Schools, Costs and Daily Life in the Caribbean: 12 Islands Compared for Families (2026)

Why We Compared the Islands This Way 🌴

When we look at a new place, the beaches are never the hard part. The questions that keep us up at night are more ordinary. Where would Louie learn? Who would look after Leo for a few hours while we work? What would a normal week actually cost?

We haven’t been to the Caribbean yet, as a couple or with the boys. This comparison is built from our 12 Caribbean island guides, official sources and current prices, all checked in 2026.

We’re also still new to homeschooling and worldschooling. Louie is 9, and we honestly don’t know yet whether he’ll want a classroom, online lessons or a mix of both. Leo is 2, so for him it’s really about childcare and routine.

So we didn’t want a “best island” list. We wanted to see the options side by side and keep them open until we know what Louie likes.

The Short Answer

English-language international schools are concentrated on the bigger islands, like Nassau in the Bahamas, Bermuda and Curaçao. Barbados places Welcome Stamp children in public schools, subject to space. Guadeloupe’s schools teach in French, and local schools on Aruba and Curaçao teach in Dutch or Papiamento, the local Creole language.

Smaller islands, like Montserrat, have no international school, so families often homeschool or use online school. Costs vary hugely, from around €2,150 a month in Saint Lucia before car hire and insurance, to over €10,000 in Bermuda.

Looking for visa rules first? Our Caribbean hub covers which islands still welcome nomad families.

Caribbean Schools Compared: Language, Options and Fees

Schooling is one of the biggest differences between the islands. Some have several international schools. Others have one small local system, taught in a language your kids may not speak yet.

Here’s how the 12 islands compare. Fees come from school websites where published, or from Numbeo (a crowdsourced cost database) where not. Treat them as a starting point, not a quote.

Permission to Stay Isn’t Permission to Enrol

A visa or visitor stamp doesn’t automatically give your kids a school place. Ask the school and the island’s education ministry before you book anything.

Barbados shows why. Its official Welcome Stamp information says children can go to school, but it isn’t clear whether they also need a student visa. Our Barbados Welcome Stamp guide covers the visa itself, and we’d confirm the school side with Barbados Immigration before arriving.

A couple of figures need a pinch of salt, too. Grenada’s fee range looks low next to Antigua and Curaçao, because it comes from very few reports. EC$ and XCD both mean the Eastern Caribbean dollar, used on Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat and Saint Lucia.

For what to look for in a school abroad, see our international schools directory.

Homeschooling and Worldschooling on the Islands

On islands like Montserrat, Eleuthera in the Bahamas or the quieter parts of Dominica, homeschooling isn’t a philosophy. It’s often the practical option, because there’s no international school nearby.

The upside is the material on your doorstep. Reefs, volcanoes, rainforest and colonial history turn an ordinary week into marine biology, geography and history. Many families pair that with online programs for maths and literacy.

The rules aren’t the same everywhere. Guadeloupe follows French law, so home education needs prior approval, with applications due between 1 March and 31 May. Dominica’s WIN visa explicitly allows online school. On most other islands, the rules for visiting families simply aren’t published.

Check with the island’s education ministry before you arrive. Our worldschooling legal guide explains the questions to ask.

How it works day to day for us is in Homeschooling While Travelling. Still at the “should we?” stage? Start with how to start worldschooling.

Childcare for Toddlers

With a two-year-old, childcare matters as much as school. Leo still naps, so our focused work happens in early mornings and nap time. A few mornings of preschool or a trusted babysitter would make island life far more manageable.

Private preschools exist on the bigger islands, but published prices are thin. Here’s what our island guides found, per child, per month:

• Bahamas (Nassau): about US$880 for full-day private preschool (Numbeo)
• Curaçao: about €285
• Aruba: about €200 (only a few reports)
• Grenada: about €185 (Numbeo)
• Saint Lucia: about €185 (one data point)
• Antigua: about €160 (small Numbeo sample)
• Guadeloupe: crèche fees are often income-based. We estimate €0 to €400
• Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominica and Montserrat: no reliable published prices, so ask for quotes

Most of these figures come from a handful of reports, so use them as a rough guide. On smaller islands, families usually find nannies and babysitters through expat and parent groups.

Whatever you choose, meet carers in person and check references before you commit. Our education and childcare guide covers this in more detail.

Family Costs Compared, Line by Line

Our hub gives one monthly figure per island. This table breaks it down, so you can see where the money actually goes.

All figures are estimates from our island guides, not quotes. They assume a family of four (two adults, two young children), a long-term rental unless stated, mostly home cooking and no school fees. Each guide uses slightly different assumptions, so check the last column before comparing.

How to Read the Cost Table

• Car and insurance: some totals include both, others don’t. Saint Lucia looks cheapest partly because both are left out.
• Antigua is priced as a three-month furnished stay, because there’s currently no long-stay nomad visa. The other islands assume a longer lease.
• Dominica and Bermuda combine everything except rent into one Numbeo “everyday living” figure, so their rows can’t be split further.
• Anguilla’s guide includes school fees in its total. We’ve taken them out here, so it compares fairly.
• Montserrat has very little published price data, so its range is a rough planning figure only.
• Barbados costs will be added once we’ve rewritten that guide.

