Cayman Islands Visa: Cost of living: Part one

This is the third instalment for those considering leaving Britain and living and working in the Cayman Islands on a work permit or visa. Previously I’ve given advice on quality of life and money. This instalment will look into the cost of everyday living on the island.

It’s a big area with a lot of different subjects so I’m going to look into it bit by bit. Send me a comment if there’s anything you want me to explicitly cover.

As previously noted, the Cayman Islands has to import all of its food and consumable items. Nothing is grown or produced beyond the island rum cake, and you can’t live on only that for long.

The import duty on food, alcohol, electrical goods and tobacco is around 22 per cent for most items.

The rates were increased by two per cent in January 2010. They previously stood at 20 per cent.

For instance, an importer paying CI$2,000 for a Jet Ski would have duty on that item of 22 per cent.

So the import duty on the Jet Ski would be CI$440.

Below are listed a few of the more unusual customs tariffs outside of the general 22 per cent figure:

Alcohol is taxed by the litre, so for sparkling wine you will face a customs duty of CI$7.50 per litre.

Vehicles: $1,000 Environmental Tax for older models, as well as the duty on all vehicles, which now ranges between 29.5 per cent and 42 per cent depending on the vehicle’s value.


Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, vermin poisons: Free, apparently.

A gallon of milk costs CI$6.99 - that’s about US$8. Eight dollars!
A loaf of bread is around CI$4.50 (US$6).
A bottle of beer from a bar is from CI$3.75 to CI$4 (about US$5).
An orange is CI$1 (US$1.25).
A box of cereal is CI$5 (US$6).
A frozen pizza is CI$10 (US$12.50).
Eggs are quite cheap by comparison, because chickens roam free all over the island - CI$1.50 for a half dozen).
500g of ground mince will cost around CI$9 (US$11).

These are general items to consider, so you can get an idea of food prices. I can think of more as I go, but if you’re wondering about anything in particular, please let me know in the comments and I’ll post it up.

There are six or seven large supermarkets around the island, with Kirk Freeport run by a local Caymanian family and Hurley’s on the south of the island a Canadian-owned business.

All of the major American food brands are stocked, so it’s straightforward to make similar meals to how you’ve eaten back home. The selection and choice is also exactly as you’d expect from an out-of-town supermarket.

The supermarkets have bakeries for fresh bread, counters serving hot food for lunches, and pharmacies for medecines.

Across the meat ranges and spices there may be more choice than you’d expect, as the island caters to many different nationalities and Caribbean tastes.

Expect to find chicken’s feet in the meat aisle, for example, and jerk spices in the condiments.

Each supermarket will also have a selection for imported brands from Jamaica, the UK and Canada. These are often even more expensive than normal imported items.

Premium shopping centre Waitrose had desserts and frozen foods, and at Christmas they even stock mince pies. It was 12 for CI$7 (US$8.50) and they ran out across the whole island in about three days.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are difficult to find. Nearly all the fruit is frozen or chilled when it’s shipped over, and it consequently goes from ripe to old in a matter of days, if not hours. I ended up buying bananas and apples only when I would be eating them quickly.

During my time there, I bought bags of frozen vegetables just because it was the same thing as buying a once-frozen floret of brocolli. It’s also much cheaper and more convenient.

There are also a good network of gas or petrol stations around the island. Many are open all night serving pizza and hot snacks, drinks and confectionary. They are good for ice, soft drinks and chocolate bars.

Gas is around CI$4 (US$5) a gallon. That’s pretty reasonable, I think. It used to cost about CI$40 (US$50) to fill my tank up, and I drove a Honda Etoile.

Part two of the cost of living will be coming up next.



Also check out this blog on expatriate cost of living. It uses a scientific index to calculate the standard of life relative to other cities. It's available here.