🇬🇩 Grenada — Relocation Profile

Section: Part 1 (Main list · Americas — Caribbean CBI) · Last verified: 2026-06 · Confidence: High (CBI pricing reflects the OECS US$200K floor effective July 1, 2024; personal income-tax band figures vary between sources post-reform — confirm with Grenada IRD; US advisory raised to Level 2 in January 2026) Written for: Canadian & American citizens · English-speaking and Arabic-speaking audiences (English is the official language) CAD figures use ≈1.37 USD→CAD (June 2026). The Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) is pegged 2.70:1 to USD — fixed since 1976.

1. Scorecard

2. Why people move here

Grenada's one-line pitch is unique in the Caribbean: it is the only CBI country whose citizens can apply for the US E-2 Treaty Investor visa. Buy the passport (~US$235K donation route, family of four), invest substantially in a US business (typically US$100–150K+), and you and your family can live and work in the United States on a renewable E-2 — a door that is otherwise closed to citizens of China, India, Russia, Vietnam, the UAE, and most of the Gulf. That single treaty (in force since 1989) is why Grenada's CBI commands a premium over Dominica's and why it dominates a specific slice of the Gulf/Asia investor market (cbi.gov.gd, verified 2026-06).

The island itself is the under-sold part. The "Spice Isle" (top-three world nutmeg producer) is greener and more lush than Antigua, with Grand Anse regularly listed among the Caribbean's best beaches, a champion sailing scene, and — crucially for daily life — St. George's University (SGU): ~7,000 mostly North American medical/vet students who give the south coast restaurants, services, rental demand, and an unusually international feel for an island of 125,000. Add a territorial tax system (residents pay no Grenadian tax on foreign-source income — finance.gd, verified 2026-06), direct flights to Toronto, New York, Miami, and London, and no capital gains, wealth, or inheritance tax.

The honest catches: the US bumped Grenada to Level 2 (January 2026) over violent crime — burglary, armed robbery, and some serious incidents involving foreigners; it's still far safer than most of Latin America, but it's no longer paperwork-perfect. Healthcare is thin (St. George's General Hospital is basic; evacuation insurance required in practice). The E-2 route is two visas deep (CBI → then a real US business + visa application) and the E-2 is a non-immigrant visa — it never by itself becomes a green card. And the same EU review of CBI Schengen access hangs over Grenada as over its neighbours.

3. Pros & Cons

Pros

• Only Caribbean CBI with US E-2 treaty access — a genuine "live in the USA" pathway for nationalities that lack one (verified 2026-06)
• Territorial taxation: residents pay 0% Grenadian tax on foreign-source income; no capital gains, wealth, or inheritance tax
• CBI ~$235K (NTF donation, family of 4) or $270K real estate; includes siblings/parents in family definition more generously than most programmes
• Grenada passport: ~145+ destinations visa-free incl. Schengen, UK — and China (rare; Grenada is one of very few with China visa-free)
• SGU economy — steady year-round rental demand, North American services, direct flights
• Native English, common law, XCD peg, dual citizenship permitted; lush, beautiful, south of the main hurricane track (though not immune — Ivan 2004)

Cons

• US advisory Level 2 (Jan 2026) — rising property crime/violent incidents; security (dogs, grilles, alarms) is standard practice for villas
• Local-source income IS taxed (~10–15% then ~28–30% above ~EC$60K — bands vary by source post-reform; verify) — territorial ≠ zero-tax for local business
• Alien Landholding Licence: 10% of property value for foreign buyers + transfer costs → heavy entry friction outside the CBI route
• No US or Canada tax treaty (CARICOM only); banking slow and document-heavy
• Healthcare ceiling low — evacuation to Barbados/Trinidad/Miami for anything complex
• E-2 is a non-immigrant visa (no green card by itself); EU policy risk over CBI Schengen access

4. Snapshot

Arabic-audience note: Grenada's Muslim community is small (a modest mosque/Islamic centre serving St. George's, partly SGU students) and halal options are limited to specialty sourcing. No Arabic government services. But Grenada is arguably the most strategically interesting Caribbean passport for Gulf nationals: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and most Arab states have no E-2 treaty with the US — Grenadian citizenship creates one. That two-step (Grenada CBI → US E-2) is the programme's core sell in Dubai and Riyadh, alongside Schengen, UK, and China visa-free access. As with its neighbours: buy it as a strategy, not as a place to find Arab community life.