The pattern is clear even with the caveats. Rent and a car drive the budget on almost every island, and imported food costs more everywhere. Health insurance with evacuation cover sits on top of that, and our health insurance guide explains what to look for.

Wondering how the Caribbean stacks up against Asia or Europe? See our cost comparison of 50 destinations.

Daily Life Compared: Cars, Healthcare, Internet and Time Zones

These are the things that shape a normal Tuesday, long after the novelty of the beach wears off.

Time zones are the one we’d feel most. Most islands sit five to six hours behind the Netherlands, depending on the time of year, so European meetings land in the very early morning. We work either way, but it would change our whole routine.

Healthcare is the other big one. On most islands, specialist care means a flight, and from Montserrat it can mean a medical evacuation by small plane. That matters a lot for families managing a medical condition or additional needs.

Fibre now reaches the main towns on most islands, but coworking spaces are rare outside the bigger centres. Ask any landlord for a speed test before you sign.

Questions We’d Ask Before Picking a School

If we were choosing tomorrow, these are the questions we’d send every school on our shortlist:

• Do you take children for a term or a few months, not just full years?
• What’s the language of teaching, and is there support for kids learning it?
• Which curriculum do you follow, and would it transfer if we move on?
• What are the full costs, including enrolment, uniforms and transport?
• Can we visit with our child before we commit?

That last one matters most to us. Louie would have a big say, and a trial week tells you more than any website.

Caribbean Schools and Costs: FAQs

Which Caribbean islands have international schools?

The Bahamas has several in Nassau and Freeport, including IB schools. Bermuda, Curaçao, Aruba, Antigua and Saint Lucia each have at least one, and Anguilla has Omololu International School. Montserrat has none, and Guadeloupe’s schools teach in French.

How much do international schools cost in the Caribbean?

It varies a lot. Published primary fees run from about €5,810 a year in Antigua to €19,600 to €24,800 in Bermuda, per child. In Nassau, Numbeo puts the average at around US$16,450 a year. Always check current fees, enrolment costs and uniforms with the school.

Can our kids go to a local school on a nomad visa?

Sometimes. Barbados places Welcome Stamp children in public schools where there’s space, and Dominica’s WIN visa allows public, private or online school. EU families living in Guadeloupe follow French rules, where school is compulsory from 3 to 16. On other islands, ask the education ministry before you go.

Can we homeschool in the Caribbean?

Many families do, especially on smaller islands without international schools. Guadeloupe needs prior approval under French law. Elsewhere, the rules for visiting families often aren’t published, so check with the education ministry first.

Which islands teach in Dutch or French?

Guadeloupe follows the French system, in French. Local schools on Aruba and Curaçao teach in Dutch or Papiamento, while their international schools teach in English. The other islands in this comparison teach in English.

What does childcare cost for a toddler?

Preschool runs from about €160 to €285 a month on Antigua, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Aruba and Curaçao, based on small samples. Nassau is far higher, at around US$880 a month. In Guadeloupe, crèche fees are often income-based.

Do we need a car?

On most islands, yes. Nassau has cheap jitneys and Grenada has minibuses, but outside the main towns a car is close to essential, and it’s one of the biggest budget items. Bermuda is the exception: visitors can’t rent a car, so you’d rely on buses, ferries and taxis.

How far away is specialist healthcare?

Often a flight away. From the Bahamas it usually means Florida, from Anguilla it means St Maarten, and from Grenada it means Barbados or Trinidad. Guadeloupe has a university hospital near Pointe-à-Pitre. Health insurance with evacuation cover matters on every island.

Which Caribbean island is cheapest for a family?

On paper, Saint Lucia (from about €2,150 a month) and Grenada (from about €2,900) come out lowest. Saint Lucia’s figure leaves out a car and insurance, though, while Grenada’s includes both. Compare like with like using the cost table above.

Our Takeaways

Laying the islands side by side changed how we think about the Caribbean. The question isn’t really “which island?” It’s “which kind of week do we want?”

A school week in Nassau, with a classroom and other kids for Louie, looks very different from a homeschool week in Montserrat, with a volcano as the science lesson. Both could work for us. Neither is cheap, and neither is simple with a toddler.

What we do know is that we wouldn’t decide from a spreadsheet. We’d pick a dry season, visit a couple of schools with Louie, find a few mornings of care for Leo, and see what fits once we’re there. 🌊

If You’re Weighing Up the Islands Too

• Decide what you want from school before you pick an island.
• Price a car and health insurance, not just rent.
• Ask schools about short-term places early.
• Read the full island guide before you fall for the photos.

Have you schooled your kids in the Caribbean, or homeschooled there? We’d love to hear how it went in our Facebook community.