Gustavia, St Barths
Head to head

Gustavia vs Virgin Gorda.

Virgin Gorda leaves about $442K more of a $1M income in hand each year than Gustavia, on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. 🇫🇷 St Barths against 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

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In short, current to October 2026

  • On $1,000,000 of income, Gustavia takes an effective 44% and Virgin Gorda takes 0%, so Virgin Gorda leaves about $442K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
  • On a capital gain realized after residence begins, Gustavia charges 35% and Virgin Gorda charges 0%. On a $5,000,000 event that is a difference of about $1.8M.
  • St Barths operates a special regime for arriving foreigners: 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. Virgin Gorda is modeled with none.
  • Inheritance, what a child pays: yes, above €150,000 in Gustavia, nothing in Virgin Gorda.
  • Route in: Gustavia by Founder & talent. Virgin Gorda has no standard investment route.
  • Cost of the life is 132 in Gustavia against 95 in Virgin Gorda on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 9 against 8 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, Gustavia (St Barths) vs Virgin Gorda (BVI): tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/st-barths-vs-virgin-gorda/, October 2026.

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By the Patrician.ch research desk · Updated 29 October 2026 · 8 min read
Gustavia, St Barths
Gustavia 🇫🇷 St Barths
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Virgin Gorda 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands
GustaviaVirgin Gorda
Effective tax at $300K34%0%
Effective tax at $1M44%0%
Effective tax at $3M47%0%
Kept after tax at $1M$558K$1M
Capital gains35%0%
Inheritance tax, childrenyes, above €150,000nothing
Cost index (Zurich 100)13295
A 200 m² prime home, US$Not publishedNot published
Prestige of address (editorial)10/108/10
Safety9/108/10
Schools5/103/10
Sun hours3,0503,000
Supercar street index#83#16
Routes inFounder & talentStandard permits
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)n/an/a
Flight from London11h 10m, 1 stop11h 35m, 1 stop
Flight from New York6h, 1 stop6h 15m, 1 stop
See these 2 places for your own income.Gustavia and Virgin Gorda, 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$3MGustavia34%44%47%Virgin Gorda0%0%0%

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

Virgin Gorda (BVI) keeps more of a $1M salary, $442K a year on this model. Gustavia (St Barths) answers with schools and safety.

For a founder with an exit

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

For a family

Gustavia (St Barths) leads on schools, safety and sun, Virgin Gorda (BVI) on a lower cost.

Gustavia, St BarthsGustaviaThe full pageVirgin Gorda, British Virgin IslandsVirgin GordaThe full pageRank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds
Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Gustavia or Virgin Gorda?

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

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

Which taxes capital gains less, Gustavia or Virgin Gorda?

Virgin Gorda, 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, Gustavia or Virgin Gorda?

Virgin Gorda. What a child pays: yes, above €150,000 in Gustavia, nothing in Virgin Gorda.

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. The British Virgin Islands levy no inheritance, estate or gift tax.

Which is cheaper to live in, Gustavia or Virgin Gorda?

Virgin Gorda, at 95 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 132 for Gustavia, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 9 of 10 in Gustavia and 8 of 10 in Virgin Gorda, schools 5 and 3. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: Gustavia, Virgin Gorda, 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 →
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The income tax of Gustavia and Virgin Gorda, 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=sbh,vgd&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in Gustavia and Virgin Gorda, 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/st-barths-vs-virgin-gorda/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

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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.

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