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Is Bermuda Expensive? How to Visit on a Budget in 2026
Let me be completely honest with you right from the start. Bermuda is one of the most expensive travel destinations on the planet. If you are looking for a dirt-cheap beach getaway, this tiny island in the middle of the North Atlantic will shock your wallet.
However, you do not need a millionaire's budget to enjoy the pink sand beaches, limestone cliffs and turquoise reef lines. I have spent years navigating this island, learning where to splurge and where to save.
You can absolutely experience the best of Bermuda without draining your savings, provided you know exactly how the local systems work.
Exploring Bermuda's free shores. Digital render by Raj.B
Here is a quick look at what to expect for a trip to Bermuda.
At a Glance
| Data Point |
Details |
| Best Time for Deals |
November - March (Shoulder/Winter Season) |
| Budget Estimate |
$130 - $240 per person, per day (Depending on group size) |
| Ideal Duration |
4 to 5 days |
| Primary Transport |
Public Bus/Ferry Pass (EV Microcar is a mid-range upgrade) |
| Currency |
Bermudian Dollar (BMD), pegged 1:1 to USD. US cash accepted everywhere. |
How These Budgets Were Calculated (Cost Assumptions)
Seasonality: Prices reflect off-peak/shoulder season travel (November – March) when lodging is heavily discounted.
Accommodation: Assumes staying in a modest, private vacation rental (starting around $170 per night) rather than a resort.
Transport: Assumes strict reliance on the public bus and ferry network via a multi-day pass, excluding taxis or EV microcar rentals.
Dining: Assumes the traveler is cooking 70% of their meals in their rental using some imported groceries from home, paired with occasional local takeout.
How Much Does a Trip to Bermuda Cost?
When travelers ask me about the cost of a trip, they usually want hard numbers. Currently, inflation and high import costs mean you need to budget carefully.
Bermuda has virtually no hostel infrastructure, meaning solo travelers are forced to absorb the full cost of private accommodations. Therefore, your daily budget will change drastically depending on whether you are traveling alone or splitting costs.
Here is what a "true budget traveler" can realistically expect to spend per day, excluding flights:
Bermuda Budget Traveler's Trip Cost Breakup
| Expense Category (Per Day) |
Solo Traveler |
Couple (Cost Per Person) |
Group of 4 (Cost Per Person) |
| Accommodation |
$170.00 |
$85.00 |
$65.00 |
| Food & Groceries |
$45.00 |
$45.00 |
$40.00 |
| Public Transit |
$9.00 |
$9.00 |
$9.00 |
| Activities / Buffer |
$15.00 |
$15.00 |
$15.00 |
| Total Daily Budget |
$239.00 |
$154.00 |
$129.00 |
If you want a mid-range experience with a standard hotel room, a mix of casual dining and one nice restaurant, plus an EV microcar rental, you should budget around $400 to $450 per person, per day.
Luxury travelers staying at large resorts and eating fine dining will easily spend upwards of $700 per day.
A Note on Transportation Budgets
To achieve the budget numbers above, you must rely entirely on Bermuda’s public transit system. A 7-day transportation pass costs $62 for an adult, dropping your daily transit cost to roughly $9 while granting unlimited rides on all buses and ferries.
If you prefer the freedom of your own vehicle, you will need to upgrade to an
EV microcar rental (like a Renault Twizy). Doing so immediately removes you from the strict budget category, as these rentals will add an additional $130 to $190 to your daily costs, before mandatory insurance and taxes are applied.
For a more affordable alternative to EV microcars,
renting a traditional scooter (moped) is a popular middle ground. A basic single-seat scooter typically costs around $55 to $60 for a one-day rental, but companies use a descending rate structure, meaning a 7-day booking drops the average daily cost down to roughly $28 to $32.
When calculating your budget for scooter rental, be sure to factor in a mandatory one-time preparation fee (typically $35) that covers basic insurance and your first tank of gas, alongside an optional $8 per day if you want a comprehensive liability waiver.