5. Visas & Residency (Canadian / American passport)

Tourist entry: US and Canadian citizens enter visa-free for up to ~90 days (extendable at Immigration in St. George's; onward ticket and accommodation proof expected). verified 2026-06

(No dedicated digital-nomad visa as of June 2026 — Grenada is the odd one out among these three; remote workers use tourist stays + extensions or pursue residence/CBI.)

🛂 Citizenship by Investment (CBI) — the E-2 passport

Post-July 2024 OECS US$200K price floor (verified 2026-05), via cbi.gov.gd:

• The E-2 play: Grenada–US Treaty of Friendship (E-2) since 1989 — after holding Grenadian citizenship (residence in Grenada for a period ~3 years is expected for treaty-country credibility per US adjudication practice — get US immigration counsel), invest "substantially" in a real US business (commonly US$100–150K+) and apply for E-2: renewable indefinitely while the business operates; spouse gets open US work authorization; kids attend US schools to age 21. It is not a green card and there is no direct path from E-2 to one. verified 2026-06 (US Immigration Advisor — Grenada CBI/E-2)
• Passport power: ~145+ destinations visa-free/VOA incl. Schengen, UK, China, Hong Kong, Singapore (not the US or Canada as visa-free tourists — the E-2 is a separate, applied-for visa).
• Family definition is among the most generous: spouse, children, parents, and unmarried siblings can be included (fees scale).
• Residency requirement: none for citizenship itself (no visit required; oath can be taken abroad) — though see the E-2 credibility note above.
• ⚠️ Same honest warning as its neighbours: the EU's visa-suspension review targets CBI programmes; Schengen access is a privilege that could be curtailed. The E-2 treaty could also theoretically be revisited by the US — it has survived multiple reviews, but nothing in this space is constitutionally guaranteed. verified 2026-06
• Official: cbi.gov.gd

6. Tax, Money & Banking

Tax system — territorial, and that's the headline

Grenada taxes only Grenada-source income. A tax resident (183+ days) with purely foreign income — pensions, dividends, remote-work salary from abroad, capital gains anywhere — owes Grenada nothing on it. (finance.gd — Personal Income Tax; Deloitte Grenada Highlights 2025, verified 2026-06)

• Local-source personal income: first EC$36,000 (~US$13,300) exempt; then ~10–15% to EC$60,000; ~28–30% above (published figures differ between the 10%/28% legacy schedule and 15%/30% post-reform guides — confirm current bands with the Inland Revenue Division before relying on them).
• No capital gains tax, no wealth tax, no inheritance tax.
• Corporate tax: 28% on Grenada-source profits; VAT 15% (10% hotels).
• Property: annual property tax ~0–0.5% by use/class; property transfer tax on sellers (higher for non-citizens, ~15%) — factor into exit math; stamp duty ~1%.
• Tax treaties: CARICOM only — no US, no Canada treaty. FATCA IGA; CRS participant.

🏦 Banking deep-dive

Same regional story: correspondent-bank de-risking makes Eastern Caribbean banks slow and conservative with foreigners (SWIFT — de-risking in the Caribbean, verified 2026-06).

• Banks: Republic Bank (Grenada), Grenada Co-operative Bank, CIBC Caribbean, ACB Grenada Bank.
• Bring: passport + second ID, banker's reference, proof of address, source-of-funds trail, patience (weeks–months). Residence status or a property file accelerates everything.
• Practical: SGU's ecosystem means south-coast businesses are used to North American cards; Wise + home-country accounts cover the gap while local accounts grind through compliance.

