts from the UK we didn’t do enough research about housing in St Kitts and we thought it would be nice and easy to find an unfurnished place for all of our things from England. We were wrong! Unfurnished rented housing is very scarce and is snapped up really quickly often with dozens of people viewing the property and the first to put down a deposit gets it.

If you don’t plan on bringing lots of furniture with you though it’s very easy to find nice comfortable rental properties whatever your budget is.

Buying property in St Kitts is not something we know much about as we have not done it, however there are plenty of real estate agents who will offer guidance on the house buying process.

There is also the option of citizenship by investment in St Kitts if you buy a property over $400,000USD then you automatically qualify for citizenship.

Some good resources for housing in St Kitts are Island Life Properties owned by Shelley who is lovely and helpful and B. Kasaab real estate agency who have lots of properties all over the island. There are also lots of St Kitts housing groups on Facebook that you can join where landlords will post properties for sale or rent.

Driving in St Kitts

It is relatively easy to get around in St Kitts and Nevis due to the small size of both islands. Driving in St Kitts is on the left side of the road like in the UK and Australia so expats from those countries will get on fine.

To drive in St Kitts you will need to obtain a temporary driver’s license from either Inland Revenue or the police traffic department which costs $62.50XCD for 3 months or $125XCD for a year. Once you have 3 year long temporary licenses you can trade them in for a permanent St Kitts driving license at Inland Revenue.

Americans sometimes find driving a bit of a challenge because of the amount of roundabouts in St Kitts that they are not used to.

Top tip: Treat roundabouts like a clock with 12 o’clock being straight on, if you are turning right (past 12 o’clock) use the right hand lane on the roundabout and if you are going straight on or left (before 12 o’clock use the left hand lane).

Getting around in St Kitts

Getting around in St Kitts if you don’t drive is also very straight forward as there are many local ‘H’ buses for public transport. The buses are minibuses that are named after the green number plate starting with an H.  

There are 2 bus stations in Basseterre with buses departing all the time and going around the main part of the island. The main bus station is located next to the ferry terminal by Port Zante and the second bus station is located on Wellington Road by Horsford’s Valu Mart. Outside of Basseterre there are very few designated bust stops so the ‘H’ buses stop on demand instead, you can just wave them down.

Students living in St Kitts will find bus travel very easy to and from campus if they live in villages around the main part of the island. However students living in Frigate Bay area will need to buy or rent a car to get around.

Bus fares are cheap and prices are in XCD the buses are cash only. Note there is no bus service from Basseterre to Frigate Bay or down the southeast peninsula so these places require a taxi or car.

Taxis on St Kitts look similar to the ‘H’ buses and most of them still seat up to 10 passengers but they have a yellow number plate starting with a ‘T’ or ‘TA’. The price of taxis is fixed up to 4 passengers but there is usually a surcharge for more people.

There are taxi ranks in Basseterre at The Circus and there is one close to the Marriott Hotel in Frigate Bay. Taxi’s often run on ‘island time’ so if you need to be somewhere at a set time make sure to book it well in advance. Taxi fares start at $15USD and there is an extra luggage charge for airport journeys and a 50% surcharge for journeys after 10pm.

If you’re looking for information on how to get from St Kitts to Nevis read this post.

How safe is St Kitts?

St Kitts is generally very safe for tourists and residents despite having had a bad reputation in previous years for being dangerous. We have never had a situation on St Kitts that we have felt unsafe in the 4 years we have lived here.

We often leave our bags with money, keys and phones unattended on the beach while we go into the bar or to swim in the sea and we have never encountered any problems.

The number of dangerous crimes is often over inflated because of the small population size so the amount of crimes per capita is higher than countries with a larger population. The main cause of crimes is gang related and in recent years gang crimes in Basseterre have dropped dramatically due to the local police force being more vigilant.

Visitors and residents of St Kitts should take normal precautions in regards to personal safety by securing valuables, not walking alone at night time and staying in public areas especially in Basseterre.

The many small towns around the island are generally very friendly and welcoming with many people wanting to chat to foreigners over a few drinks. We especially love Rum Dawg Bar in Sandy Point as the owner Bruce is so welcoming. Some visitors find the people of St Kitts standoffish but it is generally because they are extremely polite and find it rude if you do not wish them good morning/afternoon/evening.

