Cost of living in Jersey
Cost of living in Jersey can be high compared to other countries, although salaries are often comparably higher too. You can view on the Numbeo website how much it costs to live in Jersey compared to where you live now.
Cost of taxes and Social Security contributions
The cost of personal income tax rate is a maximum of 20%. This rate also applies to the tax adjusted profits of sole traders and partnerships. There are no higher rate bands, capital gains tax or inheritance tax.
Calculate your tax instalments.
If you’re employed, Social Security contributions (the Jersey equivalent of National Insurance) are payable at 6% of your gross wage. If you’re self-employed, your Social Security contributions are payable at a maximum of £760.13 per month.
You don’t have to pay VAT on goods and services in Jersey. This can make some purchases cheaper when you buy them in Jersey. You can sometimes get your VAT refunded from some online retailers when they’re delivering an item to Jersey.
Although exempt from VAT, islanders do have to pay a Goods and Services Tax (GST). GST is a tax on sales of goods and services in Jersey. GST is charged at 5% on the majority of goods and services supplied in Jersey for local use, including imports.
Rates (similar to council tax) are determined by the parish you live in and the size of the property that you live in. You can find out more about Rates and how they are calculated from your
parish website. They are paid in October of each year.
Cost of accommodation
Whilst Jersey is a desirable place to live, the island is 45sq miles and space is a premium. Cost of accommodation can be higher compared to other countries. This is due to limited space and rising house prices. This is also a contributing factor to the island's higher inflation rate.
You can only buy a property in Jersey if your
residential status is 'Entitled' (you’ve lived in Jersey for 10 years) or 'Licensed' (you are an essential employee in the island).
High property prices mean that rental costs are also high. For 'Qualified' properties (for people with 'Entitled' or 'Licensed' status).
For 'Registered' properties (for people with 'Registered' and 'Entitled' for Work status), the average monthly rental is generally more expensive as there are fewer 'Registered' properties available.
Moving to Jersey: accommodation
Cost of food
The island offers supermarkets and farm produce from a number of farm shops and our
town markets.
Jersey also has a range of restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars that serve quality food.
Find out more information on eating in Jersey on the Visit Jersey website.
Cost of travel around and off the island
There are several airline companies that fly to and from Jersey to various locations.
For sea travel, ferry prices can vary depending on if you’re travelling with or without a vehicle..
Jersey has a good bus service with bus routes running throughout the island.
Public taxis are meter controlled.
If you own a car, fuel costs are less than the UK and road tax is included in the fuel price.
Find out more on the cost of fuel in Jersey on the fuel watch Jersey website.
Parking in town costs around £0.97 per hour, but you can pay £156.66 per month for a season ticket which can be used in long stay car parks.
The cheapest way to travel around Jersey is by bike. Jersey has a great network of routes for cyclists and many cycle shops to hire or buy bikes.
Find out about Cycling routes in Jersey on the visit Jersey website.
Moving to Jersey: Travel and transport
Cost of utilities
In Jersey there's one electricity supplier, gas supplier and water supplier. You can’t have a dual fuel option to reduce utility bills compared to the UK.
Jersey Electricity charges
Jersey Gas charges
Jersey Water charges
There are three main mobile, telephone and broadband providers on the island:
Cost of childcare and nurseries
For children under nursery age (0 to 3 years old), private childcare is available. You can choose from regulated day care nurseries, play care centres, or accredited nannies.
If you do pay for child care with a registered provider, you can
claim tax relief against your childcare costs.
Your child can get up to 20 free hours per week of Government funded nursery education in the school year that they turn four years old. These free hours are term time only (over 38 weeks) and start from the beginning of the school year (September). You can apply for a
free place at a Government primary school nursery or in a NEF registered nursery in the private or voluntary sector.
Find a full list of NEF registered nurseries and child care providers on the
Jersey Child Care Trust website.
Cost of education
Jersey has over 20 non fee paying Government primary schools and 5 non fee paying Government secondary schools. In addition to these non fee paying schools, there are several private (fee paying)
schools on the island. Fees for these vary from school to school.
Means tested student finance is available for students wishing to study higher education but they must have been living in the island for a certain period of time to apply.
How student finance is calculated
gov.je