Caribbean price harmonisation: where the numbers actually stand

The regional move to a common minimum was real and, on its own terms, sensible: it ended the price war in which programmes undercut each other toward the bottom. For a buyer, though, the headline convergence is less useful than it looks, because the minimum donation is only the first line of the cost. The lines that differ between programmes — government fees, per-applicant due diligence, real-estate transfer costs where that route is used — are exactly the ones a shared floor does not touch.

That is why two programmes advertising the same US$200,000 can still cost meaningfully different totals for the same family. Dominica is the clearest illustration in our data: the headline is among the lowest, yet fees of roughly US$75,000 lift the real single-applicant cost to about US$284,500. The gap between headline and total is not unique to Dominica; it is the rule, and it is where the real comparison lives.

So the practical effect of harmonisation is narrower than the marketing suggests. It makes the entry numbers look alike; it does not make the programmes cost alike. Use the shared floor as a starting point, then compare on the total for your actual household with fees included, and confirm the current schedule with each programme unit — the floor may be harmonised, but the price you pay is still programme-specific.