This is the question almost every business owner asks first, and the hardest one to get a straight answer to. Most web designers will not put numbers on a page. You fill in a contact form, wait, and get a quote with no idea whether it is fair.
So here are real numbers. These are the ranges we actually work within for businesses in St. Kitts and Nevis, and they hold up reasonably well across the wider Caribbean.
Short answer: EC$1,215 to EC$6,750 for most small businesses
In US dollars that is roughly $450 to $2,500. Where you land inside that range depends on how many pages you need and whether the site has to do things, like take bookings or payments, rather than just display information.
A one-page site built around a single goal starts around US$450 to $900 (about EC$1,215 to EC$2,430). A five-page business website with proper structure, contact forms, and basic search setup typically runs US$1,100 to $2,500 (about EC$2,970 to EC$6,750). Booking systems, online ordering, and payment integrations are usually added on top, from around US$500 to $2,000+.
What actually moves the price
Number of pages. This is the most obvious factor but usually the least important one. Five well-built pages beat fifteen thin ones.
Whether the site has a job to do. A brochure site that lists your services is straightforward. A site that takes bookings, collects deposits, sends confirmation emails, and follows up automatically is a different piece of work. That is where cost genuinely goes up, and where it usually pays for itself fastest.
Content readiness. If you have your photos, service descriptions, and prices ready, the project moves quickly. If someone has to write your copy and source images, that is real time and it shows in the quote.
Integrations. Payment processing, WhatsApp, calendars, and email tools each add setup and testing time.
What about the cheap options?
You can build something yourself on Wix or Squarespace for roughly US$15 to $30 a month. That is a legitimate choice, and for some businesses it is the right one, particularly if you are testing an idea and have time to learn the tools.
What you are trading away is speed, structure, and the things that are invisible until they matter: how fast the site loads, whether it is built so Google can read it properly, whether the booking flow actually converts. Most DIY sites we are asked to rebuild are not ugly. They just do not bring in enquiries.
The costs people forget
The build is not the only number. Budget for a domain name (around US$15 to $25 a year), hosting (roughly US$5 to $20 a month depending on the plan), and ongoing care if you want someone keeping the site updated, backed up, and secure.
Ask any web designer directly whether hosting and maintenance are included, and for how long. It is the single most common source of surprise bills.
How to tell if a quote is fair
Price alone tells you very little. A useful quote should make clear how many pages are included, who writes the content, whether the site is built mobile-first, what happens after launch, and how long it takes.
If a quote is a single number with no breakdown, ask for one. Any designer worth hiring will give you it without fuss.
Is a website worth it for a small business here?
It depends entirely on how you get customers. If you rely on walk-ins and regulars and you are happy with that, a Facebook page may genuinely be enough.
But if you take bookings, if visitors search for what you sell before they arrive on the island, or if you spend hours a week answering the same questions in WhatsApp, a website that handles that for you tends to pay for itself faster than the sticker price suggests.
We publish our pricing openly for exactly this reason. You can see the full breakdown on our pricing section, or tell us about your project and we will give you a real number rather than a vague range.