is the price of food about the same on st. thomas as the other islands?

If you go to www.vimovingcenter.com you'll find some COL stats which will give you an idea of grocery costs. Restaurant prices vary a lot so it's hard to give a ballpark figure.

We like to have the best of both worlds on the island so here is my formula:

Hit the grocery store as soon as it is convenient. Stock up on plenty of water, drinks and convenience food. We usually buy muffins, fruits bagels and what not for breakfast. Easy to have a light meal and be on your way to where you want to go. Lunch meat, buns, side salads, chips for an easy to pack lunch to take to the beach. Then we usually dine out for dinner or better yet host a small BBQ at our place and the rest of our neighbors and friends in turn invite us over. This is my recipe for affordable meals when I am in vacation mode.

If you are looking to relocate and live on the island then expect to pay at least 30-40% more for your food. When we were on island renovating I soon learned that a gallon of milk can cost $10 a gallon, same goes for 100% juice. We brought our own crew of 6 tradesmen to do the work with my husband who is a general contractor stateside. I soon learned that it was VERY expensive to feed and house that many for 3 months. A few of the guys rotated in and out. The electricians left when the trim carpenter and tile guy arrived. I found that as long as you know how to cook from basic materials It isn't as costly as it could be. Basic durable goods aren't that bad. Spices, dried beans, rice, certian vegatables are not too pricey and can go a long way. Fruit is very expensive on the island unless you are willing to try some new things from the fruit stand. My place is in Smith Bay and the nice lady that runs the fruit stand will even tell me the best way to cook and serve new dishes. Some of them were thumbs up, some thumbs down but always fun and interesting to try.

I forgot to mention what I spend. Generally $100 daily for a family of four. Although if we dine out and linger over cocktails one dinner can cost twice that much.

Let me note that most families of 4 living in the Virgin Islands are not spending $36,000 a year on food.

We usually budget $125 a day for 3 of us, but that depends on how heavy you will be on the souvenir shopping, drinking and "touristy" things. This includes all of our daily needs not just food. Some days we will spend $50 but others we will spend $300. If it's your first time I would budget $125 - $150 a day because there will probably be allot you want to try and you will still be learning the gist of things. Don't get me wrong you can have a great trip on a budget of $75-$100 a day but you will just have to be smart with your spending. Packing a cooler everyday is a great way to save money and still have just as much fun!