Recommendation from local contacts was to look out West as traffic from East into town was terrible and job was in town," recommended an expat who moved to Nassau. Expats living in Bahamas interested in expat health insurance should take a minute to get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA. "SD 3,000 per month will get you a decent apartment. If you need to find furnishings, Furniture Plus is a good place to start. The locals too are friendly and welcoming. Can I live there? The Abacos are a small chain of islands in the Bahamas may be an affordable and laid-back option for retirees. The Bahamas is a nature lover’s paradise as it is home to almost 2000 coral reefs, spanning the distance from the southeast coast of Florida to the northwest of Hispaniola. The great thing about the Bahamas is that we have so many islands to choose from — apart from Nassau and our second city of Freeport. The Bahamas was among the first Caribbean countries to adopt stringent banking secrecy laws. The people are also different on each island with a unique accent that might not be distinguishable to someone from abroad, but to a local they are distinct. If you are looking to be on a cosmopolitan island where you will run shoulders with celebrities in a barefoot kind of way, then Harbour Island could be your place. Since the population on the smaller islands is relatively small, some of the islands have constituted their own emergency service to provide treatment and also to shift patients to the nearest hospital. So what are the best places to live in the Bahamas? The islands' most lucrative industries—including tourism, investment management, and international banking (otherwise known as offshore finance)—are headquartered here. Sandyport in particular is within 10 - 15 minutes of most of the amenities you would want/need on a daily basis, and has public transit readily available (if you need it)," said another expat. And Nassau just won't cut it. Anyone who lives on an Island will tell you, that you will need to get away occasionally. Move To Saudi Arabia. For those inclined to venture out a bit farther out to the more sparsely inhabited Out Islands, you will get a heavy dose of natural beauty and serenity with less of an expensive lifestyle. Business people flock to the islands as it provides offshore banking and registration of offshore companies. Topics covered include meeting people, the friendly Bahamians, beautiful beaches, schools, go-with-the-flow attitude, cost of... Expats in The Bahamas share tips and advice about healthcare and health insurance in The Bahamas. No matter where you go, retiring in the Bahamas means living near beautiful beaches, enjoying great food and drinks, plus a bevy of opportunities to spend time out on the water. True to its history as a British colony, the Bahamas is still a Commonwealth nation, and Nassau is its capital city. There are good doctors on all of the islands, but residents and visitors need to fly to Nassau for more serious issues. The healthcare standards in the Bahamas are considered to be excellent. The Bahamas has a population of approximately 319,000, and the most popular places among expats are New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama. There have been new hospitals and healthcare facilities opening up in places like Nassau and Grand Bahama. Everyone who moves to a different country likes to feel a sense of belonging. © 2020 Caribbean Journal - All rights reserved. For Instance, some islands, like Eleutehra and Cat Island, have beautiful rolling elevations throughout the length of the island, while islands like Andros, Grand Bahama and Great Abaco are mostly flat and covered with pine forests. Copyright 1997-2020 Burlingame Interactive, Inc. Expats in the Bahamas live in the Caribbean but are very close to the U.S. Find out what it means to call Freeport, on the island of Grand Bahamas, your home. Following a locals suggestion we imported a used Honda CRV from Japan & we've been delighted with it," explained one expat. Of that 700, 30 of those islands are inhabited, which makes the Bahamas the perfect place to go island-hopping. There are miles and miles of beautiful, empty beaches, and from the islands, you can view the ocean from every vantage point. "If you have read a few of the past posts on employment, you probably already have the ghist. If you have strong religious beliefs about not partaking in alcohol, then Man-O-War Cay might be for you as it is the Bahamas’ only dry island. The Bahamas has a population of approximately 319,000, and the most popular places among expats are New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama. The farther you get from the cruise ships (and you don’t have to go far), the more likely you'll find a serene stretch of white sand on which to stroll, tan, or snooze. The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is made up of some 700 islands, most of which are very small and completely uninhabited. When a family moving to the Bahamas asked about areas live, one expat warned about traffic concerns for Paradise Island (PI), "People seem to like PI but there is no decent day to day services there. On the island of New Providence – home to 70% of the islands’ total population – Nassau is the beating commercial and political heart of the Bahamas. 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