🍁🇺🇸 CANADA vs USA — what's different

• 🇺🇸 Americans: Grenada's territorial system doesn't reduce US tax — you're taxed on worldwide income regardless, with no US–Grenada income-tax treaty and (since Grenada won't have taxed your foreign income) little foreign tax credit to claim. FEIE (~$130K) can shelter earned income if you genuinely live there. FBAR/FATCA apply. The E-2 angle runs the other way — it's for non-Americans wanting into the US; for US citizens the Grenada passport is a Plan-B document only. Social Security payable in Grenada. Note: renouncing US citizenship onto a Grenadian passport then E-2-ing back into the US is a strategy some promoters pitch — it is legally fraught (Reed Amendment exposure); take specialist counsel before even discussing it.
• 🍁 Canadians: The clean play: sever Canadian residential ties (departure tax on deemed dispositions), establish genuine Grenadian residence, and your foreign-source income — including most investment income — faces 0% Grenadian tax under the territorial system. No Canada–Grenada treaty means Canadian-source payments to non-residents bear the default 25% withholding (RRSP/RRIF withdrawals, dividends — plan the order of operations with a cross-border accountant). CPP payable anywhere; OAS with 20+ years Canadian residence after 18. Watch the 183-day line in Canada too — snowbirding back too long unwinds everything.

7. Cost of Living & Economy

Mid-priced for the Caribbean: cheaper than Antigua or Barbados, pricier than Dominica. The SGU economy keeps south-coast prices (and rents) firmer than the rest of the island. (Global Citizen Solutions — Grenada cost of living, verified 2026-06)

Rent: local 1-BR $450–700/mo; furnished expat/SGU-standard 1–2-BR (Grand Anse, True Blue, Lance aux Épines) $800–1,500/mo; quality villas $1,500–3,000+. (Expat Exchange Grenada, verified 2026-06)

Day-to-day: local meal $7–12; groceries (single) $300–500/mo — excellent local produce and spices, imported goods at the usual premium; utilities $100–250/mo with AC; car near-essential outside the Grand Anse strip.

Economy: tourism, SGU (a top-three economic pillar by itself), agriculture (nutmeg, mace, cocoa), and CBI receipts. XCD peg unbroken since 1976.

8. Safety

• 🇺🇸 US: Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution (raised January 5, 2026) due to crime: burglary, armed robbery, and violent incidents that have included foreigners; police response can be slow. travel.state.gov — Grenada verified 2026-06
• 🍁 Canada: Take normal security precautions (with standard petty-crime cautions). travel.gc.ca/destinations/grenada verified 2026-06
• Context: Grenada remains safer than most of the hemisphere — but the Level 2 move reflects a real uptick in property crime and some violent home invasions. Standard villa practice: grilles, alarms/cameras, dogs, and not advertising routines. SGU areas have private security presence.
• Practical risks: burglary of unoccupied villas, theft from cars/beaches, occasional armed robbery after dark. Violent crime between strangers in tourist zones is still uncommon.
• Natural: southern edge of the hurricane belt — rare hits but catastrophic when they come (Ivan 2004; Beryl 2024 devastated Carriacou). Concrete construction + insurance.
• Solo women: broadly fine in expat/SGU areas with urban-normal precautions; avoid isolated beaches after dark.

9. Healthcare

Honest assessment: basic public system; private clinics serve expats for routine care; anything complex flies out. Evacuation insurance is mandatory in practice — the medical school next door does not equal a teaching-hospital system.

• St. George's General Hospital (~200 beds) is the main public facility — emergency and general services; free/cheap primary care; chronic under-resourcing. (Expat Exchange — Grenada health system, verified 2026-06)
• Private clinics around St. George's/Grand Anse (often SGU-affiliated physicians) handle expat primary/specialist care: GP $40–80.
• Complex cardiology, oncology, trauma → Barbados, Trinidad, or Miami. Air ambulance uninsured: US$15–30K+.
• Insurance: international plan with evacuation $150–350/mo per adult by age; local plans cheaper but exclude exactly what you need most.
• SGU's presence is a quiet plus: more English-speaking doctors per capita than almost any small island, good pharmacies, and a medical community that knows the evacuation pathways cold.

