Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbados: $1,854 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,854

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,854 in Barbados versus $2,067 in Montreal.

Barbados $1,854
Montreal $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,117 in Barbados versus $3,179 in Montreal.

Barbados $4,117
Montreal $3,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,379 in Barbados versus $4,291 in Montreal.

Barbados $6,379
Montreal $4,291

Living in Barbados costs roughly 10% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 37% above, Montreal 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.77 BBD 49.54

$18.89 CA$26.48

31.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 BBD 225

$72.6 CA$102

55.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.34 BBD 24.67

$10.79 CA$15.13

14.37%

Cappuccino

$4.68 BBD 9.35

$3.98 CA$5.58

17.59%

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

$2.16 BBD 4.33

$2.02 CA$2.83

6.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BBD 3.40

$1.63 CA$2.29

4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 BBD 5.90

$6.32 CA$8.86

-53.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 BBD 7.80

$7.06 CA$9.90

-44.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.60 BBD 7.20

$2.33 CA$3.27

54.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 BBD 5.27

$3.25 CA$4.55

-19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 BBD 7.86

$3.26 CA$4.58

20.55%

Eggs

$5.97 BBD 11.94

$3.48 CA$4.87

71.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 BBD 13.38

$13.73 CA$19.25

-51.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 BBD 20.50

$11.48 CA$16.09

-10.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 BBD 22.22

$14.26 CA$19.99

-22.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 BBD 10.08

$3.52 CA$4.94

43.18%

Banana (1kg)

$4.28 BBD 8.57

$1.46 CA$2.04

193.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 BBD 11.31

$3.41 CA$4.78

65.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.98 BBD 11.96

$3.20 CA$4.49

86.88%

Potato (1kg)

$6.64 BBD 13.28

$1.94 CA$2.71

242.27%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 BBD 9.57

$1.78 CA$2.50

168.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 BBD 5.35

$2.52 CA$3.53

6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 BBD 5.49

$1.58 CA$2.22

73.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 BBD 14.35

$11.51 CA$16.13

-37.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 BBD 31.77

$10.57 CA$14.82

50.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 BBD 3.42

$2.35 CA$3.29

-27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 BBD 5.97

$2.90 CA$4.06

3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 BBD 3.60

$2.61 CA$3.66

-31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 BBD 10.07

$3.17 CA$4.45

58.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 BBD 7.04

$1.49 CA$2.09

136.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 BBD 4.17

$1.36 CA$1.91

52.94%

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

$50.8K BBD 101.5K

$28.0K CA$39.3K

81.20%

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

$39.7K BBD 79.4K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

87.86%

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

$102 BBD 203

$77.6 CA$109

31.13%

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

$50.1 BBD 100

$35.63 CA$49.94

40.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 BBD 175

$43.73 CA$61.3

100.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.5 BBD 153

$30.07 CA$42.16

154.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 BBD 17.64

$11.27 CA$15.80

-21.74%

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

$522 CA$732

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.05 BBD 92.1

$59.0 CA$82.7

-21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.18 BBD 40.35

$39.01 CA$54.7

-48.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 BBD 121

$99.8 CA$140

-39.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 BBD 1,344

$1,298 CA$1,820

-48.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 BBD 1,350

$970 CA$1,360

-30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 BBD 3,762

$2,323 CA$3,257

-19.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 BBD 6,936

$1,689 CA$2,368

105.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,303 BBD 2,606

$2,943 CA$4,125

-55.73%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$675 36.4%

Montreal

$970 47% 43.8% $296

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$429 23.2%

Montreal

$357 17.3% 16.8% $72

Eating Out

Barbados

$329 17.8%

Montreal

$292 14.1% 11.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$240 12.9%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 34.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$94 5.1%

Montreal

$53 2.6% 44.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Montreal

$138 6.7% 142% $81

Getting Around

Barbados

$30 * 1.6%

Montreal

$100 4.8% 234% $70

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 $672 in Barbados and $1,298 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $113 in Barbados vs $73 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $429 vs $357 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

03:45 3:45 AM

1 h behind Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.445 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.25 BBD (1 BBD = 0.445 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barbados Montreal 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,854 in Barbados and $2,067 in Montreal, so Barbados is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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: $672 in Barbados versus $1,298 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73 versus $113 in Barbados. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,854 per month in Barbados versus $2,067 in Montreal – Barbados is about 10% 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 Montreal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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