Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Cayman Islands and West Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in West Bay: $3,928 a month against $4,938 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

237

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
188

Cost of Living Index in West Bay
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West Bay Living Index

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George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,938

/mo nomad

West Bay

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$3,928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in George Town and in West Bay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in George Town and in West Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in George Town versus $3,928 in West Bay.

George Town $4,938
West Bay $3,928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,524 in George Town versus $6,350 in West Bay.

George Town $7,524
West Bay $6,350

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $10.1K in George Town versus $8,772 in West Bay.

George Town $10.1K
West Bay $8,772

Living in George Town is roughly 26% more expensive than in West Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: George Town 263% above, West Bay 189% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.25 KYD 24.80

$19.02 KYD 15.59

59.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 KYD 92.4

$112 KYD 92.2

0.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.49 KYD 13.53

$14.28 KYD 11.71

15.48%

Cappuccino

$6.99 KYD 5.73

$6.01 KYD 4.93

16.31%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 KYD 2.54

$2.97 KYD 2.43

4.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 KYD 2.40

$2.83 KYD 2.32

3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 KYD 5.85

$7.26 KYD 5.95

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.34 KYD 7.66

$5.92 KYD 4.86

57.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.55 KYD 3.73

$2.50 KYD 2.05

82.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 KYD 3.53

$4.33 KYD 3.55

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 KYD 3.57

$4.33 KYD 3.55

0.46%

Eggs

$7.42 KYD 6.09

$5.87 KYD 4.81

26.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$57.0 KYD 46.75

$24.05 KYD 19.72

137.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.37 KYD 15.89

$18.95 KYD 15.54

2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.89 KYD 16.31

$19.88 KYD 16.31

0.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.59 KYD 6.23

$7.34 KYD 6.02

3.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 KYD 2.97

$3.57 KYD 2.93

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.29 KYD 5.16

$6.01 KYD 4.93

4.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.63 KYD 6.25

$7.93 KYD 6.50

-3.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.15 KYD 3.40

$4.16 KYD 3.41

-0.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 KYD 3.19

$3.88 KYD 3.18

0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.25 KYD 2.67

$3.29 KYD 2.70

-1.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KYD 1.86

$2.17 KYD 1.78

4.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 KYD 11.93

$14.64 KYD 12.00

-0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.16 KYD 20.63

$24.24 KYD 19.88

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.28 KYD 3.51

$4.12 KYD 3.38

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 KYD 4.61

$4.91 KYD 4.03

14.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 KYD 1.92

$3.54 KYD 2.91

-33.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 KYD 97.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$18.63 KYD 15.27

$11.77 KYD 9.65

58.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.78 KYD 3.10

$3.86 KYD 3.17

-2.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.27 KYD 37.12

$44.80 KYD 36.74

1.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 KYD 1.32

$1.46 KYD 1.20

10.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.2K KYD 34.6K

$30.1K KYD 24.7K

40.32%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.3K KYD 34.7K

$38.1K KYD 31.2K

11.02%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$463 KYD 380

$451 KYD 370

2.76%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$119 KYD 97.9

$101 KYD 82.7

18.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$114 KYD 93.8

$112 KYD 91.5

2.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$216 KYD 177

$249 KYD 204

-13.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.46 KYD 28.26

$119 KYD 97.4

-70.97%

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 KYD 14.67

$18.25 KYD 14.96

-1.97%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,677 KYD 1,375

$1,220 KYD 1,001

37.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K KYD 21.5K

$25.5K KYD 20.9K

2.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 KYD 69.2

$87.0 KYD 71.3

-3.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.0 KYD 61.5

$74.0 KYD 60.7

1.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 KYD 112

$103 KYD 84.7

32.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 KYD 117

$119 KYD 97.8

19.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,881 KYD 2,363

$2,189 KYD 1,795

31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,444 KYD 2,004

$1,827 KYD 1,498

33.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,714 KYD 4,686

$4,601 KYD 3,773

24.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,811 KYD 3,945

$4,235 KYD 3,473

13.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 KYD 7,134

$17.1K KYD 14.0K

-49.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 KYD 1,889

$16.8K KYD 13.8K

-86.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,174 KYD 5,883

$5,807 KYD 4,761

23.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for George Town: October 27, 2026

Last update for West Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$2.4K 49.5%

West Bay

$1.8K 46.5% 25.2% $616

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$730 14.8%

West Bay

$596 15.2% 18.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$697 14.1%

West Bay

$663 16.9% 4.8% $34

Eating Out

George Town

$454 9.2%

West Bay

$338 8.6% 25.4% $115

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$252 5.1%

West Bay

$286 7.3% 13.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$197 4%

West Bay

$173 4.4% 12.6% $25

Getting Around

George Town

$165 3.4%

West Bay

$45 * 1.2% 72.6% $120

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,881 in George Town and $2,189 in West Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $113 in George Town vs $112 in West Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $730 vs $596 per month, with West Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇾 George Town

🇰🇾 West Bay

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

Same time as George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,089 Capital

11,269

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.09 EUR

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

George Town West Bay 9 km

From you

George Town
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

George Town vs West Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,938 in George Town and $3,928 in West Bay, so West Bay is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in George Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,881 in George Town versus $2,189 in West Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,677 in George Town versus $1,220 in West Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $4,938 per month in George Town versus $3,928 in West Bay – West Bay is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. West Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, West Bay is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in George Town, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, George Town and West Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – West Bay wins on affordability, George Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.