If you’re wondering how much money to take to St Lucia then you’re in the right place.
It can be difficult to know how much money you need when visiting a new place so that’s why I’ve put together this handy guide.
This post covers exactly how much spending money you need for a week in St Lucia, if credit cards are widely accepted and if you can easily access ATMs.
💡Hint: I also include some handy travel hacks to make your cash stretch further!
How Much Cash to Bring to St Lucia
There are lots of ATMs on St Lucia and credit cards are widely accepted.
Based on this, you don’t need to bring a lot of cash with you. I’d only recommend bringing between $100 and $200 in cash.
When I visited St Lucia recently, I only took $150 in cash and it stretched the entire trip. In fact, I still had $35 left over at the end.
I ended up paying for most things with my credit card but I did also withdraw some of the local currency to use as tips.
As well as food and drink, your main costs in St Lucia will be transport, souvenirs, day trips and tips.
Luckily, ATMs are widely available and usually offer the best exchange rate. This is the easiest way to access cash in St Lucia.
It’s also much safer to use ATMs rather than having hundreds of dollars in your pocket.
Although St Lucia is pretty safe, pickpocketing does occur from time to time so you’ll want to avoid having too much cash on you at once.
I also found that most shops, restaurants and hotels accepted card so I rarely even needed the cash at all.
Taxis
Most taxi drivers in St Lucia only accept cash (as it’s not practical to carry around a card machine) so I found it easier to pre-book one and pay online.
I personally pre-booked my airport transfer prior to arriving to ensure a smooth journey. I’m really glad I did as it made the whole thing super easy and I didn’t have to worry about paying in cash.
This private airport transfer offers great prices and a fantastic service. They’ll be sat there waiting for you as you leave the airport so no long queues and no stress.
You’ll get a comfortable, air-conditioned car with WiFi and they’ll even give you a beer or a glass of wine to sip on during the journey.
If you don’t mind sharing with a few other people, you can book this airport minivan transfer for a much cheaper price (ideal for budget travelers).
Unfortunately there is no Uber in St Lucia so pre-booking online is your best option to avoid overpaying.
Prices in St Lucia
How much money you need to bring largely depends on if you’re staying at an all-inclusive resort or not.
If you’ve booked an all-inclusive resort then all of your food/drinks will have already been paid for so you won’t need nearly as much money as anyone not staying at an all inclusive resort.
I’ve included meal costs below for anyone not staying at an all-inclusive resort but you can ignore these if your food/drinks are already included.
These prices are all based on my personal experience from visiting St Lucia and also from researching the prices extensively online.
Here’s an overview of the prices in St Lucia:
- Meals cost between $50 and $130 per person per day (including breakfast, lunch & dinner). Check my guide on food prices in St Lucia for more info.
- Average souvenirs (like local craft items) cost between $9 and $12.
- Alcoholic drinks cost between $3 and $5 (prices are higher at fancy resorts).
- Soft drinks cost between $2 and $3.
- Day trips & excursions vary considerably but cost between $65 and $350 per person.
- A taxi ride from the airport costs between $80 and $100 (will be cheaper if you pre-book online).
ATM Machines in St Lucia
It’s great to know that there are plenty of ATM machines in St Lucia so if you need any extra cash at any point, it’s easy to access.
To be honest, I saw them on most street corners and there was even one inside my resort too which was handy.
Many hotels and resorts have them on-site but if not the staff will be happy to direct you to the nearest one.
All ATM machines in St Lucia give the local currency which is the Eastern Caribbean dollar.
It has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar at $1 US = $2.70 EC.
ATMs are the best way to get money whilst in St Lucia as they give the best exchange rate.
I don’t recommend using travelers checks as you’ll need to visit a bank to exchange them into money which is a pain.
Additionally, banks are closed on weekends and aren’t open all day so they’re not very convenient.
Personally, I prefer bringing a small amount of cash with me (approximately $100) and changing it into the local currency at the airport.
Then I take extra cash out from the local ATMs whenever necessary. I also try to pay with my card whenever I can instead of using cash as it’s more convenient.
Overall, you’ll spend less money this way as every time you exchange cash you lose money on the transaction.
These days there’s lots of credit and debit cards that have no transaction fees so it won’t cost you anything to use it abroad.
Excursions Hack (Save Money & Have a Better Time)
Another hack is to book any excursions or day trips you want to do online rather than in person.
You’ll likely get a better deal online and you can pay for it with your card in your home country so it eliminates the need for cash.
Viator has tons of amazing St Lucia day trips. My favorite thing about booking with Viator is that you can read the customer reviews before booking to make sure it’s good quality.
I hate booking day trips in person because sellers always make out it’s amazing (which is sometimes true, sometimes not) and it’s hard to compare prices or check reviews.
Here’s a few of my favorite St Lucia excursions and day trips:
- Land & Sea Tour Around St Lucia (super fun and covers most of the island)
- ATV Tour (follow the coastline to see epic views and beaches from above)
- St Lucia Snorkeling Tour (explore St Lucia’s vibrant underwater world)
- Rum Tasting Tour (taste some delicious rums and learn how they’re made)
I personally did the Land & Sea Tour and thought it was incredible! I saw so many amazing views and the guides were super friendly and really made the day extra special.
Should I Take Cash to St Lucia?
I’d recommend bringing some cash with you just in case. Even though most places in St Lucia accept credit and debit card these days, you will occasionally come across someone that does’t.
You will also occasionally come across certain vendors that don’t accept cards. I found that these tended to be small market stalls, local street food vendors and taxi drivers.
Cash also comes in particularly useful when you want to leave tips for good service as you can ensure you’re giving the money directly to the person.
Learn more about how much to tip for various services in my guide on how much to tip in St Lucia.
To ensure you don’t miss out, have a bit of cash on you at all times.
Best Currency to Take to St Lucia
The Eastern Caribbean Dollar is St Lucia’s local currency so I’d recommend taking some with you if you can.
When I visited St Lucia recently, I took USD with me and I wish I hadn’t. Although most places accept USD in St Lucia, you end up paying more and they always give the change in the local currency which can be confusing.
I ended up just exchanging most of my USD for the local currency a few days into my trip to make it easier.
Alternatively, you could also take your own currency to St Lucia (e.g. pound/euro) and exchange it into the local currency at the airport.
And that’s it!
Thanks for reading this post on how much spending money you need for a week in St Lucia.
One of the most fun and unique things to do is to go island hopping in St Lucia. You can take a ferry to Martinique or grab a flight to Barbados.
Need more help planning a St Lucia vacation?
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