For one person, living is cheaper in Barbados: $2,128 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Canada outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
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 Canada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $2,128 per month in Barbados vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.
Barbados $2,128
Canada $2,310
A couple spends around $3,587 per month in Barbados vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.
Barbados $3,587
Canada $3,356
A family of three spends $5,047 per month in Barbados vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.
Barbados $5,047
Canada $4,403
📏
Cost ranges are similar: Barbados spans $278–$2,488, Canada $889–$3,737. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.
🌍
The cost of living in Barbados is roughly 8% lower than in Canada on average.
📊
Both Barbados and Canada are pricier than the global median – Barbados by 56%, Canada by 70%.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.87BBD 39.75
$18.16CA$25.38
9.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101BBD 202
$71.2CA$99.5
42.10%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.79BBD 21.59
$10.81CA$15.11
-0.19%
Cappuccino
$5.38BBD 10.77
$3.78CA$5.28
42.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96BBD 3.91
$2.11CA$2.95
-7.11%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56BBD 3.11
$1.66CA$2.32
-6.02%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.48BBD 4.96
$5.62CA$7.85
-55.87%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04BBD 8.08
$5.72CA$7.99
-29.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$3.63BBD 7.26
$2.17CA$3.04
67.28%
White Bread(500g)
$2.80BBD 5.59
$2.60CA$3.64
7.69%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.86BBD 7.72
$3.65CA$5.10
5.75%
Eggs
$5.59BBD 11.17
$3.63CA$5.07
53.99%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.27BBD 14.55
$10.76CA$15.04
-32.43%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.58BBD 21.15
$11.90CA$16.62
-11.09%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$10.12BBD 20.23
$15.42CA$21.55
-34.37%
Apples(1kg)
$4.93BBD 9.86
$4.03CA$5.63
22.33%
Banana(1kg)
$3.52BBD 7.03
$1.38CA$1.93
155.07%
Oranges(1kg)
$5.94BBD 11.88
$3.88CA$5.41
53.09%
Tomato(1kg)
$6.39BBD 12.78
$4.08CA$5.70
56.62%
Potato(1kg)
$5.43BBD 10.85
$2.57CA$3.59
111.28%
Onion(1kg)
$3.96BBD 7.92
$2.48CA$3.46
59.68%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.71BBD 5.42
$2.65CA$3.70
2.26%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54BBD 5.09
$1.71CA$2.40
48.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$8.08BBD 16.16
$14.32CA$20.01
-43.58%
Wine(Bottle)
$16.20BBD 32.40
$13.49CA$18.84
20.09%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00BBD 4.01
$2.84CA$3.97
-29.58%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10BBD 6.19
$3.30CA$4.61
-6.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Barbados
Canada
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.71BBD 3.43
$2.55CA$3.57
-32.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$51.9BBD 104
$71.9CA$100
-27.80%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$9.35BBD 18.70
$3.18CA$4.44
194.03%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$2.94BBD 5.89
$1.54CA$2.15
90.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$40.33BBD 80.7
$26.69CA$37.29
51.11%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.01BBD 4.01
$1.24CA$1.74
62.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.2KBBD 74.3K
$27.9KCA$38.9K
33.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8KBBD 77.6K
$21.1KCA$29.4K
84.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$172BBD 345
$147CA$206
16.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$50.6BBD 101
$41.80CA$58.4
21.08%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.3BBD 155
$60.2CA$84.1
28.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$70.7BBD 141
$39.01CA$54.5
81.18%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.06CA$26.63
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.46BBD 22.91
$11.21CA$15.66
2.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
-
$721CA$1,007
-
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$6,174BBD 12.3K
$14.8KCA$20.7K
-58.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.63BBD 99.3
$55.3CA$77.2
-10.20%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.36BBD 58.7
$38.95CA$54.4
-24.62%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$103BBD 205
$87.4CA$122
17.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.0BBD 164
$101CA$142
-19.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barbados
Canada
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$885BBD 1,770
$1,290CA$1,803
-31.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$820BBD 1,639
$1,130CA$1,579
-27.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,828BBD 3,657
$2,036CA$2,845
-10.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,996BBD 3,993
$1,731CA$2,418
15.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,443BBD 6,886
$4,769CA$6,663
-27.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,532BBD 7,063
$3,730CA$5,211
-5.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barbados
Canada
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,433BBD 2,866
$3,070CA$4,289
-53.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
8.39
4.87
72.28%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Barbados: October 24, 2026
Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Barbados
$820 38.5%
Canada
$1.1K 48.9% ↑ 37.9%$310
🛒Groceries & Markets
Barbados
$423 19.9%
Canada
$371 16.1% ↓ 12.3%$52
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
$300 14.1%
Canada
$249 10.8% ↓ 16.9%$51
🍽Eating Out
Barbados
$291 13.7%
Canada
$278 12% ↓ 4.4%$13
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
$119 5.6%
Canada
$127 5.5% ↑ 7.3%$8.6
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
$94 4.4%
Canada
$61 2.7% ↓ 34.4%$32
🚌Getting Around
Barbados
$83 3.9%
Canada
$93 4% ↑ 12.3%$10
🏠Accommodation & Living
Barbados
$2K 39.6%
Canada
$1.7K 39.3% ↓ 13.3%$266
🛒Groceries & Markets
Barbados
$975 19.3%
Canada
$847 19.2% ↓ 13.2%$128
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
$351 7%
Canada
$291 6.6% ↓ 17%$60
🍽Eating Out
Barbados
$1.1K 21.9%
Canada
$918 20.9% ↓ 16.8%$186
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
$264 5.2%
Canada
$283 6.4% ↑ 7.3%$19
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
$187 * 3.7%
Canada
$142 3.2% ↓ 24.2%$45
🚌Getting Around
Barbados
$169 3.4%
Canada
$191 4.3% ↑ 13%$22
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠Average rent: $983 in Barbados vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,177 in Bridgetown and $1,434 in Ottawa.
💰Average salary: $2,071 in Barbados vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 27% higher in Canada.
⭐Dining out costs 80% more in Barbados.
⭐Public transport is 61% more expensive in Barbados.
⭐Salaries are 43% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.
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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Barbados and Canada compare in cost of living?
Barbados is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 8% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Barbados and Canada?
Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $983 in Barbados.
How do I choose between living in Barbados and in Canada?
Barbados is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.