Moving to Castries

Today we look at moving to Castries in Saint Lucia from Manila in Philippines. We highlight cost of living and other major differences likely to be experienced in our series of short blogs on moving between different international locations.
In Castries people speak English (official) and French patois. In Manila people speak Filipino and English (both official).

Castries is the capital city of Saint Lucia. Manila is the capital of the Philippines. Castries houses the government and head offices of many businesses both foreign and local. It also has a sheltered harbour which receives cargo vessels and ferry boats as well as cruise ships. Manila is one of the world's largest and most densely populated cities in the world. Manila's economy is diverse and multifaceted and serves as the nation's chief seaport.

The overall cost of living rank in Castries is 281 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with low cost of living locations.  An expatriate moving from Manila to Castries will experience a change in cost of living of -25%.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Castries is ranked as a some hardship location with a hardship index of 20% compared to Manila with a hardship index of 30% which is a high degree of hardship location.

Source: Cost of Living Castries Saint Lucia as at July 2011.

Retire to a low cost of living country

Picture this. It's 2024, and you have been retired for several years now. You are up early for a light breakfast and head out on your way to the golf course while your significant other heads for the mall. But the reality is that you work at the local pro shop, and your partner works in a bookshop in an effort to supplement your retirement funds and make the money last another 30 years.

If you are a Boomer (born between the end of WW2 and 1960) your challenge is to stretch a lifetime of savings and convert it to a stream of income. Poor investment returns in recent years, increasing life expectancies as well as rising medical costs mean those savings have to stretch further than ever before.

The bottom line is that if you're a Boomer you would be wise to figure out how to retire overseas to a lower cost of living country or you are likely to be doomed to work for the rest of your life.

Where could you retire, and live comfortably in a safe, lower cost of living country?

We have come up with what we view as the top 5 most suitable for retirement, exotic, overseas places (i.e. outside the USA, UK, and Europe), based on having a low cost of living and a reasonable quality of life (i.e. excluding high and extreme hardship locations):

Location	Quality of Life	Cost of Living Rank	Cost of Living (%) Compared to New York City
Paraguay, Asuncion	Some Hardship	276	-36.5
Argentina, Buenos Aires	Some Hardship	227	-36.1
Saint Lucia, Castries	Some Hardship	277	-35.8
Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's	Some Hardship	243	-30.4
Seychelles, Victoria	Some Hardship	237	-30.2

Asuncion in Paraguay, Central South America, is a place of contrast between wealthy and poor. Asuncion boasts upmarket suburbs, modern shopping malls and dazzling nightclubs contrasted with shanties, fever–carrying mosquitoes, polluting buses, heat and humidity.  Asuncion’s overall cost of living is 36.5% lower than New York City. Spanish and Guarani are the prominent languages spoken, while the major religion is Christianity.

Buenos Aires in Argentina, Southern South America, is a cosmopolitan metropolis with designer boutiques, stunning neighbourhoods and parks and its share of downtrodden areas and tatty streets.  Buenos Aires

cost of living is 36.1% lower than New York City. Spanish is the prominent language spoken, while the major religion is Christianity.

Castries in Saint Lucia, an island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, is extremely small and relies on tourism, banana production, and light manufacturing. There are approximately 40 hotels and many shops selling goods to tourists. Castries cost of living is 35.8% lower than New York City. English (official) and French Patois are the prominent languages spoken, while the major religion is Christianity.

St John’s on the island of Antigua, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, is green. Two-thirds of it is parkland and sublime beaches, excellent for hiking and snorkelling. The environment is beautifully preserved, with limited development.  St John’s cost of living is 30.4% lower than New York City. English is the prominent language spoken, while the major religion is Christianity.

Victoria in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar, has the feel of a small provincial town set against a backdrop of majestic hills that seem to fall into the blue sea. Victoria’s cost of living is 30.2% lower than New York City. English, French and Creole are the prominent languages spoken, while the major religion is Christianity.

These are just five possible locations that we identified. There are so many more places you could consider retiring to, with a much lower cost of living. For a detailed cost of living rank for all 300 locations click here.

Saint Lucia, Castries Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: Saint Lucia.

Location: Saint Lucia is an island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago.

Country Climate: Tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August.

Country Terrain: Volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys.

Major Languages: English (official), French patois.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 0.2 million (2008 est.) 0.2 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Saint Lucia depends primarily on tourism, banana production, and light manufacturing.

Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD).

Country Inflation: 7.2% (2008 est.) 2.2% (2009 est.).

City: Castries is the capital city of Saint Lucia.

City Economy: Castries houses the government and head offices of many businesses both foreign and local. It also has a sheltered harbour which receives cargo vessels and ferry boats as well as cruise ships.
Cost of Living: Castries has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Castries is currently ranked 256 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

For more cost of living information on Saint Lucia, Castries