St John's vs Gustavia: St John's keeps $442K more of $1M

St John's vs Gustavia.

St John's leaves about $442K more of a $1M income in hand each year than Gustavia, on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda against 🇫🇷 St Barths, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

In short, current to October 2026

On $1,000,000 of income, St John's takes an effective 0% and Gustavia takes 44%, so St John's leaves about $442K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
On a capital gain realized after residence begins, St John's charges 0% and Gustavia charges 35%. On a $5,000,000 event that is a difference of about $1.8M.
St John's 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 St John's, yes, above €150,000 in Gustavia.
Route in: St John's by Citizenship by investment. Gustavia by Founder & talent.
Cost of the life is 82 in St John's against 132 in Gustavia on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 6 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 29 October 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, St John's (Antigua) vs Gustavia (St Barths): tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/st-johns-antigua-vs-st-barths/, October 2026.

St John's, Antigua and Barbuda — **St John's** 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

Gustavia, St Barths — **Gustavia** 🇫🇷 St Barths

	St John's	Gustavia
Effective tax at $300K	0%	34%
Effective tax at $1M	0%	44%
Effective tax at $3M	0%	47%
Kept after tax at $1M	$1M	$558K
Capital gains	0%	35%
Inheritance tax, children	nothing	yes, above €150,000
Cost index (Zurich 100)	82	132
A 200 m² prime home, US$	Not published	Not published
Prestige of address (editorial)	6/10	10/10
Safety	6/10	9/10
Schools	5/10	5/10
Sun hours	2,900	3,050
Supercar street index	#100	#83
Routes in	Citizenship by investment	Founder & talent
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)	n/a	n/a
Flight from London	9h 05m nonstop	11h 10m, 1 stop
Flight from New York	4h 20m nonstop	6h, 1 stop

See these 2 places for your own income.St John's 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$3MSt John's0%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

St John's (Antigua) 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: St John's 0%, Gustavia 35%. Neither city levies an annual wealth tax.

For a family

Gustavia (St Barths) leads on safety and sun, St John's (Antigua) on a lower cost. Schools are level.

St John'sThe full page

GustaviaThe full page Rank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds

Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, St John's or Gustavia?

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

St John's 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, St John's or Gustavia?

St John's, 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, St John's or Gustavia?

St John's. What a child pays: nothing in St John's, yes, above €150,000 in Gustavia.

Antigua and Barbuda levies no inheritance or estate 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, St John's or Gustavia?

St John's, at 82 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 132 for Gustavia, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 6 of 10 in St John's and 9 of 10 in Gustavia, schools 5 and 5. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: St John's, 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 →

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The income tax of St John's 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.

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<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/st-johns-antigua-vs-st-barths/">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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