A five-bedroom beachfront on Great Exuma asks about $60,000 a week over Christmas and closer to $32,000 in the first week of June, for the same house and the same turquoise. The Exumas price their winter dry season above almost any island in the Bahamas, the private cays trade only by the week, and the boat is the part of the budget first-timers forget. The full structure, by bedroom and season, with three worked examples.
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The number that matters first: $28,000 to $250,000 per week. That is the real spread for villa rentals across the Exumas, the 365-cay chain that runs south-east from Nassau, and where you land inside it turns on four things, in this order: the week of the year, the location on the chain (Great Exuma or a private northern cay), the number of bedrooms, and whether staff and a boat are included. The Exumas run on a long winter dry season, the supply of genuine beachfront and private-cay houses is small, and the Christmas fortnight is a market of its own.
The calendar has one clear apex. December through April is the dry-season peak, and the stretch from Christmas through New Year is the dearest of all, often booked a year ahead with two-week minimums on the best houses. Winter runs two to three times the late-summer low. The shoulder of May, June, and early July holds warm settled water at well below the peak, and the deep off-season of late August through October sits lowest, inside the hurricane window, when some villas drop sharply and a few close.
Indicative weekly rates in US dollars for staffed or self-catered villas across Great Exuma and the Exuma Cays. Low is roughly late August to October, inside the hurricane season. Shoulder is May, June, and early July. High is November and April. The Christmas-to-New-Year column is the apex, when the chain books out a year ahead.
| Villa size | Low (Aug–Oct) | Shoulder (May–Jul) | High (Nov, Apr) | Christmas – NYE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 bedrooms, beachfront | $18,000 to $26,000 | $26,000 to $38,000 | $38,000 to $55,000 | $50,000 to $80,000 |
| 5 bedrooms, beachfront | $26,000 to $38,000 | $36,000 to $52,000 | $50,000 to $75,000 | $70,000 to $110,000 |
| 6–7 bedrooms, estate | $38,000 to $58,000 | $52,000 to $80,000 | $75,000 to $120,000 | $110,000 to $180,000 |
| Private cay, staffed | $70,000 to $120,000 | $100,000 to $160,000 | $140,000 to $220,000 | $180,000 to $250,000+ |
Bands reflect houses across Great Exuma and the Exuma Cays, May 2026. The 10 percent Bahamas VAT sits on top of stays under 45 days; private cays usually include staff and a boat.
The headline charge in the Exumas is VAT. The Bahamas applies VAT of 10 percent to short-term holiday accommodation of fewer than 45 consecutive days, collected by the operator and shown on the invoice. On a $60,000 Christmas week that is $6,000. The Bahamian dollar is pegged one to one with the US dollar, so rates quote and settle in either currency without a conversion to track. A stay of 45 days or more falls outside the short-term accommodation VAT, which rarely applies to a villa week.
The Exumas are a boating destination first. On Great Exuma a car covers the island, but the famous sights, the swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, Thunderball Grotto, the iguanas, the sandbars, all sit out on the cays and need a boat. On a private northern cay a boat is the only transport. Budget a captained day boat at $1,500 to $3,500 per day depending on size, or confirm whether the villa includes a vessel and a captain. The boat is the experience here, not an optional add-on, and it is the single line that most surprises a first Exumas budget.
Expect a refundable security deposit of $5,000 to $25,000 by card hold or wire on the larger houses, returned within two to four weeks of checkout, and a 50 percent deposit at booking on a peak week. Many Great Exuma villas let with a housekeeper; the private cays include a full staff, a chef, and a boat captain in the rate, which is why their headline sits so far above a Great Exuma house. Provisioning is its own line, because the islands import almost everything; budget generously for groceries and bring or pre-order anything specific, as the George Town shops are limited.
The biggest swing in price is location on the chain. Great Exuma, the main island around George Town, holds the airport, the roads, the shops, and the most beachfront villas at the accessible end of the range. The Exuma Cays to the north, including the private islands, deliver total seclusion, staff, and a boat at the door, at several times the Great Exuma rate. Decide whether you want a self-driven beach week with the sights a boat ride away, or a staffed private-island week where the chain comes to you.
