What It Really Costs to Rent in St. Kitts
The rent is never the number.
Someone quotes you $1,000 a month for a one-bedroom, you budget $1,000 a month, and then the first full billing cycle lands and you are two or three hundred dollars over without having done anything unusual. It happens to most people in their first term here. It is also entirely avoidable, because every one of those lines is knowable before you sign.
Here is what actually leaves your account.
Rent, by size
Typical monthly ranges for a furnished unit, single occupancy, in the areas most newcomers look at.
| Studio | $700 to $1,000 |
|---|---|
| One bed | $850 to $1,300 |
| Two bed | $1,200 to $2,000 |
| Three bed | $1,500 to $2,700 |
Rent here is normally quoted in US dollars. Some things are not, so confirm which currency a number means before you convert anything. The two are nearly three times apart.
The line nobody budgets for
Property VAT.
It runs at 10% of the monthly rent, and whether it applies depends on the property. On a $1,000 rent that is another $100 a month, $1,200 across a year, most of a thirteenth month you had not planned for.
Ask whether a quoted rent includes it. Nobody volunteers the answer, and two listings advertised at the same price can be 10% apart on this alone.
Utilities
| Water | About $8 a month |
|---|---|
| Internet | $36 to $185 a month |
| Electricity | Around $100 a month, depending on how hard you run the AC |
| Cable TV | About $26 a month |
| Cooking gas | $15 a small tank, $52 a large one, as needed |
Look at the internet line again. Thirty-six dollars to a hundred and eighty-five, a fivefold spread, and the widest variable on the whole list.
Two people in identical apartments can be $150 a month apart on internet alone. Across a nine-month academic year that is $1,350. Ask what speed the building actually gets and who the provider is, rather than treating it as a rounding error.
Getting around
Buying a car runs $4,500 to $13,000, with petrol around $6 a gallon. Plenty of people never bother.
The university shuttle runs Monday to Friday at EC$100 a week or EC$400 a month, picking up near your building from 7:00 in the morning, with the afternoon run leaving campus at 5:00. There is also a night security shuttle, which is free, runs every other hour from 6:00pm to midnight, and drops you at your door.
The campus sits at West Farm, and the communities right beside it, Boyds, Camps and Mattingley Heights, are small. There is not much housing within walking distance, so most students live further out and commute. Budget the day shuttle from the start. Sort it before classes begin rather than in the first week.
Pets
Expect $250 to $500 as a one-time fee per animal, though it varies by building and some do not charge one at all.
The bigger cost is time. The import paperwork starts more than a month before you fly, and the rabies timing is the part people leave too late. We have set out the whole sequence in our guide to pet friendly rentals in St. Kitts.
What included actually saves you
This is where the advertised rent stops being comparable between one listing and the next.
Do the arithmetic. Water is $8. Internet is $36 to $185. A rent that includes both is carrying up to $193 a month that never appears on a bill, which is most of the gap between a listing that looks cheap and one that looks expensive.
Our St. Christopher Club Gardens one-bedroom is $1,250 to $1,500, furnished, with water and internet in the rent and a $100 prepaid electricity fee reconciled against what you actually use. On rent alone that sits at the top of the range above. All in, against a unit that includes nothing, it usually does not.
We would rather you ran that sum yourself than took our word for it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to rent an apartment in St. Kitts?
Typical monthly ranges are $700 to $1,000 for a studio, $850 to $1,300 for a one bed, $1,200 to $2,000 for a two bed and $1,500 to $2,700 for a three bed, furnished and single occupancy. Rent is only part of it. Add property VAT at 10% where it applies, water at around $8, internet anywhere from $36 to $185, and electricity near $100 depending on use.
Is there VAT on rent in St. Kitts?
Property VAT runs at 10% of the monthly rent, and whether it applies depends on the property. On a $1,000 rent that is $100 a month. Ask whether a quoted rent includes it before you sign, because a listing that excludes it is effectively 10% more expensive than it looks.
What does the university shuttle cost?
EC$100 a week or EC$400 a month, Monday to Friday, with morning pickups from 7:00 and the afternoon run leaving campus at 5:00. The night security shuttle is free, runs every other hour from 6:00pm to midnight, and takes students to their door.
Can I live within walking distance of campus?
Rarely. The campus is at West Farm and the neighbouring communities of Boyds, Camps and Mattingley Heights are small, with limited housing. Most students live further out and use the shuttle or share a car.
Are apartments in St. Kitts furnished?
Most rentals aimed at newcomers are, typically with a bed, sitting and dining furniture, a TV, fridge, stove, microwave and air conditioning. Outlets run at 110 volts, so North American appliances work without an adapter.
What should I compare between two listings?
The all-in monthly figure, never the rent. Water, internet and electricity can put two units advertised at the same price nearly $300 a month apart. Ask what is included, whether VAT sits on top, and how electricity is billed.
How much should I budget in total for a one-bedroom?
Take the rent, add 10% if VAT applies, then roughly $150 to $300 for utilities depending on what the lease includes and how much air conditioning you run. A $1,000 rent with nothing included is realistically $1,250 to $1,400 all in.
Working out a budget for a specific building? Send us the listing and we will tell you exactly what is included.