Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbados: $1,862 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,862

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Calgary

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 Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,862 in Barbados versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Barbados $1,862
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,060 in Barbados versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Barbados $4,060
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,257 in Barbados versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Barbados $6,257
Calgary $4,493

Living in Barbados costs roughly 17% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 39% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.31 BBD 50.6

$17.22 CA$24.54

46.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 BBD 227

$71.2 CA$101

59.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 BBD 25.26

$10.56 CA$15.06

19.60%

Cappuccino

$4.53 BBD 9.07

$3.77 CA$5.38

20.16%

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

$2.13 BBD 4.26

$1.91 CA$2.73

11.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BBD 3.40

$1.84 CA$2.63

-7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 BBD 6.07

$4.86 CA$6.93

-37.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 BBD 7.77

$5.55 CA$7.91

-30.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.65 BBD 7.29

$1.88 CA$2.68

94.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 BBD 5.39

$2.73 CA$3.89

-1.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 BBD 8.16

$5.34 CA$7.61

-23.60%

Eggs

$6.07 BBD 12.14

$3.77 CA$5.37

61.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 BBD 13.29

$11.29 CA$16.09

-41.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 BBD 20.30

$11.46 CA$16.34

-11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 BBD 22.32

$18.26 CA$26.03

-38.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 BBD 9.97

$4.64 CA$6.62

7.33%

Banana (1kg)

$4.34 BBD 8.68

$1.44 CA$2.05

201.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 BBD 11.05

$4.22 CA$6.02

30.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 BBD 11.51

$3.86 CA$5.50

48.96%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 BBD 13.40

$2.62 CA$3.74

155.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.93 BBD 9.86

$2.66 CA$3.79

85.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 BBD 5.55

$2.59 CA$3.69

7.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 BBD 5.24

$1.53 CA$2.19

71.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 BBD 13.61

$14.26 CA$20.32

-52.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.18 BBD 32.37

$15.27 CA$21.76

5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 BBD 3.54

$2.41 CA$3.44

-26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 BBD 6.02

$3.09 CA$4.41

-2.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 BBD 3.43

$2.88 CA$4.11

-40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 BBD 10.20

$3.23 CA$4.61

57.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 BBD 6.92

$1.38 CA$1.97

150.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 BBD 4.18

$1.18 CA$1.68

77.12%

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

$50.8K BBD 101.6K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

79.61%

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

$40.2K BBD 80.3K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

93.79%

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

$99.5 BBD 199

$159 CA$227

-37.54%

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

$48.94 BBD 97.9

$37.61 CA$53.6

30.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.3 BBD 175

$49.68 CA$70.8

75.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 BBD 152

$53.3 CA$75.9

42.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 BBD 17.28

$14.08 CA$20.06

-38.64%

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

$809 CA$1,154

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.50 BBD 93.0

$58.8 CA$83.8

-20.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.34 BBD 40.67

$38.84 CA$55.4

-47.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 BBD 120

$91.4 CA$130

-34.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 BBD 1,327

$1,237 CA$1,764

-46.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 BBD 1,359

$996 CA$1,420

-31.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 BBD 3,644

$1,908 CA$2,720

-4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 BBD 6,804

$1,671 CA$2,382

103.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,308 BBD 2,616

$3,130 CA$4,461

-58.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

143.90%

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

Last update for Barbados: October 5, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$680 36.6%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 46.6% $316

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$430 23.1%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 9.9% $43

Eating Out

Barbados

$333 17.9%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 20.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$236 12.7%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 4.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$93 5%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 12.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 135% $77

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Calgary

$110 5% 277% $81

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 $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 139% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $113 in Barbados vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

2 h behind Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.446 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Calgary 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbados and Calgary differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,862 vs $2,232 including rent). Barbados is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Calgary. 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 $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barbados – a meal for two runs $113 versus $71.0 in Calgary. 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 $2,232 in Calgary – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,862 in Barbados versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barbados but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Barbados 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 Calgary 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 Barbados gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.