Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbados: $1,835 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,835

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Barbados versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Barbados $1,835
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,058 in Barbados versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Barbados $4,058
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,280 in Barbados versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Barbados $6,280
Lisbon $4,341

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 35% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.59 BBD 49.18

$16.65 €14.92

47.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 BBD 224

$61.7 €55.3

81.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 BBD 25.15

$11.36 €10.18

10.65%

Cappuccino

$4.63 BBD 9.26

$2.97 €2.66

55.89%

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

$2.17 BBD 4.34

$2.29 €2.05

-5.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BBD 3.60

$1.74 €1.56

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 BBD 6.16

$3.40 €3.05

-9.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 BBD 8.06

$3.31 €2.97

21.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.61 BBD 7.22

$1.16 €1.04

211.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 BBD 5.19

$1.91 €1.71

36.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 BBD 7.98

$1.51 €1.36

164.24%

Eggs

$6.08 BBD 12.16

$4.02 €3.60

51.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 BBD 13.14

$12.94 €11.59

-49.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 BBD 20.14

$7.77 €6.97

29.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 BBD 22.75

$17.76 €15.92

-35.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 BBD 10.08

$2.30 €2.06

119.13%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 BBD 8.63

$1.73 €1.55

149.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 BBD 10.71

$1.86 €1.66

188.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 BBD 11.32

$2.59 €2.32

118.53%

Potato (1kg)

$6.94 BBD 13.88

$1.82 €1.63

281.32%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 BBD 9.50

$1.97 €1.76

141.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 BBD 5.40

$1.47 €1.32

83.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 BBD 5.37

$0.72 €0.65

272.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 BBD 13.74

$6.58 €5.90

4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.80 BBD 31.61

$5.61 €5.02

181.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 BBD 3.43

$1.36 €1.22

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 BBD 6.10

$2.14 €1.91

42.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 BBD 3.48

$2.33 €2.09

-25.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 BBD 9.97

$3.85 €3.45

29.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BBD 6.66

$1.07 €0.96

211.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 BBD 3.97

$2.20 €1.97

-9.55%

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

$49.2K BBD 98.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

43.81%

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

$39.2K BBD 78.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

1.30%

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

$101 BBD 203

$161 €144

-37.15%

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

$49.42 BBD 98.8

$18.41 €16.50

168.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.9 BBD 174

$32.74 €29.34

165.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 BBD 147

$44.55 €39.92

65.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 BBD 17.32

$9.60 €8.60

-9.79%

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.91 BBD 91.8

$102 €91.4

-55.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.07 BBD 40.13

$44.46 €39.85

-54.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 BBD 122

$98.5 €88.3

-38.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 BBD 1,309

$1,608 €1,441

-59.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 BBD 1,330

$1,190 €1,066

-44.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 BBD 3,629

$2,812 €2,520

-35.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,391 BBD 6,782

$2,013 €1,804

68.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 BBD 2,636

$1,575 €1,411

-16.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

185.71%

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

Last update for Barbados: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$665 36.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 79% $525

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$427 23.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 36.2% $155

Eating Out

Barbados

$329 17.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 26.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$238 13%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 10.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$91 5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 29.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 190% $109

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 121% $35

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 $655 in Barbados and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 19% 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: $112 in Barbados vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

01:20 1:20 AM

4 h ahead of Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BBD – Barbados Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇧 Barbados Dollar ($)

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BBD (1 BBD = 0.448 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Lisbon 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,835 in Barbados and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Barbados is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Barbados. 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: $655 in Barbados versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $112 in Barbados. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,835 per month in Barbados versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Barbados is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barbados gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barbados wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.