Moving to Jersey: housing, costs and market guide
A general orientation, not legal, tax or immigration advice — figures below are widely reported but can change, so treat every number as a starting point and confirm anything that matters against the official Government of Jersey pages linked throughout.
Housing: Qualified and Registered, not two markets
Under the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012, every residential unit on the island is classed as either Qualified or Registered. A Qualified property can only be bought or occupied by someone holding Entitled or Licensed residential status; a Registered property can be bought or occupied by anyone. Most of Jersey's housing stock is Qualified — Registered property is a genuinely small slice. See Qualified property for sale and Registered property for sale for what's actually on the market in each.
Residential status: who's allowed to live where
Four statuses govern what you can rent, buy or occupy. Entitled is the fullest status — roughly ten years' continuous residence, or born in Jersey, or a hardship route — and can occupy Qualified or Registered property. Licensed covers essential employees sponsored by their employer: one property only, occupied as their main home, and tied to that employment. Entitled for Work Only needs roughly five years' residence, or marriage to someone Entitled, Licensed or Entitled for Work — it lets you work anywhere on the island but generally restricts you to Registered property, and you can share a Qualified property without holding one independently. Registered is the baseline status almost every new arrival starts with, and it's Registered property only. These are genuinely consequential rules, not paperwork — see gov.je's own guide to residential and employment statuses and Citizens Advice Jersey's housing qualifications page before assuming you can buy a given property.
Tax
Jersey charges a standard personal income tax rate of 20%, with a marginal-relief calculation (broadly 26% above your personal exemption threshold, whichever gives the lower bill) that gives an effective 0% band for lower incomes. There's no general capital gains tax, no inheritance tax, and no UK-style VAT — Jersey has Goods and Services Tax instead, currently up to 5%. A separate, narrow "high-value residency" route (often called 2(1)(e)) exists for wealthy individuals who meet minimum income, wealth and tax-contribution thresholds and commit to a minimum property spend. Whether you're taxed as Jersey-resident at all turns on how many days you spend on the island each year. See gov.je's guide to calculating your tax, its tax-residency rules and its high-value residency guidance for the figures actually in force.
Healthcare and Social Security
There's no NHS-equivalent free-at-the-point-of-use system. New arrivals pay in full for GP visits until they've registered with Social Security and built up roughly six months of contributions, at which point a Health Card unlocks a subsidised GP fee and free prescriptions from a community pharmacy. Registering with Social Security is worth doing early, not once you actually need a doctor. See gov.je's guide to registering with a doctor and getting a Health Card.
Schools
Jersey has a mix of free States (government) schools, which most resident children attend, and fee-paying private schools — some of which receive States funding and charge reduced fees as a result. Admissions policy changes; check the current position with gov.je's schools and education guidance and with individual schools directly.
What's actually on the market right now
Rather than quote a stale "average house price" figure, see the real current stock and prices: property for sale in Jersey and Jersey sold prices since 2001 for what things have actually sold for.
Buying once you're ready
See buying property in Jersey: process and costs for how a purchase actually completes, including the Royal Court step a freehold conveyance goes through.