English-Speaking Islands Where You Can Live Or Retire

English-speaking islands  offer island life with some of the familiarity of home. Visit or relocate to any of these islands and you can relax, knowing you will be able to talk with the local people. Integrating into the community and making friends circles is important to anyone overseas.

The ability to converse in your mother tongue with the locals is a big benefit. For those who are keen to learn, many of these islands speak more than one language. You can learn a new language with the safety net of being able to revert back to English if you get stuck.

Here at Live and Invest Overseas, we like to think of ourselves as impartial. It would be remiss not to mention some of the downsides to living on an island in the sun. The salt in the air means things will rust more quickly. Not only cars and BBQs but also computers and frying pans.

Your favorite U.S. products need importing and will cost far more than you would expect to pay at home. But, if you are adaptable this can be beneficial though. Local seasonal produce is generally inexpensive and also delicious. Tasting fresh food which is perfectly ripe and picked that morning can be a revelation.

The list of English-speaking islands has something for everyone. Moving to a country where you speak the language can make things that little bit less daunting.

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2. Malta – Historic English-Speaking Mediterranean Island

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3. Islands of Malaysia – No Need To Learn A New Language

Although Malaysia is not officially an English-speaking island, it is widely spoken. Many people here speak ‘Manglish’ which blends vocabulary from different languages. For example, ‘Wei macha, you want makan here or tapau?” (Do you want to eat here or take out?) contains Tamil, English, Malay, and Chinese.

Malaysia has a tropical climate. This means hot and humid year-round with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. Nearly 100 inches of rainfall every year.

As the days are so hot, the people like to take advantage of the cooler temperatures in the evening. Late suppers are the standard here. Around 11pm the outdoor cafes will be busy with people eating and socializing. This late supper is a tradition in Malaysia and forms an important part of the culture.

For an expat moving here, this is something you should go if you want to become part of the local community.

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Malaysia has the tallest towers in the world, The Petronas Towers. These iconic buildings dominate the Kuala Lumpur skyline. It has amazing street food which incorporates the many styles of food. You can eat cheaply and well at these stalls and sample a range of unfamiliar foods at the same time.

We recommend checking out the islands of Pulau Pangkor, Penang (George Town, in particular), or Langkawi.

4. Barbados – English-Speaking Luxury Living On The Caribbean

The island of Barbados has long been popular with tourists. It’s one of the quintessential blue seas, white sands location. Originally a British Colony, Barbados gained independence in 1966 but retains Commonwealth status. Barbados has been an English-speaking island for centuries. Barbados has had uninterrupted parliamentary governance dating back to 1639. This makes it one of the oldest parliaments in the world. The currency is the Barbadian Dollar or Bajan Dollar. It’s fixed at $2 Barbadian to US$1. Most places will accept U.S. dollars but you will get more for your money using the local currency.

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5. Islands of Fiji – Pacific Island Lifestyle That Speaks Your Langauge

Formed by volcanic activity in the South Pacific, Fiji became a British colony in 1874. Fiji gained independence in 1970 and became part of the Commonwealth. In 1987 she became a republic after a military coup and in 2014 Fiji gained a democratic government. The currency is the Fiji dollar although U.S. dollars are generally accepted. Fiji is an English-speaking island but the native language, Fijian is also spoken.

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6. St. Kitts and Nevis – A Beautiful English-Speaking Caribbean Island

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The climate in Ireland is generally mild with a lot of rain. It is the rain which keeps the grass green here and in 2007 Ireland had 40 consecutive rainy days.

Property prices took a hit after the 2008 economic crash. There are signs of recovery recently. The economy is modern and reliant on international trade. There are job opportunities available to those with the right qualifications.