Practical Details for Your Trip
You do not need to visit a currency exchange before your trip. The Bermudian Dollar is pegged exactly one-to-one with the US Dollar. US paper currency is accepted everywhere on the island, though you will usually receive Bermudian coins in change.
Credit cards are widely accepted, but Visa and Mastercard are preferred. Many smaller vendors do not accept American Express due to high merchant fees.
If you want the cheapest rates, visit in January or February. The weather will be in the mid-60s Fahrenheit. It is too chilly for swimming, but perfect for golfing, hiking, and exploring historical sites without the summer humidity.
Who This Guide is For (And Who Should Skip)
This guide is for independent travelers, couples, and flexible families. If you are willing to rent an apartment, cook a few of your own meals, and ride the local pink buses, you will find massive value here.
You should probably skip Bermuda if your goal is a $50-a-day backpacker haven. The island has no hostels, couch-surfing is also virtually non-existent, and camping is highly restricted. Likewise, if you want a cheap all-inclusive resort with endless buffets and swim-up bars, you are better off looking further south into the Caribbean.
Why is Bermuda So Expensive?
Bermuda produces very little of its own food or goods. Almost everything you see, eat, or use has been shipped or flown in. The government heavily taxes these imported goods, often applying duties of 25 to 35 percent.
Furthermore, Bermuda is highly isolated, sitting roughly 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Add in a very high local standard of living, and the costs naturally inflate. If you are actually considering moving here rather than just visiting, you will want to read my detailed breakdown on the
Cost of living in Bermuda for expats.
What Surprised Me the Most About Bermuda's Costs
The biggest surprise for me was not the price of fine dining, but the sheer volume of food you get at local takeout joints. The first time I ordered a traditional fish sandwich at
Art Mel's Spicy Dicy in Pembroke Parish, I was handed a towering stack of fried snapper on raisin bread that was easily the size of a brick.
At typically $18 to $26, it sounds pricey for a sandwich, but two adults can easily share it and feel completely stuffed. The smell of the hot sauce and fried batter alone is worth the trip.
Just be warned: many of these incredible local spots are strictly cash-only, which is a common micro-friction that catches visitors off guard.
Bermuda Fish Sandwich
Photo: Art Mel's Spicy Dicy, Bermuda
6 Ways to Do Bermuda on a Budget
1. Accommodation: Skip the Resorts for Vacation Rentals
Resort fees and hotel taxes will destroy a tight budget. Instead, look for local apartment rentals on Airbnb or Vrbo, particularly in central parishes like Paget or Warwick.
Having a kitchen is your greatest weapon against Bermuda's high food costs. If you travel between November and March, you can often find rental prices slashed by up to 40 percent compared to the summer peak.
Pro-Tip: Make sure your rental is within a short walk of a public bus route. Walking on Bermuda's narrow, winding roads with no sidewalks is dangerous, especially at night.
2. Food: Grocery Stores and Local Eateries
Do not buy all your groceries on the island. Pack a checked bag or dedicate half your carry-on to dry goods like pasta, coffee, granola bars, and spices.
Bermuda customs allows you to bring food in, provided it is for personal use and not fresh produce or raw meat. Note that all imported food must be declared on the customs form to avoid any border friction.
For alcohol, buy your liquor duty-free at the airport before you arrive. A standard bottle of spirits at a local Bermuda grocery store will cost you double what it does back home.
When you do eat out, skip the waterfront tourist traps. Head to Seaside Grill on 121 South Road (Southampton) or 81 North Shore Road (Devonshire) for incredible, affordable local fare. You must try a bowl of Bermuda fish chowder. Locals serve it heavily dashed with black rum and sherry peppers, giving it a complex, spicy kick you will not forget.
3. Transport: Ferries and Buses
Bermuda does not allow tourists to rent standard cars. Taxis are highly safe and heavily regulated, but the meter runs fast. A 20-minute taxi ride can easily cost $45.
