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For almost 10 years now, the U.S. Virgin Islands have been one of my favorite places to visit. However, stunning tropical destinations like this do not come cheap, and can actually be crazy expensive without smart planning. If you are wondering about the cost of a Virgin Islands vacation, look no further, as I’m spilling everything I know from years of travels there.
Officially, my husband and I have been to the U.S. Virgin Islands together seven times now, and he’s been going with his family even longer. We’ve done this trip under many circumstances: poor college student, recent grad straddled with debt, and married couple saving for a house. Because of these budget constraints, we’ve certainly become a lot more savvy on travel spending over the years.
At this stage, we are well versed on the ins and outs of what a Virgin Islands vacation will cost. We also know what’s worth your money and what’s not. With that, grab a pen and notepad, as I’m about to share everything I know about budgeting for a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Here is an example of a Virgin Islands vacation cost for two people:
This is what I would consider to be a moderate budget for two people spending a week in the Virgin Islands. This budget is certainly not on a shoestring, but it also isn’t luxurious. Obviously, if you spend less than seven days in the Virgin Islands or split costs with another group, many areas of this budget will decrease.
Below, I am discussing each category in detail, including where you can cut costs and what are worthwhile splurges. After all, you worked hard to take this Caribbean vacation, and you should be allowed to treat yo’self a little.
Travel Savvy Tip
Don’t look at this budget as a lump sum! That’s the quickest way to get intimidated and think you could never afford it. The truth is, you won’t pay the full amount at once. You’ll buy your flight and lodging right away, and then likely pay nothing for a few months.
Once it gets closer to your trip, you’ll start looking at charters you may want to do, as well as make restaurant reservations. When you get back home from your trip, you’ll pay off any remaining vacay expenses you’ve incurred.
Breaking it into chunks like this is a much more approachable way to afford the cost of a Virgin Islands vacation!
Virgin Islands Vacation Cost Breakdown
Transportation
$75 – Taxi, $55 – Ferry
Transportation costs are necessary, but they do add up. For example, you’ll have to get between your home and the airport somehow. My parents typically drive my husband and I to and from the airport, which helps us avoid paying for an Uber.
Next, you’ll have to get from the airport to your lodging. If you rent a car right at the airport, you won’t need to worry about a taxi. If you do need a taxi, my price of $75 reflects the roundtrip cost of traveling both from and back to the airport.
Finally, if you are staying on St. John, you will need to take a ferry from St. Thomas to St. John. For people staying on St. John, we absolutely recommend renting your car there as well. That means you’ll take the people ferry (rather than the car ferry) from St. Thomas, which is approximately $55 round trip for two people.
Flight
$925 (price for two people)
Flight prices to the Virgin Islands vary widely depending on various factors. For example, if you fly to the Virgin Islands on a Saturday or Sunday, you are typically looking at anywhere from $700 to $1,500 flights. However, weekday flights can often be found for half that much.
My husband and I choose to fly on Mondays and Tuesdays, which drastically lowers the cost of our flights from Cleveland to St. Thomas. My budgeted cost of $925 represents approx. $450 per person round trip flights with a connection, scheduled the week after Christmas. If you travel from a hub city, such as Chicago or New York, you’ll likely find direct flights for even less.
Even though the week after Christmas is generally the priciest, this really simple adjustment allowed us to save so much money. If we had booked Saturday flights, the price would’ve been $1,200 per ticket!
Here’s a summary of my tried and true tips to avoid overpaying for flights to the Virgin Islands:
- Be flexible with your travel days. As mentioned above, weekend flights can be crazy expensive. Play around with searching different departure and arrival days, and you’ll be amazed what a difference that can make.
- Travel during the low season (May through November), when there is an overall drop in prices.
- Last but not least, the tip that has helped me the most: Sign up for a credit card with travel rewards points. We’ve gotten countless free flights thanks to our cards, simply due to points earned on every day purchases. We’ve had great experiences using both the Capital One Venture and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Rental Car
$765 – Car, $70 – Gas, $25 – Parking
Renting a car is the main way to get around the Virgin Islands. However, car rentals can get pricey, especially on St. Thomas and St. John, where unpaved hills may necessitate a Jeep.
However, there are ways to keep your costs down. For example, if you stay at a hotel or near a main area, you may be able to get by solely using taxis. However, this will limit your mobility and isn’t ideal if you want to explore.
If you choose to stay in a vacation rental outside of a main area, it will be ideal to rent a car. You can still keep costs down, though, if your rental has a paved driveway or is not uphill. These conditions will not require a Jeep for access, which saves you some money.