10. Property & Investment

Foreigners can hold freehold, but need an Alien Landholding Licence at 10% of property value, typically 3–6 months to grant. (Terra Caribbean — foreign buyer guide 2026, verified 2026-06)

Foreign-buyer math:

• ALHL: 10%
• Stamp duty ~1% + legal ~1–2%
• All-in entry friction ~12–13%; on exit, non-citizen sellers face ~15% property transfer tax — Grenada punishes quick flips; model a 7–10 year hold
• CBI real-estate buyers ($270K approved projects) are exempt from the ALHL

Prices (2026): south-coast condos US$250–450K; Grand Anse/Lance aux Épines villas $500K–1.5M+; inland/east-coast dramatically cheaper but renter-thin. Appreciation steady (resales ~20% higher over ~5 years in active areas); the market is thin — exits take months. (Copal Real Estate guide, verified 2026-06)

Yields: long-term ~3–5% gross. The distinctive play is the SGU student market — True Blue, Lance aux Épines, Grand Anse apartments rent year-round to med students and visiting faculty, smoothing the seasonality that kills pure-tourist islands.

11. Airbnb / Short-Term Rental

Legal, no national caps; the market splits into two very different businesses. (Terra Caribbean investment guide, verified 2026-06)

Investor takeaway: Grenada STR is a moderate-yield, unusually stable play thanks to SGU — the student base is the closest thing the small-island Caribbean has to recession-proof rental demand. But entry/exit friction eats returns: this is a hold-and-compound market, not a flip market.

12. Resources

Official:

• 🛂 Citizenship by Investment: cbi.gov.gd
• 🏛️ Government of Grenada: gov.gd
• 💰 Ministry of Finance / IRD: finance.gd
• 💼 Grenada Investment Development Corporation: grenadaidc.com
• 🏦 Eastern Caribbean Central Bank: eccb-centralbank.org
• 🇺🇸 US advisory: travel.state.gov — Grenada
• 🍁 Canada advisory: travel.gc.ca/destinations/grenada

Research & community: Terra Caribbean & Century 21 Grenada (real estate); US Immigration Advisor / Henley / Astons on the CBI+E-2 mechanics (remember: salespeople); Expat Exchange Grenada; Facebook "Expats Living in Grenada"; r/Grenada. Arabic-language: Grenada+E-2 is a staple of Dubai CBI-agent content in Arabic — useful overviews, but the E-2 step needs a real US immigration attorney, not an agent's slide deck; verify programme facts at cbi.gov.gd.

13. First Steps

1. Pick your lane: Lifestyle scout → 90-day visa-free entry, base in Grand Anse/True Blue. Settler → temporary residence → PR (~2–3 years, ~US$2,800 fees + legal). Strategist → CBI via an authorized agent from cbi.gov.gd's list plus independent US immigration counsel if E-2 is the goal — sequence and substance requirements matter enormously.
2. Scout with the advisory in mind: visit, walk neighbourhoods at different hours, talk to villa owners about security practice, visit St. George's General so the healthcare ceiling is concrete.
3. Tax architecture first: 🇺🇸 Americans — territoriality gives you nothing; plan FEIE/FTC with an expat CPA. 🍁 Canadians — Grenada is one of the best "0% on foreign income" landing spots with real lifestyle, but only after clean non-residency + departure-tax planning; mind 25% Canadian withholding with no treaty relief.
4. Banking early: Republic Bank/Co-op Bank file with banker's reference and source-of-funds; expect weeks-months; Wise bridges the gap.
5. Property: model 12–13% in + ~15% non-citizen transfer tax out; consider the SGU dual-rental strategy; insure and build for the rare-but-severe hurricane; CBI route if the ALHL math favours it.

Realistic timeline to "settled": scout-and-rent — 1–3 months. PR — 2–3 years. CBI — 6–9 months; CBI→E-2→US — realistically 1.5–3+ years end-to-end.

14. Bottom Line — by Persona