Your best budget option is the public transit system. The pink buses and blue ferries cover the entire island. Buy a multi-day Transport Pass via the official Shorelink app, at the central terminal in Hamilton, or at the dockyard. If you pay cash per ride on the bus, you must have exact change in coins; drivers do not carry cash and will not make change.
A bus at Hamilton Bus Terminal, Bermuda
4. Flights: Travel Light and Off-Peak
Airlines like JetBlue and WestJet frequently run sales to Bermuda from major East Coast hubs like New York, Boston, and Toronto. A flight from JFK is under two hours.
To save money, fly with carry-on luggage only to avoid checked bag fees. Book your flights for a Tuesday or Wednesday departure, which consistently shows lower fares than weekend travel.
5. Free and Low-Cost Sightseeing
Bermuda's best attractions are completely free. The
South Shore public beaches are world-class. You can walk the sandy trails from Horseshoe Bay all the way to Warwick Long Bay without spending a dime.
Rent a bicycle or just walk the
Bermuda Railway Trail. It spans almost the entire length of the island along an abandoned train route, offering stunning, quiet ocean views.
For a few dollars, you can climb the 185 slippery cast-iron steps of
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. The wind at the top is fierce, but the panoramic view of the island's reef line is unmatched.
For touring the island and staying on budget, the best option is to use Bermuda's public bus and ferry. And to help with this, I have this
Self Guided Tours on Public Transport that lists a bunch of curated tours with clear bus/ferry routes and directions so you can easily self navigate.
6. Shopping: The Thrift Store Hack
Souvenirs in the Royal Naval Dockyard or Front Street boutiques are very expensive. If you want a genuine Bermuda souvenir, visit a local charity shop.
The
Bermuda Red Cross Thrift Shop in Paget is a goldmine. You can often find authentic, gently used Bermuda shorts, local artwork, and vintage island glassware for just a few dollars. See my guide on
Bermuda Thrift Stores to know about all such popular stores in the island, what they sell, their locations, contact info, and more.
Common Mistakes Budget Travelers Make in Bermuda
The most common mistake is taking a taxi straight from the airport. Unless you are a family of four splitting the fare, book a shared airport shuttle in advance. It will save you a significant amount of money right out of the gate. You can find information about the airport shuttle operators in
Arriving at Bermuda Airport.
Do not plan to take a bus from the airport if you're carrying luggage such as a suitcase. While regular buses connect the airport with Hamilton and St. George, drivers do not allow large luggage onboard. You can travel only with a small bag that fits on your lap, and pay with exact cash or a pre-purchased digital ticket or pass in the Shorelink app.
Another trap is buying rounds of cocktails at resort bars. A single Rum Swizzle at a high-end bar can cost $18. Buy a bottle of Goslings Black Seal Rum at the grocery store, grab some fruit juice, and mix your own drinks on the porch of your rental.
Finally, watch out for double tipping. Almost all restaurants and bars in Bermuda automatically add a 15 to 17 percent service charge to your final bill. Always check your receipt before leaving extra cash on the table.
Alternatives to Bermuda
If you have read this far and decided Bermuda's prices are just too steep, you have other options.
If you want beautiful beaches and a historic fortress town, look into San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you just want to sit on a beach with a cheap cocktail in hand, the Dominican Republic offers excellent all-inclusive deals. Neither has the extreme safety or manicured charm of Bermuda, but both are much kinder to a tight budget.
About the Author
By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj has been writing about Bermuda since 2008, when he launched bermuda-attractions.com, one of the longest-standing independent guides to the island. A Certified Bermuda Specialist (Bermuda Tourism Authority), his work draws on personal visits, local contacts in Bermuda, and questions and trip reports from thousands of readers over the years.
Related Articles
2) Check out
Bermuda Guide for lot more information about Bermuda.
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Visitors' Reviews and Comments
Kat McBride (July 2019)
Thank you for your advice, Raj. We decided against the duffel bag and played it safe with back packs (one each). Since we booked American, we saved on baggage fees and breezed out of the airport (after waiting in a hot line for immigration with people from two other arriving planes).
