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cost of living in Skye

KATELEE1
Member since 8-10-2007

My husband has an opportunity to start up a business on Skye. I would like to get a realistic up to date idea of the cost of living: weekly groceries for family of two adults one infant annual elec/ gas/ water bills we have read about the weather/ isolation/ MIDGES etc and are confident our current location is very similar if not more remote, (Haida Gwaii Canada) these factors seem to deter people from moving there or rather prevent them staying.. any others ? likewise, in fact more interestingly can anyone tell us great things about relocating to skye or a western isle? Many thanks for your time

Posted 2-4-2012 1:31

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Imsdal
Member since 8-11-2007

I only know about Skye from one visit and my husband's relatives there but the remoteness largely depends on where you live. Portree's a decent sized town with good facilities and if you are there or near by you're not remote. I think further out you have more chance of being cut off in the wintertime but with good planning you should be able to manage fine. Skye is of course now connected to the mainland through the bridge and has great bus services connecting to Inverness. There are also quite good bus services for large sections of the island.

I imagine gas and electric would mostly depend on the house you were buying/renting rather than location. In the process of buying myself and you can get a breakdown of expected costs from the Energy Report. If you're not buying or only looking for a rough idea why not look at the Energy Report for a house similar to the type/location you're considering. This site might help: http://www.iosea.co.uk/zones.shtml

As for the dreaded midges I recommend Avon's Skin So Soft -not designed for midge protection but works well and is available throughout Skye!

[edited by: Imsdal at 9:36 (GMT 0) on 2-4-2012]

Posted 2-4-2012 9:35

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KATELEE1
Member since 8-10-2007

thankyou! Funnily enough we have the skin so soft stuff here for midges problem as well !

Posted 3-4-2012 23:51

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betsyb1
Member since 11-1-2010

Skye is beautiful, I would say a fantastic place to relocate to. If you have a big chest freezer you can go to Inverness once a month and do a big shop, Portree though would have everything you need. Petrol prices are really high I believe, on tthe Western Isles which may be a consideration if you intend to drive to work. Good luck if you go for it, I'm sure you won't be disappointed :)

Posted 4-4-2012 17:14

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theNavigator
Member since 3-11-2008

Seriously, it's not THAT far on the edge. Have just spent almost 10 years living there. Cafe Arriba in Portree is a lovely place to hang out, there are great places to eat back over the bridge in Plockton (Kyle is a bit of a hole.. ahem, sorry: a place to drive through) and Inverness isn't that far away. We used to drive to Inverness every couple of weeks - good theatre (Eden Court) and all the extra bits and bobs you need. You can nip across to the mainland by ferry from Sleat to Mallaig to (a lovely day out). Yes, as a previous poster mentioned, petrol is expensive, particularly if you have a gas-guzzling Subaru like I did, although it was brilliant during snow/ice moments when visiting friends down single track roads that haven't been cleared. Having said that, the snow/ice doesn't hang about long on the west coast and the council can be quite good (even now) at getting the roads cleared. They don't fix the atrocious potholes until close to tourist season, so you might find your slalom abilities when driving improve. In terms of the people, I always found that if you are in need, there will always be someone offering to help (as happens anywhere). Quite frankly, if you can cope in Canada, Skye will be a breeze. Essentially, stunning land/seascapes, some great food, entertaining people, some very good schools, a fair bit of freedom, there's even a lady who delivers sushi to order, broadband, highland coos, midges aren't too bad as long as you keep moving...ummm, fast... it's all near enough to (supposed) civilization to cope with. Downsides: rain. midges (okay fine, evil little beasties, but they leave you alone for several months), tourists in the way, sheep, ridiculous house prices and virtually no rental market... I loved liviing on the west coast/Skye. :)

Posted 25-8-2012 12:00

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