I will be honest though: many of the Virgin Islands’ most gorgeous and characteristic vacation rentals are perched up high. This may mean rough, unpaved driveways that definitely require a four wheel drive Jeep, which tend to run about $600-$700 dollars for a week. On St. John, we’ve had great experiences renting from St. John Car Rental these past few years.
Lodging
$2,000
The $2,000 I’m showing for lodging is actually a decent price for a week in the Virgin Islands. It comes out to about $286 per night, although you can find cheaper and way, way more pricey options. There are countless luxury villas for rent, as well as campgrounds for the ultra-budget conscious willing to rough it in paradise.
If you don’t want to camp (don’t feel bad, I don’t travel to the Virgin Islands to camp either), there are still low-priced options. For example, my husband and I stayed in this Airbnb last year, which had a breathtaking view, for just $115 per night. The only catch is that it was a private room in someone’s home, but I can assure you the people were super hospitable and we had plenty of privacy.
You are more likely to find good deals on vacation rentals, rather than hotels, in the Virgin Islands. Furthermore, the less of a view your rental has and the less convenient the location, the cheaper it will be. The exception was our shared space (below), which was both gorgeous and well-located.
Groceries
$200
To save money on food in the Virgin Islands, it helps to buy some of your own groceries. For that reason, we always try to book rentals that at least have a kitchenette.
Even groceries in the Virgin Islands don’t exactly come cheap, but they are still less expensive than dining out all the time. We usually try to reserve the bulk of our dining out budget for dinner and occasional drinks at our favorite spots.
Even if you only eat-in for breakfast and lunch each day, this will still go a long way in saving some extra cash to use elsewhere! We always pack sandwiches, chips, and painkillers to bring to the beach with us.
Food & Drink
$720
Restaurants prices run a bit high on just about any Caribbean island. The Virgin Islands are no exception, since almost all ingredients need to be imported.
Eating out will be the least pricey at little beach bar type places. It also helps to hunt down happy hours to take advantage of. On St. John, where we stay, a few places in particular come to mind:
- Skinny Legs for inexpensive burgers and sandwiches.
- St. John Brewers for $5 off dine-in pizza 4-6 pm daily
- Beach Bar does happy hour 4-7 pm daily. $4 painkillers? Yes, please!
- The Longboard also does happy hour daily from 3-6 pm.
On St. Thomas we have always loved Duffy’s Love Shack for delicious, but affordable food. I do hear it gets a bit rambunctious at night, though…
Shopping
$75
Shopping doesn’t need to be part of a trip to the Virgin Islands, but there certainly are a few shops worth stopping into. My favorites in St. John are Mumbo Jumbo in Coral Bay and the Mongoose Junction shops in Cruz Bay.
That being said, I recommend avoiding shopping all together if you are on a strict budget. You probably already have 1,000 t–shirts anyhow. Shopping also has no affect on how great your Virgin Islands vacation is, since it really is all about the beach down there.
Activities
$65
Technically, you don’t need to spend any money on activities to enjoy a Virgin Islands vacation. The beach is truly all you need, and the reason why you visit. Additionally, if you are staying on St. John, hiking is another free and awesome way to spend your time.
That being said, there are a few worthwhile things to do in the Virgin Islands that will enhance your trip. If you’re gonna splurge, let it be on one of the following:
- A full day charter through the British Virgin Islands
- Stand-up paddleboard or kayak rentals at one of the beaches
- A full-on kayaking tour, such as through St. John’s Hurricane Hole
The price of $65 I have noted above is the average for two stand-up paddleboard rentals for a couple hours.
Pet Boarding
$360
Do you have a fur baby like us? If so, then you probably know all too well about the cost of pet boarding, unless you’re lucky enough to have a pet that travels well. Even better if you know someone who can watch Fido while you’re gone.
Unfortunately, neither of those things apply to us, so we have to board our puppy. Prices for this where I live in Northeast Ohio tend to run about $40 a night, but vary wildly in quality and services included.
We choose to drive our puppy about 45 minutes away from our house to Wellington, OH because our doggy likes it there, and he gets his own little “suite” with an outdoor space he can run around in. It is such a hassle to drive that far, but whenever we stray, we always regret it and end up back at Wellington again. It’s a good thing we love our little puppy boy…
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There you have it! Years of knowledge gained from spending money in the USVI’s, compressed into a single post. This will hopefully give you a clear idea of how to budget for the cost of a Virgin Islands vacation, and where to prioritize limited funds. Of course, if you have any more questions, just leave them in the comments below. Happy trip planning!
