Living in George Town, Cayman Islands
George Town is a smaller coastal city in the Cayman Islands (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 1,477 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,892 a month to live centrally, and the Cayman Islands sits in our zero or very low tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in the Cayman Islands is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $12k a month in income.
12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).
- Est. cost
- €3,892
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Zero or very low
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 28°C
- 1,477 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 80/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~150 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
What stands out about George Town
- No or very low personal income tax
- Safer than 95% of the cities we compare
- Warmer than 94% of the cities we track
- Stronger healthcare than 89% of the cities we compare
- Pricier than 89% of the cities we compare
Taxes
The Cayman Islands sits in our zero or very low tax tier: little to no personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Safety and stability
The Cayman Islands scores 80 out of 100 on safety, safer than 95% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 8.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in the Cayman Islands. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Climate
George Town averages 28°C across the year with about 1,477 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 94% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Language and culture
Main languages: English. English proficiency: native or near-native. Social openness scores 72 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Healthcare
The Cayman Islands scores 78 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 89% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in the Cayman Islands.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,892 a month to live centrally in George Town, 43% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 11% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Self-funded residence comes via 'persons of independent means' certificates, either a 25-year renewable residency certificate (proof of independent income plus a local property investment) or a lifetime certificate of permanent residence based on a developed-real-estate purchase with naturalization possible after five years; there is no income-only or points-based route, and other residence is tied to employer-sponsored work permits.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for the Cayman Islands:
- Income: about $12k a month (Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means (Grand Cayman), CI$120,000/yr income (USD ~12,000/mo at the fixed CI$1=USD1.20 peg); this route also requires a co-investment of CI$1,000,000 locally (min CI$500,000 in developed real estate), and the Sister Islands variant is CI$75,000/yr; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $2.4M (Certificate of Permanent Residence for Persons of Independent Means, CI$2,000,000 in developed real estate (USD ~2.4M at the fixed CI$1=USD1.20 peg), a capital-only lifetime permanent-residence grant; as of June 2026)
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in the Cayman Islands runs at about 150 Mbps, faster than 53% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about George Town
Is George Town a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, George Town scores well on safety, healthcare, English and political stability. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a warm, wet climate (28°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks George Town and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in George Town?
We estimate about €3,892 a month for a couple living centrally, 43% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in George Town?
The Cayman Islands is in our zero or very low tax tier (little to no personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high.
Can foreigners live in the Cayman Islands long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Self-funded residence comes via 'persons of independent means' certificates, either a 25-year renewable residency certificate (proof of independent income plus a local property investment) or a lifetime certificate of permanent residence based on a developed-real-estate purchase with naturalization possible after five years; there is no income-only or points-based route, and other residence is tied to employer-sponsored work permits. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $12k a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $2.4M (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in George Town?
George Town averages 28°C across the year with about 1,477 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 94% of the cities we track.
Featured in
Cities like George Town
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.