For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $2,128 in Barbados, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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 Mexico actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $2,128 per month in Barbados vs $1,274 in Mexico, rent included.
Barbados $2,128
Mexico $1,274
A couple spends around $3,587 per month in Barbados vs $2,010 in Mexico, rent included.
Barbados $3,587
Mexico $2,010
A family of three spends $5,047 per month in Barbados vs $2,746 in Mexico, rent included.
Barbados $5,047
Mexico $2,746
📏
Cost ranges are similar: Barbados spans $278–$2,488, Mexico $730–$2,625. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.
🌍
The cost of living in Barbados is about 67% higher than in Mexico on average.
📊
Barbados sits 56% above the global median, while Mexico is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.87BBD 39.75
$10.63MX$200
86.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101BBD 202
$43.29MX$813
133.75%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.79BBD 21.59
$8.94MX$168
20.69%
Cappuccino
$5.38BBD 10.77
$3.61MX$67.7
49.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96BBD 3.91
$1.48MX$27.70
32.43%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56BBD 3.11
$1.00MX$18.77
56.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.48BBD 4.96
$2.67MX$50.0
-7.12%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04BBD 8.08
$4.37MX$82.0
-7.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$3.63BBD 7.26
$1.59MX$29.76
128.30%
White Bread(500g)
$2.80BBD 5.59
$2.67MX$50.2
4.87%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.86BBD 7.72
$1.68MX$31.57
129.76%
Eggs
$5.59BBD 11.17
$2.52MX$47.38
121.83%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.27BBD 14.55
$8.79MX$165
-17.29%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.58BBD 21.15
$7.97MX$150
32.75%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$10.12BBD 20.23
$11.50MX$216
-12.00%
Apples(1kg)
$4.93BBD 9.86
$2.76MX$51.7
78.62%
Banana(1kg)
$3.52BBD 7.03
$1.52MX$28.61
131.58%
Oranges(1kg)
$5.94BBD 11.88
$1.95MX$36.70
204.62%
Tomato(1kg)
$6.39BBD 12.78
$1.97MX$36.93
224.37%
Potato(1kg)
$5.43BBD 10.85
$1.96MX$36.84
177.04%
Onion(1kg)
$3.96BBD 7.92
$2.03MX$38.08
95.07%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.71BBD 5.42
$1.43MX$26.90
89.51%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54BBD 5.09
$1.14MX$21.39
122.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$8.08BBD 16.16
$4.52MX$84.9
78.76%
Wine(Bottle)
$16.20BBD 32.40
$10.87MX$204
49.03%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00BBD 4.01
$1.77MX$33.14
12.99%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10BBD 6.19
$3.19MX$59.9
-2.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.71BBD 3.43
$0.62MX$11.64
175.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$51.9BBD 104
$29.85MX$560
73.97%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$9.35BBD 18.70
$2.66MX$49.97
251.50%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$2.94BBD 5.89
$2.72MX$51.0
8.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$40.33BBD 80.7
$10.63MX$200
279.40%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.01BBD 4.01
$1.40MX$26.24
43.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.2KBBD 74.3K
$24.0KMX$450.0K
55.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8KBBD 77.6K
$23.9KMX$449.0K
62.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$172BBD 345
$69.2MX$1,299
149.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$50.6BBD 101
$23.51MX$441
115.27%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.3BBD 155
$29.00MX$544
166.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$70.7BBD 141
$34.74MX$652
103.45%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.46MX$328
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.46BBD 22.91
$5.24MX$98.5
118.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
-
$261MX$4,892
-
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$6,174BBD 12.3K
$5,999MX$112.6K
2.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.63BBD 99.3
$55.8MX$1,048
-11.12%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.36BBD 58.7
$41.58MX$781
-29.39%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$103BBD 205
$96.3MX$1,809
6.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.0BBD 164
$90.1MX$1,691
-8.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$885BBD 1,770
$713MX$13.4K
24.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$820BBD 1,639
$477MX$8,954
71.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,828BBD 3,657
$1,358MX$25.5K
34.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,996BBD 3,993
$906MX$17.0K
120.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,443BBD 6,886
$2,597MX$48.7K
32.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,532BBD 7,063
$1,565MX$29.4K
125.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,433BBD 2,866
$773MX$14.5K
85.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
8.39
11.43
-26.60%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Barbados: October 24, 2026
Last update for Mexico: October 25, 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%
Mexico
$477 37.4% ↓ 41.8%$343
🛒Groceries & Markets
Barbados
$423 19.9%
Mexico
$267 21% ↓ 36.8%$156
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
$300 14.1%
Mexico
$122 9.6% ↓ 59.5%$179
🍽Eating Out
Barbados
$291 13.7%
Mexico
$187 14.7% ↓ 35.6%$103
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
$119 5.6%
Mexico
$128 10% ↑ 7.6%$9
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
$94 4.4%
Mexico
$45 3.6% ↓ 51.7%$48
🚌Getting Around
Barbados
$83 3.9%
Mexico
$49 3.8% ↓ 41.4%$34
🏠Accommodation & Living
Barbados
$2K 39.6%
Mexico
$906 33% ↓ 54.6%$1.1K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Barbados
$975 19.3%
Mexico
$612 22.3% ↓ 37.2%$363
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
$351 7%
Mexico
$145 5.3% ↓ 58.6%$206
🍽Eating Out
Barbados
$1.1K 21.9%
Mexico
$593 21.6% ↓ 46.3%$511
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
$264 5.2%
Mexico
$284 10.3% ↑ 7.6%$20
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
$187 * 3.7%
Mexico
$108 3.9% ↓ 42.3%$79
🚌Getting Around
Barbados
$169 3.4%
Mexico
$98 3.6% ↓ 41.8%$71
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠Average rent: $983 in Barbados vs $624 in Mexico. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,177 in Bridgetown and $1,113 in Mexico City.
💰Average salary: $2,071 in Barbados vs $722 in Mexico. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 58% higher in Barbados.
⭐Dining out costs 167% more in Barbados.
⭐Public transport is 242% more expensive in Barbados.
⭐Salaries are about 2.9 times higher in Barbados, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Barbados.
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 Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Barbados and Mexico compare in cost of living?
Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 40% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Barbados and Mexico?
Housing costs more in Barbados: a central one-bedroom averages $983 versus $624 in Mexico.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Barbados or Mexico?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mexico – part of why living there is about 40% cheaper overall.
How do I choose between living in Barbados and in Mexico?
Mexico is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.