St Kitts does experience extreme weather conditions during hurricane season which runs from June to November each year. During hurricane season the island can experience tropical storms with heavy rainfall with the risk of landslides. Due to the lack of tourism at this time some bars and restaurants close down.

Is St Kitts safe for solo female travellers?

Women travelling to or living in St Kitts may experience some unwanted attention from local men. Due to the cultural differences men in St Kitts can be very forward and will often try to make conversation with women in public, frequently asking if you are single or married.

Some of these encounters can be scary and men have been known to follow women for quite some time. I have had a couple of female friends here experience this multiple times including being followed in a car. Two other female friends have also had their purses attempted to be snatched in public so be vigilant.

Local men can also be very hands on in bars especially when dancing, sometimes we question where the line is between cultural differences and harrassment. That being said the majority of local men are respectful if you tell them you are not interested or are in a relationship they will leave you alone.

If you are a solo female traveller in St Kitts then it’s always advisable to be vigilant when out and about and take precautions making sure someone knows where you are going and who with.

Always make sure your phone is charged and stay in busy public areas during the day and don’t wander anywhere alone at night. Only take licensed public transport and use taxis if you are travelling alone.

If you are ever in a situation where you feel unsafe you should call the local police on 911.

Nevis on the other hand is a different story with all of my girlfriends saying the feel extremely safe on Nevis even at night time and around local men.

Cost of Living in St Kitts

The cost of living in St Kitts is much higher than what we were used to in the Midlands in England. We often say its like if we had moved from Nottingham to London but the pros certainly outweigh the cons in other areas.

There is no personal income tax in St Kitts so my wages are higher than they were in England as a veterinary nurse which is nice! But it does mean that other things like groceries, cars, clothes etc are all taxed to a higher rate.

We wrote a whole guide on the cost of living in St Kitts which outlines things in much more detail so we recommend reading that to get a better idea of how much it costs to live in St Kitts long term.

Our monthly living costs for St Kitts are around $2300USD and you can read our complete cost of living in St Kitts guide here.

Grocery stores in St Kitts

For such a small island St Kitts has a surprising amount of grocery stores, most of them are located in or around Basseterre but there are also loads of small supermarkets in St Kitts dotted around the island in the small towns and villages. There is also a surprising amount of Asian supermarkets that carry more specialised frozen and dried foods.

The 3 main St Kitts supermarkets are Rams, Best Buy and Horsfords Valu Mart.

Rams St Kitts has 5 locations on the island:

Rams Bay Road in Basseterre just outside Port Zante open Monday – Thursday: 8am – 7pm, Friday & Saturday: 8am – 8pm and Sunday: 9am – 2pm.

Rams Birdrock on the outskirts of Basseterre open Monday – Saturday: 8am – 8pm and Sunday: 9:00am – 2:00pm.

Rams Buckleys located on the Island Main Road close to UMHS and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine open Monday – Saturday: 8am – 9pm and Sunday: 9am – 5pm.

Rams Express located in the Sugar Bay Hotel complex off Zenway Boulevarde Frigate Bay open daily 9am – 7pm and closed on Sunday.

Rams Express Smoke & Booze is inside the Royal Plaza at the Royal St Kitts Hotel in Frigate Bay opposite the Marriott Hotel open daily from 8am – 10pm.

Rams supermarket carries a wide variety of fresh, frozen and cupboard goods from the US and UK. Most groceries in St Kitts are reasonably priced but there is the odd thing that is extortionate (£35 for Bird Eye cod fish fingers!!!)

When we first arrived on island it was hit or miss whether there would be prices on the shelves at the supermarkets but it has gotten better in the 4 years we have lived in St Kitts.

Best Buy supermarket St Kitts has 2 locations on island:

Best Buy Bay Road is located just outside of Basseterre as you enter Birdrock open daily from 6am-10pm.

Best Buy Brumaire located just off Cayon Street near the Caribbean Cinema as you leave Basseterre going west open daily from 6am-10pm.

Horsfords Valu Mart only has one location on St Kitts on Wellington Road near to the East bus station open daily from 8am-7pm except Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 8am-9pm and Sunday 8am-5pm.

