Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Mexico

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.

Barbados
Mexico
🇧🇧 Barbados
$2,128
/mo nomad
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,274
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in Mexico

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
🍽 Eating Out
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.87 BBD 39.75
$10.63 MX$200
86.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 BBD 202
$43.29 MX$813
133.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 BBD 21.59
$8.94 MX$168
20.69%
Cappuccino
$5.38 BBD 10.77
$3.61 MX$67.7
49.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 BBD 3.91
$1.48 MX$27.70
32.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 BBD 3.11
$1.00 MX$18.77
56.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 BBD 4.96
$2.67 MX$50.0
-7.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 BBD 8.08
$4.37 MX$82.0
-7.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.63 BBD 7.26
$1.59 MX$29.76
128.30%
White Bread (500g)
$2.80 BBD 5.59
$2.67 MX$50.2
4.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.86 BBD 7.72
$1.68 MX$31.57
129.76%
Eggs
$5.59 BBD 11.17
$2.52 MX$47.38
121.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.27 BBD 14.55
$8.79 MX$165
-17.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.58 BBD 21.15
$7.97 MX$150
32.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.12 BBD 20.23
$11.50 MX$216
-12.00%
Apples (1kg)
$4.93 BBD 9.86
$2.76 MX$51.7
78.62%
Banana (1kg)
$3.52 BBD 7.03
$1.52 MX$28.61
131.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.94 BBD 11.88
$1.95 MX$36.70
204.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.39 BBD 12.78
$1.97 MX$36.93
224.37%
Potato (1kg)
$5.43 BBD 10.85
$1.96 MX$36.84
177.04%
Onion (1kg)
$3.96 BBD 7.92
$2.03 MX$38.08
95.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.71 BBD 5.42
$1.43 MX$26.90
89.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 BBD 5.09
$1.14 MX$21.39
122.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.08 BBD 16.16
$4.52 MX$84.9
78.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.20 BBD 32.40
$10.87 MX$204
49.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 BBD 4.01
$1.77 MX$33.14
12.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 BBD 6.19
$3.19 MX$59.9
-2.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 BBD 3.43
$0.62 MX$11.64
175.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.9 BBD 104
$29.85 MX$560
73.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.35 BBD 18.70
$2.66 MX$49.97
251.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.94 BBD 5.89
$2.72 MX$51.0
8.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.33 BBD 80.7
$10.63 MX$200
279.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 BBD 4.01
$1.40 MX$26.24
43.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.2K BBD 74.3K
$24.0K MX$450.0K
55.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K BBD 77.6K
$23.9K MX$449.0K
62.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 BBD 345
$69.2 MX$1,299
149.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$50.6 BBD 101
$23.51 MX$441
115.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.3 BBD 155
$29.00 MX$544
166.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.7 BBD 141
$34.74 MX$652
103.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.46 MX$328
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.46 BBD 22.91
$5.24 MX$98.5
118.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$261 MX$4,892
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,174 BBD 12.3K
$5,999 MX$112.6K
2.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.63 BBD 99.3
$55.8 MX$1,048
-11.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.36 BBD 58.7
$41.58 MX$781
-29.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 BBD 205
$96.3 MX$1,809
6.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.0 BBD 164
$90.1 MX$1,691
-8.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$885 BBD 1,770
$713 MX$13.4K
24.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$820 BBD 1,639
$477 MX$8,954
71.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,828 BBD 3,657
$1,358 MX$25.5K
34.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,996 BBD 3,993
$906 MX$17.0K
120.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,443 BBD 6,886
$2,597 MX$48.7K
32.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,532 BBD 7,063
$1,565 MX$29.4K
125.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barbados
Mexico
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,433 BBD 2,866
$773 MX$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.
Accommodation & Living
Barbados
$820
Mexico
$477 41.8% $343
Groceries & Markets
Barbados
$423
Mexico
$267 36.8% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barbados
$300
Mexico
$122 59.5% $179
Eating Out
Barbados
$291
Mexico
$187 35.6% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Barbados
$119
Mexico
$128 7.6% $9
Sport & Entertainment
Barbados
$94
Mexico
$45 51.7% $48
Getting Around
Barbados
$83
Mexico
$49 41.4% $34

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.

Good to know
🇧🇧 Barbados
🇲🇽 Mexico
🕒 Local time
15:51 3:51 PM
13:51 1:51 PM
2 h behind Barbados
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
303,431
124,777,324
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BBD – Barbados Dollar Converter

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barbados Mexico 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barbados
  • Mexico

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.

Barbados vs other spots: cost of living compared

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