15 Money-Saving Tips for the Bahamas (Because This Place Is Expensive)
Let's get the uncomfortable truth out early: the Bahamas is one of the Caribbean's most expensive destinations. Hotel rooms in Nassau start at $200/night. A dinner at a Paradise Island restaurant runs $40-80 per person. Groceries cost 2-3x US prices because everything is imported.
But it's also one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Here's how to experience it without financial ruin.
Accommodation Tricks
1. Stay in Nassau, Not Paradise Island
Paradise Island (where Atlantis sits) charges a premium for the bridge crossing and the name. Hotels in downtown Nassau or Cable Beach are 30-50% cheaper with the same beach access. An Airbnb in Nassau runs $80-120/night vs. $200-400 on Paradise Island.
2. Cook Some Meals
Rent a condo or Airbnb with a kitchen. Super Value and Solomon's grocery stores have reasonable prices on basics — bread, eggs, rice, canned goods. Cooking breakfast and one other meal saves $30-50/day per person. Restaurant meals for dinner only.
3. Go Off-Season
May through November (excluding July 4th and Junkanoo) offers 30-50% lower hotel rates. The weather is warmer and wetter, but rain usually comes in short afternoon bursts. Hurricane risk exists September-November — monitor forecasts.
Food and Drink
4. Eat at Arawak Cay Fish Fry
A cluster of colorful seafood shacks on Nassau's waterfront where conch salad ($12-15), cracked conch ($14-18), and conch fritters ($8-12) are fresh, delicious, and half the price of any resort restaurant. Cold Kalik beer: $5. This is where locals eat.
5. Seek Out "Local" Restaurants
Bahamian restaurants away from tourist strips serve massive plates of peas 'n' rice with fried snapper or stewed chicken for $8-12. Oh Henry's on Delaney Street, Goldies on Blue Hill Road, and Twin Brothers at Fish Fry are local favorites.
6. Buy Rum at the Liquor Store, Not the Bar
A bottle of Bahamian rum at Burns House Liquor is $12-15. A rum punch at a resort bar is $10-14 per glass. Buy a bottle, bring mixers from the grocery store, and drink at the beach.
7. Lunch > Dinner
Many upscale restaurants offer lunch menus at 40-60% of dinner prices. The food is the same. The view is the same. You just eat it with sunlight instead of candlelight.
Activities
8. Skip the Atlantis Day Pass (or Don't)
The Atlantis waterpark day pass is $175/adult and $105/child. If you have kids, it might be worth one day. If you're adults only, spend that $350 (for two) on a day trip to an Out Island instead.
The Atlantis marine habitat walk-through is $40 for non-guests — this IS worth it if you want to see the aquarium without the waterpark.
9. Take the Jitney Bus
Public jitney minibuses in Nassau cost $1.25 flat fare and run along all main routes. Safe, frequent, and the cheapest way to move. Taxis from the airport to downtown are $35 — split with another traveler if possible.
10. Nassau's Best Experiences Are Free
The Queen's Staircase (66 steps carved by enslaved people in the 1790s), the colonial architecture of Bay Street, Fort Charlotte (free entry), and strolling the waterfront from downtown to Arawak Cay — all free. The Straw Market is free to browse (though you'll be tempted to buy).
11. Swim at Cabbage Beach Instead of an Atlantis Pool
Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island is public — free access, stunning white sand, calm water. It's literally the same beach the Atlantis pools overlook, just without the $175 entry fee. Walk east past the Atlantis beach section to find less crowded stretches.
Out Islands on a Budget
12. Fly Bahamasair for Inter-Island Hops
Bahamasair operates regional flights between Nassau and the Out Islands for $100-250 round trip. Book early for lower fares. The flights are short (25-45 minutes) and the views of the turquoise water from the small planes are incredible.
13. Go to Eleuthera Instead of Harbour Island
Harbour Island's pink sand beach is famous and expensive ($300-800/night for hotels). Eleuthera — the long, thin island right next to it — has equally beautiful beaches (Lighthouse Beach, Surfer's Beach) at a fraction of the cost. Guesthouses from $80-120/night.
14. Book Exuma Tours from Georgetown, Not Nassau
Exuma swimming pig tours from Nassau run $350-500/day including flights. Fly to Georgetown on Great Exuma ($200 round trip on Bahamasair) and book the same tour locally for $180-250. You save $100+ and get more time in the water.
15. Dean's Blue Hole Is Free
The world's deepest saltwater blue hole (202m deep) on Long Island is completely free to visit. Fly to Deadman's Cay (LGI) — Long Island is one of the least touristy and most affordable Out Islands. The blue hole has a beach, cliffs for jumping, and almost nobody there.
Sample Budget: 5 Days in Nassau
Category
Budget Option
Mid-Range
Accommodation (Airbnb)
$400 (5 nights)
$750
Food (mix cook/eat out)
$200
$400
Activities
$50 (free stuff + Fish Fry)
$350 (Exuma day trip)
Transport (jitney + taxi)
$30
$80
Total
$680
$1,580
Per Day
$136
$316
The Honest Truth
The Bahamas on a true budget ($100/day or less) is very difficult. It's possible with camping on the Out Islands and cooking every meal, but it's not a comfortable trip.
If you're exploring more of the region, Turks and Caicos offers a complementary experience worth considering.
If you're exploring more of the region, Jamaica offers a complementary experience worth considering.
If you're exploring more of the region, Bermuda offers a complementary experience worth considering.
The sweet spot is $150-200/day — enough for a decent Airbnb, one restaurant meal per day, a few activities, and jitney transport. Focus spending on experiences (Exuma day trip, Arawak Cay dinner) and save on accommodation and breakfast.
The water is free. The beaches are free. The sunsets are free. And they're worth the price of everything else.