A new addition to the island that started during the pandemic in 2020 is grocery delivery in St Kitts. Currently only offered by Rams supermarket you can order from a limited selection of groceries online for home delivery at RamsToGo.

You can also buy fresh local produce from farmers whihc is much cheaper than the grocery stores in St kitts. The main places for these are on Pond Road and Liverpool Row in Basseterre, there is also a weekend market in Basseterre.

Healthcare in St Kitts

Even after 4 year living in St Kitts we have fortunately never needed to visit the hospital for anything serious. We do have private medical insurance from my work at Ross University which covers 80% of all our medical expenses and we have used the global coverage in St Kitts, the UK and when we were on holiday in Thailand. Overall the healthcare in St Kitts is adequate for minor injuries and illnesses but if you have long term health problems you may want to reconsider living in St Kitts.

St Kitts has no national health insurance for citizens and residents; however citizens of St Kitts and Nevis under the age of 18 years and over the age of 62 years are exempt from all medical charges. St Kitts citizens and permanent residents including expats are also required to contribute to the national social security fund which covers sickness and retirement benefits.

Most people living in St Kitts will need to get private health insurance to cover medical costs and some employers offer this as part of your workplace benefits in St Kitts.

There are 4 Hospitals across St Kitts and Nevis with the main one on St Kitts being JNF Hospital in Basseterre and in Nevis the Alexandra Hospital in Charlestown. The other 2 hospitals are small district hospitals offering limited basic inpatient care only.

St Kitts also has 11 healthcare centres that are free at the point of service for citizens. There are also many private doctors’ clinics to visit around the island and most of these will claim directly from your insurance company. We personally use Meridian Medical Centre in Frigate Bay and have been more than happy with the service and standard of care.

St Kitts has a couple of very good laboratory services for running blood work and other medical tests. There is a privately owned MRI scanner on the island which is mainly used for monkey research but the images have to be sent away for diagnosis.

The JNF hospital has CT and x-ray facilities although the wait for these services is said to be long. There is also a privately owned CT, x-ray and ultrasound clinic located at the Antioch Baptist Church Radiology Diagnostic Centre which is where most expats go with their medical insurance.

It is worth getting an insurance policy that covers medical transportation and evacuation in case of an emergency. Although there are doctors and hospitals on both islands the standard of care is known to vary considerably from very good to extremely poor. Local citizens often leave the island for medical care choosing instead to go to the US especially for things like having a baby and cancer treatments.

Schools in St Kitts

There are a good number of schools in St Kitts for people relocating with children including 6 private schools. The standard of teaching in St Kitts is considered very good and children attending local school will receive an education very similar to the British school system.

Many expat in St Kitts choose to send their children to Ski Academy St Kitts which is a private school that uses the Canadian schooling system, however they only teach up to grade 10 in person and grades 11 and 12 are taught virtually.

Universities in St Kitts

For higher education opportunities there are a couple of universities in St Kitts to choose from.

Two medical Universities are Windsor Medical University in Cayon and University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Camps. Both offer a full Doctor of Medicine degree and require 10 semesters to complete with semesters 1-4 being completed in St Kitts and the remaining semesters completed in clinical clerkships.

UMHS students complete their clinical clerkships in the US or Canada, whereas Windsor students have the option to complete these at the JNF Hospital in St Kitts or in the US.

There is one veterinary university on St Kitts, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine which is where I work. Ross offers an accelerated Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program which requires 10 semesters to complete with 7 being completed in St Kitts and the remaining 3 completed in clinical rotations in either the US, Canada, New Zealand, UK or Ireland.

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine students spend 2.5 years in St Kitts and a final year studying during their clinical placement. There are 3 intakes per year at Ross which correspond with start of the 3 semesters in January, May, and September.

Students at Ross University in St Kitts can also choose to complete additional semesters for a Masters degree or a PhD by research during their time living in St Kitts.

There is also one local college the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College which offers many different courses including degrees in nursing, teaching, arts, sciences, agriculture, hospitality, engineering and many more. Nationals and non-national citizens of St Kitts and Nevis can attend Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College for free upon proof of citizenship.

