Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,835 in Barbados, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
Learn more

Barbados Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,835

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Barbados versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Barbados $1,835
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,058 in Barbados versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Barbados $4,058
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,280 in Barbados versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Barbados $6,280
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Barbados is roughly 52% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barbados is 35% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.59 BBD 49.18

$10.92 MX$205

125.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 BBD 224

$43.37 MX$815

157.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 BBD 25.15

$11.78 MX$221

6.71%

Cappuccino

$4.63 BBD 9.26

$3.81 MX$71.6

21.52%

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

$2.17 BBD 4.34

$1.28 MX$24.10

69.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BBD 3.60

$0.78 MX$14.71

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 BBD 6.16

$3.17 MX$59.5

-2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 BBD 8.06

$4.93 MX$92.7

-18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.61 BBD 7.22

$1.41 MX$26.43

156.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 BBD 5.19

$2.22 MX$41.66

17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 BBD 7.98

$1.42 MX$26.64

180.99%

Eggs

$6.08 BBD 12.16

$2.52 MX$47.41

141.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 BBD 13.14

$7.26 MX$137

-9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 BBD 20.14

$7.70 MX$145

30.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 BBD 22.75

$12.69 MX$239

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 BBD 10.08

$2.78 MX$52.3

81.29%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 BBD 8.63

$1.37 MX$25.71

215.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 BBD 10.71

$2.55 MX$47.94

110.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 BBD 11.32

$2.12 MX$39.90

166.98%

Potato (1kg)

$6.94 BBD 13.88

$1.94 MX$36.43

257.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 BBD 9.50

$1.89 MX$35.44

151.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 BBD 5.40

$1.15 MX$21.55

134.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 BBD 5.37

$1.18 MX$22.16

127.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 BBD 13.74

$4.30 MX$80.7

59.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.80 BBD 31.61

$9.95 MX$187

58.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 BBD 3.43

$1.58 MX$29.76

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 BBD 6.10

$2.67 MX$50.2

14.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 BBD 3.48

$0.55 MX$10.40

216.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 BBD 9.97

$4.97 MX$93.4

0.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BBD 6.66

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 BBD 3.97

$1.44 MX$27.14

38.19%

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

$49.2K BBD 98.3K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

137.94%

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

$39.2K BBD 78.5K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

67.17%

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

$101 BBD 203

$84.8 MX$1,594

19.50%

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

$49.42 BBD 98.8

$23.41 MX$440

111.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.9 BBD 174

$28.66 MX$539

203.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 BBD 147

$57.1 MX$1,072

28.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 BBD 17.32

$5.14 MX$96.6

68.48%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.91 BBD 91.8

$43.35 MX$815

5.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.07 BBD 40.13

$41.44 MX$779

-51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 BBD 122

$74.2 MX$1,394

-17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 BBD 1,309

$980 MX$18.4K

-33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 BBD 1,330

$381 MX$7,157

74.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 BBD 3,629

$1,708 MX$32.1K

6.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,391 BBD 6,782

$1,075 MX$20.2K

215.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 BBD 2,636

$735 MX$13.8K

79.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Barbados: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$665 36.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.7% $284

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$427 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 40.3% $172

Eating Out

Barbados

$329 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 38.6% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$238 13%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 42.4% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$91 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 25.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 95.4% $55

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 76.5% $22

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 $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barbados pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $112 in Barbados vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

00:25 12:25 AM

1 h behind Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

149,923

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Playa del Carmen 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,835 in Barbados and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% 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: $655 in Barbados versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,835 in Barbados, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Barbados. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

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