Each budget is built from the rate plus the lines that land on the invoice. The 10 percent VAT, the boat, the chef, and the provisioning are the items that move the Exumas total most.
Headline: $32,000 / wk (first week of June, self-catered, pool).
VAT (10%) $3,200. Captained day boat, two days $4,000. Provisioning and a car $1,800.
All-in: about $41,000 for the week, roughly $5,860 a night for a house that sleeps eight.
Headline: $95,000 / wk (mid-April, housekeeper included).
VAT (10%) $9,500. Captained boat three days $9,000. Chef four dinners $3,200 plus food $2,000.
All-in: about $118,700 for the week, roughly $16,960 a night for twelve.
Headline: $220,000 / wk (Christmas-to-New-Year, full staff, chef, boat included).
VAT (10%) $22,000. Provisioning and bar $6,000. Extra excursion boat two days $7,000.
All-in: about $255,000 before gratuities and air charter to the cay.
Three levers move the all-in cost on an Exumas week, and one of them is simply about which side of the calendar you choose.
Take the May-to-June shoulder over Christmas. The water is warm and settled, the seas are calm, the storm risk is still low, and the rate falls to roughly half the Christmas peak. Unless your dates are locked to the holidays, the late-spring shoulder is the better week and the larger saving on the chain.
Base on Great Exuma and visit the cays by boat. A private-cay week is a magnificent and very expensive thing. A Great Exuma beachfront house with two or three captained boat days delivers the pigs, the grotto, and the sandbars at a fraction of the private-island rate. Put the saving toward more days on the water.
Confirm whether the boat is included. The thing we would change about most first Exumas bookings is treating the boat as an afterthought. Ask whether a vessel and a captain are in the rate, what the daily charter costs if not, and how provisioning works, because the boat and the groceries can add a five-figure sum to a week on a remote chain.
Great Exuma is reached through Exuma International Airport (GGT) near George Town, with direct service from several US gateways and frequent connections through Nassau. The Exuma Cays to the north are reached by a connecting flight to Staniel Cay (TYM), by private charter into one of the cay strips, or by boat, and most cay villas include or arrange that final transfer. Once you are on the chain, a boat is the working transport, and the distances between cays are measured in nautical miles, not minutes by car.
The season to plan around is the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 through November 30 and peaks August to October. A direct hit is uncommon in any given year, but the Exumas sit in the track and a passing system can churn the sea, ground the boats, and reshuffle travel, so build a buffer either side of a stay in that window and check the cancellation terms. The December-to-April dry season is the reliable window, warm and breezy with the calmest water and the clearest light. The variable here is the storm, not the heat.
From about $28,000 per week for a four-bedroom beachfront on Great Exuma in the summer shoulder to $250,000 or more for a fully staffed private-cay estate over Christmas and New Year. Most quality five to six-bedroom beachfront houses land between $45,000 and $120,000 per week over the December to April peak, plus the 10 percent Bahamas VAT.
The December to April dry season is the peak, and the Christmas-to-New-Year fortnight is the dearest stretch of all, often booked a year ahead with two-week minimums on the best houses. Winter runs two to three times the late-summer low, and the private cays trade only by the week or fortnight at the top.
The Bahamas applies VAT of 10 percent to short-term holiday accommodation of fewer than 45 consecutive days, collected by the operator and shown on the invoice. The Bahamian dollar is pegged one to one with the US dollar. Expect a refundable security deposit and a 50 percent booking deposit on a peak week, with staff and a boat often extra on the cays.
Great Exuma is reached through Exuma International Airport (GGT) near George Town, with direct US and Nassau connections. The Exuma Cays are reached by a connecting flight to Staniel Cay (TYM), by private charter, or by boat, and most cay villas include or arrange the transfer. A boat is the working transport once you are on the chain.
The December to April dry season is the reliable window, warm and breezy with low rain and the calmest seas. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, peaking August to October, when some villas drop sharply and a few close. Summer is hot and humid with a real storm risk.
Late August through October, inside the hurricane season, runs lowest, with warm water and quiet beaches but a genuine storm risk. The shoulder of May, June, and early July holds warm settled weather at well below the winter peak, and is the value sweet spot for a beach-and-boat week.
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When a resort beats a rental on the math. The few restaurants worth the boat ride. The bars worth a sundowner on the sand.