Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,862 in Barbados, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,862

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barbados and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,862 in Barbados versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Barbados $1,862
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,060 in Barbados versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Barbados $4,060
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,257 in Barbados versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Barbados $6,257
Budapest $3,489

Living in Barbados is roughly 15% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 39% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.31 BBD 50.6

$13.99 Ft 4,551

80.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 BBD 227

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

87.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 BBD 25.26

$9.96 Ft 3,241

26.81%

Cappuccino

$4.53 BBD 9.07

$3.38 Ft 1,100

34.02%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 BBD 4.26

$2.13 Ft 692

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BBD 3.40

$1.87 Ft 608

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 BBD 6.07

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 BBD 7.77

$3.57 Ft 1,162

8.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.65 BBD 7.29

$1.13 Ft 368

223.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 BBD 5.39

$1.84 Ft 599

46.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 BBD 8.16

$2.39 Ft 777

70.71%

Eggs

$6.07 BBD 12.14

$3.83 Ft 1,245

58.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 BBD 13.29

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-41.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 BBD 20.30

$6.74 Ft 2,192

50.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 BBD 22.32

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-24.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 BBD 9.97

$1.84 Ft 597

170.65%

Banana (1kg)

$4.34 BBD 8.68

$2.01 Ft 653

115.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 BBD 11.05

$2.36 Ft 767

133.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 BBD 11.51

$3.77 Ft 1,226

52.52%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 BBD 13.40

$0.96 Ft 313

597.92%

Onion (1kg)

$4.93 BBD 9.86

$1.03 Ft 334

378.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 BBD 5.55

$1.56 Ft 509

78.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 BBD 5.24

$0.66 Ft 216

296.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 BBD 13.61

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-14.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.18 BBD 32.37

$6.01 Ft 1,954

169.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 BBD 3.54

$1.30 Ft 421

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 BBD 6.02

$2.08 Ft 676

44.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 BBD 3.43

$1.50 Ft 489

14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 BBD 10.20

$3.30 Ft 1,074

54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 BBD 6.92

$1.30 Ft 424

166.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 BBD 4.18

$1.81 Ft 591

15.47%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$50.8K BBD 101.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

73.16%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K BBD 80.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

17.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$99.5 BBD 199

$170 Ft 55.3K

-41.46%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$48.94 BBD 97.9

$23.98 Ft 7,802

104.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.3 BBD 175

$23.42 Ft 7,621

272.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 BBD 152

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

14.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 BBD 17.28

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-9.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.50 BBD 93.0

$101 Ft 33.0K

-54.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.34 BBD 40.67

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-52.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 BBD 120

$113 Ft 36.7K

-46.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 BBD 1,327

$805 Ft 262.0K

-17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 BBD 1,359

$629 Ft 204.7K

8.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 BBD 3,644

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

17.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 BBD 6,804

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

191.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,308 BBD 2,616

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-19.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

71.07%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barbados: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$680 36.6%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 7.4% $50

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$430 23.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 40.1% $172

Eating Out

Barbados

$333 17.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 32.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$236 12.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 7.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$93 5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 8.7% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 196% $112

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 48.3% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $664 in Barbados and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $113 in Barbados vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

6 h ahead of Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.446 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BBD – Barbados Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇧 Barbados Dollar ($)

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BBD (1 BBD = 0.446 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Budapest 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barbados vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbados and Budapest differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,862 vs $1,621 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Budapest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $664 in Barbados versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $113 in Barbados. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,862 per month in Barbados versus $1,621 in Budapest – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,862 in Barbados, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Barbados. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barbados and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Barbados. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.