Cost of living and residency

Hello KerrieM.

Welcome to Expat.com!

A new thread has been created from your message on the Vanuatu forum.

Hope you'll soon get some useful informations from other members.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi Kerrie, when do you plan on going to Vanuatu? My hubby and I are moving there in October, we bought a parasailing business there and are applying for residency, we met a wonderful person who does visa applications and also rentals etc, can't help with the cost of living now but could once we are there, if you want PM me and we can chat.
Dayna

Hi Kerrie,
I believe all you need for residency is police clearance and an annual fee. we have recently purchased a house on Devils Point Road (a few minutes from Port Vila), near where we lived in the 70's. We have very fond memories of Vanuatu before independence and intend to live for 4 months a year there. Will update you on the cost of living when we have settled in, in October.
Regards,
Nick.

Thanks Nic,
look forward to hearing more
regards
Kerrie

Hi Kerrie,
We have been in Vanuatu now for 2 days, the house we bought without seeing has met our expectations and the garden is Huge with the beach at the end. We can hear the breakers all night long which is very relaxing. The ruin of the cottage we lived in before independence (1979)is 50 metres away, probably the victim of the 1986 Cyclone. Our new house has a category 2 Cyclone rating with Door / window shutters and chains from the roof to the concrete slab.
A Residence permit is ridiculously easy if you own property or business here.
Cost of living is far higher than I expected, luckily we shipped off almost everything we need from the UK, but I should have shipped a car as well. We will be buying most of our food from the local market.
We will be spending four months a year here and letting our house for the remainder.
The locals remain a wonderful, friendly bunch, I wish the rest of the worlds population was like this.
If you Google "Hideaway Island Vanuatu" you can see our roof just along the bay.
The internet is very slow here until next year when fibres from the USA are arriving.
Will update you some more in a week or so.
Nick.

hello Nick! what is your job up there?
tks

Mike

Hi Mike,
My job now is "retired", I have been a Broadcast Engineer for 30 years and did Electronic repairs in the New Hebrides until independence. Playing around a lot with Solar and heat pumps. We are managing to live here cheaply and well now. Cost of cars is actually getand well now. Cost of cars is actually getting better but still ridiculous. A $1000-00 car in Aust

Hello Nick!
thanks for your repply! Your job sounds good! Im an brick's labourer here in Sydney. Hard job but its ok!
Do you live there on your own? or with family?
For me to get the retirement time still have long way to go! LOL.
I hope you will be OK living there. I really want to go up there for couple of weeks for holidays, relax. I have been there only for few hours 5 years ago on the shipcruise, but i hadn't had time enought to get to know the place well.
I remember the guys I have met on the cruise, we paied for a drive to take us arround the island, so its beautifull!!! I would like to live in the island one day.
My wife is from Madeira Island (PORTUGAL) Do you know? have you been there before? So its a beautifull island aswell, well developed, good roads, fantastic houses, nice beachies everywhere aweson!!!!!!!! if you dont know you should go one day.
Tks, keep in touch ok?
bye

Hi Mike,
I am living here with my wife, we have grandchildren in Adelaide who can come & stay in the hols. Have been to the Canaries but not Madeira. We are intending to stay 4 months a year here, 4 monding to stay 4 months a year here, 4 months in UK and 4 months in Italy where we have restored some ancient stone buildings. Bricklaying would be easy for you here because you would not be allowed to do it - you would be

Hi thinking of building along devils point rd too
Any advice for us?

Devils Point Road is very popular for expats but the road surface can get so bad that journeys along it in the wet season can be little better than walking pace even in a 4WDso make sure you get a suitable vehicle.

mcadamia wrote:

Hi thinking of building along devils point rd too
Any advice for us?

What sort of advice are you looking for?
It may help to ask specific questions

Looking at suitable business in seafood  /or exporting coffee kava etc to other parts of world ...is it safe there ?? Anyone know pls ... Labour rates n residency etc ... Renting house etc .. Help pls ... Cherrs .. Peter