We hadn't considered the time difference between Philadelphia and Bermuda when planning to take the last ferry leaving St. George's on a Tuesday (3:45 pm), so we took a taxi from the airport instead of the bus. It came to about $15 (we gave him $20). We paid $5 each in cash (not coin) to take the ferry from St. George to the Dockyard.
Our Airbnb was in the Dockyard marina, so we easily walked to our place and dropped off our bags. Before our stay, we reserved a bike from Oleander for a base price of $160 for 4 days. So, we went to pick that up right away (the website says they're open until 5:30, but they close at 5 when there are no cruise ships, so plan accordingly - we just made it).
We didn't want to go far our first night (we were a little tired), so we rode to Theo's Cove. We didn't know the Dockyard turns into a ghost town when the cruise ships aren't around. Eventually we found the crowd at Frog and Onion. The food and drink was delicious, but those prices - while affordable for Bermuda - were too steep for us.
The next day we bought two tickets to Hamilton. We paid $5 to take our bike along (having one bike saved us a lot on those ferry trips). Once in Hamilton, we purchased a 15 ticket booklet. We ate at Mr. Chicken (after snorkeling at Church Bay), Art Mel's Spicy Dicy (after cliff jumping at Admiralty Park), and Bailey's Bay Jamaican Grill (after Tobacco Bay and before Blue Hole).
We got two large pizzas for about $20 each: dinner hours at Portofino (pro tip: the margherita pizza is just a plain pizza) and lunch hours at La Trattoria. We bought 6 packs of raspberry twisted tea and grape Seagrams and fresh fruits from The Marketplace.
Since we left on a Saturday, there were no ferries from Dockyard to St. George. So, we took the ferry to Hamilton and a bus to the airport. We saved two tickets so next time we can take the bus from the airport to the visitors center or post office for more tickets or passes.
Lessons learned: you can go to Bermuda on a budget. The transportation system routinely travels everywhere, so you don't need a bike unless it's your first time there and you're trying to see everything in a short amount of time. If you are traveling to/from the Dockyard/airport, the best travel days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday because you'll have more ferry options. Enjoy!
Laurence and Floriane (December 2018)
Hello Raj, We followed your very good advises and got wonderful information on your webiste. So, we spent a very beautiful week in Bermuda. On our arrival at the airport, we wanted to take a bus to St George and then a ferry to Dockyard because our airbnb was in Sormerset village.
It was a little complicated to have good information: some people said that the bus will not accept us with our bag, ferry doesn't work anymore... Then, we found a very nice taxi driver who accepted to bring us to the post office of St George to buy a 7 days transport pass and we could take the ferry! Ferry was the best idea ! We were so excited to be in the middle of the ocean.
Our airbnb was very nice and the first day we bought some food at the supermarket. As we didn't have a lot of money we ate home-sandwiches every noon and cooked at the studio every night. Here were our activites :
Day 1 : Railway Trail , Scaur Hill Fort, Somerstet Bridge, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse and Horseshoe Bay, Hamilton
Day 2 : Crystal caves and Blue Hole Nature Reserve
Day 3 : Coopers Island nature reserve, St. George (including the historic town, Tobacco Bay Beach, Fort St. Catherine).
Day 4 : Aquarium and beaches ( Jobson's cove, Stonehole Bay...)
Day 5 : Royal Naval Dockyard including national museum
Day 6 : Horseshoe bay again for snorkeling
The 7 days transport pass was great to live like Bermudian people. It means that you have time to wait for the bus and the ferry. This way, you can travel along the island and see a lot of things (but it's important not to plan so much activities per day). The best for us was Coopers Island nature reserve... total nature and wonderful beaches! We were alone! Beaches were paradise ! We had our own mask and tuba so it was wonderful.
St George had to be visited! We didn't stay a long time in Hamilton but If you are interested by bars, restaurants and shops it seems to be the place! Bermudian people are very nice and helped us all the time during our travel. Thanks again for your help. We well organised our trip and we had beautiful holidays :-)
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