Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Montevideo

For one person, living costs are similar in Barbados and in Montevideo: $1,862 and $1,813 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,862

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Montevideo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,862 in Barbados versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Barbados $1,862
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,060 in Barbados versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Barbados $4,060
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,257 in Barbados versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Barbados $6,257
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Barbados is roughly 3% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 39% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.31 BBD 50.6

$15.26 UYU 613

65.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 BBD 227

$67.4 UYU 2,711

68.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 BBD 25.26

$14.37 UYU 578

-12.11%

Cappuccino

$4.53 BBD 9.07

$4.64 UYU 187

-2.37%

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

$2.13 BBD 4.26

$2.73 UYU 110

-21.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BBD 3.40

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-18.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 BBD 6.07

$4.75 UYU 191

-36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 BBD 7.77

$3.67 UYU 147

5.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.65 BBD 7.29

$1.38 UYU 55.5

164.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 BBD 5.39

$2.77 UYU 112

-2.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 BBD 8.16

$1.69 UYU 67.8

141.42%

Eggs

$6.07 BBD 12.14

$4.52 UYU 182

34.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 BBD 13.29

$14.17 UYU 570

-53.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 BBD 20.30

$12.07 UYU 485

-15.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 BBD 22.32

$12.16 UYU 489

-8.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 BBD 9.97

$2.87 UYU 116

73.52%

Banana (1kg)

$4.34 BBD 8.68

$2.75 UYU 110

57.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 BBD 11.05

$1.73 UYU 69.5

219.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 BBD 11.51

$3.24 UYU 130

77.47%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 BBD 13.40

$2.07 UYU 83.1

223.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.93 BBD 9.86

$2.07 UYU 83.1

138.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 BBD 5.55

$1.38 UYU 55.4

101.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 BBD 5.24

$1.85 UYU 74.5

41.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 BBD 13.61

$5.57 UYU 224

22.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.18 BBD 32.37

$8.89 UYU 357

82.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 BBD 3.54

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-22.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 BBD 6.02

$2.70 UYU 109

11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 BBD 3.43

$1.52 UYU 61.3

13.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 BBD 10.20

$1.82 UYU 73.4

180.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 BBD 6.92

$0.40 UYU 16.05

765.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 BBD 4.18

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-5.86%

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

$50.8K BBD 101.6K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

89.87%

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

$40.2K BBD 80.3K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

9.32%

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

$99.5 BBD 199

$191 UYU 7,674

-47.87%

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

$48.94 BBD 97.9

$20.40 UYU 820

139.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.3 BBD 175

$44.14 UYU 1,775

97.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 BBD 152

$54.1 UYU 2,177

40.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 BBD 17.28

$12.33 UYU 496

-29.93%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.50 BBD 93.0

$103 UYU 4,134

-54.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.34 BBD 40.67

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-63.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 BBD 120

$124 UYU 5,000

-51.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 BBD 1,327

$705 UYU 28.4K

-5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 BBD 1,359

$575 UYU 23.1K

18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 BBD 3,644

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

60.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 BBD 6,804

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

234.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,308 BBD 2,616

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

6.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

91.64%

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

Last update for Barbados: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$680 36.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 15.3% $104

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$430 23.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 22.7% $97

Eating Out

Barbados

$333 17.9%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 18.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$236 12.7%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 8.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$93 5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 15.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 225% $129

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 185% $54

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 $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barbados pays 6% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h ahead of Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.446 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, 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).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Montevideo 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbados and Montevideo differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,862 vs $1,813 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Barbados, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $664 in Barbados versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 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 $1,813 in Montevideo – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,862 in Barbados, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Barbados. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo 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 Montevideo 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 Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Barbados. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.