Banks in St Kitts

If you are living in St Kitts it’s a good idea to open a local bank account to avoid unnecessary charges and fees from banks in your home country. There are a few banks to choose from and from what we have heard from friends none seem better than the other here is a list of banks in St Kitts:

• Republic Bank- minimum deposit $25XCD and monthly charge of $15.21
• St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla National Bank- minimum deposit $100XCD no monthly charge
• Bank of Nevis- minimum deposit $100XCD monthly charge of $15XCD
• Eastern Caribbean Central Bank- minimum deposit unknown
• St Kitts Co-operative Credit Union- minimum deposit is $100XCD
• Nevis Cooperative Credit Union- minimum deposit is $700XCD
• Hamilton Reserve Bank- minimum deposit is $50,000USD so this is most popular with investors.

Banking in St Kitts can be tedious sometimes as there are certain things that require you to go into the bank to sort out…no I’m not joking. We have had to go and wait in line at the bank for 40+ minutes before to set up a direct debit payment.

Online banking in St Kitts is a very recent addition for some of the banks in St Kitts so you must be prepared to go and wait in line at the bank sometimes.

Nightlife in St Kitts

Nightlife in St Kitts is pretty limited due to the small size of the island. Most of the fun happens on Friday and Saturday nights at The Strip in Frigate Bay or in Port Zante. There are a few places to see live music like Sprat Net but generally nights out include beach bars and alcoholic drinks.

The main type of music you will find is St Kitts is soca, Afro-beat or reggae which is understandable for a Caribbean island. No rock bars here I’m afraid!

There are a couple of nightclubs on St Kitts and Nevis for those who want to dance the night away but finding them is a challenge as they are very discrete.

Our 5 favourite things about living in St Kitts

1. After 4 years living in St Kitts we love the freedom that comes from living in a small country. The government here definitely has ‘island vibes’ so there are less rules compared to living in England. Drinking and driving in St Kitts is perfectly acceptable as long as you know you’ve had a few too many and drive over to the left and slowly so people can overtake you.

2. We love the community that comes from living on a small island and our island family make everything much more bearable. There is always someone around to lend a hand or give you a hug or share a beer with which makes being away from family a little bit easier. Read our post on staying connected with friends and family here.

3. An obvious one is the weather, St Kitts is a tropical island with year round sunshine, what’s not to love! It means we can visit any of the beaches in St Kitts whenever we want!

4. Our quality of life in St Kitts is much better than it was in England. Mostly because of the weather making our free time much better allowing us to pop to the beach or have an impromptu barbeque or bonfire on the beach. But also because we spend more time doing good quality things like hiking, snorkelling, scuba diving and spending quality time with our friends and each other.

5. The amount of awesome free or cheap things to do! We love hanging out at the beach, swimming, snorkelling and hiking which are all free or really cheap meaning we are hardly ever stuck at home. Check out this post for the best things to do in St Kitts and Nevis.

Our 5 least favourite things about living in St Kitts

1. Island time! Island time sounds like a great concept but it gets really old really fast especially when you are waiting for your bill in a restaurant or you need a taxi. Living in St Kitts really tests your patience when it comes to island time.

2. The amount of mosquitoes can be unbearable sometimes. Having to wear bug spray to go out at night and not be able to wear nice perfume instead sucks.

3. Seeing lots of stray animals makes us so sad. The stray population is getting better thanks to the Basseterre Animal Rescue Centre which opened in 2019 and the continued efforts by Ross University to educate the local population about spaying and neutering as well as general pet care and animal health.

4. It is expensive to import things to St Kitts so getting things to the island can be a problem. This also means the cost of living is higher with groceries being our second biggest monthly expense after rent.

5. While we love our island family sometimes the size of the island can feel really small with everyone knowing your business whether you want them to or not. The community is great for the most part but for some people this could be a negative aspect of island life. Island fever is also a real thing and sometimes you just need to get off the rock and regroup.

We hope this guide to living in St Kitts makes your transition to island life a bit easier and we hope you love living in St Kitts as much as we do! Check out the rest of our posts on St Kitts for more information about this beautiful island.

If you want to know about living in other countries check out these related posts about living in Costa Del Sol, Moving to Portugal and Living in Turkey.

If you have any questions about life in St Kitts or St Kitts in general feel free to leave us a comment below!

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