George Town, Cayman Islands
Head to head

George Town vs Gustavia.

George Town leaves about $442K more of a $1M income in hand each year than Gustavia, on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. 🇰🇾 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands against 🇫🇷 St Barths, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

Rank both on my numbers →

In short, current to October 2026

  • On $1,000,000 of income, George Town takes an effective 0% and Gustavia takes 44%, so George Town leaves about $442K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
  • On a capital gain realized after residence begins, George Town charges 0% and Gustavia charges 35%. On a $5,000,000 event that is a difference of about $1.8M.
  • George Town is modeled with no special regime for arriving foreigners. St Barths operates: For the first 5 years a new resident is treated as a French tax resident and pays French income tax on worldwide income. From the sixth year St Barths tax domicile applies, with no income tax and French tax only on French source income.
  • Inheritance, what a child pays: nothing in George Town, yes, above €150,000 in Gustavia.
  • Route in: George Town by Residence by investment. Gustavia by Founder & talent.
  • Cost of the life is 105 in George Town against 132 in Gustavia on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 8 against 9 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated . Cite as: Patrician.ch, George Town (Grand Cayman) vs Gustavia (St Barths): tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/george-town-cayman-vs-st-barths/, October 2026.

Summarize with
ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AIPerplexityGrokClaude
By the Patrician.ch research desk · Updated 29 October 2026 · 8 min read
George Town, Cayman Islands
George Town 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands
Gustavia, St Barths
Gustavia 🇫🇷 St Barths
George TownGustavia
Effective tax at $300K0%34%
Effective tax at $1M0%44%
Effective tax at $3M0%47%
Kept after tax at $1M$1M$558K
Capital gains0%35%
Inheritance tax, childrennothingyes, above €150,000
Cost index (Zurich 100)105132
A 200 m² prime home, US$Not publishedNot published
Prestige of address (editorial)7/1010/10
Safety8/109/10
Schools7/105/10
Sun hours2,8003,050
Supercar street index#85#83
Routes inResidence by investmentFounder & talent
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)n/an/a
Flight from London12h 40m, 1 stop11h 10m, 1 stop
Flight from New York4h 05m nonstop6h, 1 stop
See these 2 places for your own income.George Town and Gustavia, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.
Compare them on my income →

Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MGeorge Town0%0%0%Gustavia34%44%47%

Note: single filer, not a US citizen

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

George Town (Grand Cayman) keeps more of a $1M salary, $442K a year on this model. Gustavia (St Barths) answers with safety.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains: George Town 0%, Gustavia 35%. Neither city levies an annual wealth tax.

For a family

George Town (Grand Cayman) leads on schools and a lower cost, Gustavia (St Barths) on safety and sun.

George Town, Cayman IslandsGeorge TownThe full pageGustavia, St BarthsGustaviaThe full pageRank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds
Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, George Town or Gustavia?

George Town, by about $442K a year on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

George Town takes an effective 0% of $1,000,000 and Gustavia takes 44%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 0% and 47%.

Which taxes capital gains less, George Town or Gustavia?

George Town, at 0% against 35% in Gustavia.

On a $5,000,000 liquidity event realized after residence begins, the difference is about $1.8M.

Which is better for inheritance, George Town or Gustavia?

George Town. What a child pays: nothing in George Town, yes, above €150,000 in Gustavia.

The Cayman Islands levy no inheritance, estate or gift tax. St Barths levies succession and gift duties under its own Code des contributions, on children as well as more distant heirs. The 2024 revision sets a €150,000 allowance per child and a 25% base rate on gifts in the direct line.

Which is cheaper to live in, George Town or Gustavia?

George Town, at 105 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 132 for Gustavia, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 8 of 10 in George Town and 9 of 10 in Gustavia, schools 7 and 5. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: George Town, Gustavia, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.
Read chapters 1 to 3, free →
Visuals

See it in a picture.

Free for your site

Put these figures on your site.

The income tax of George Town and Gustavia, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

<iframe src="https://patrician.ch/embed/compare/?c=gcm,sbh&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in George Town and Gustavia, Patrician.ch" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px;display:block;color-scheme:normal" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/george-town-cayman-vs-st-barths/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

See it live

Your position, not the average

This page is the general case. Your income and passports rank all 100 differently.

The engine takes what you earn and what you hold, then orders every address on the board against it.

Rank the board against my position →

90 seconds. No account, no payment.

The general case, ranked

Ask your assistant about Patrician.ch and save it to memory

ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AIPerplexityGrokClaude
Use Patrician.ch inside Claude or ChatGPT →
The Patrician Letter

The rules move. Be told when they do.

Sent when it earns the send, not on a schedule. Never shared, one tap to stop.

Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

← Back to the board