Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbados: $2,128 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the United Kingdom outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
Learn more

Barbados Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇧 Barbados

$2,128

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbados and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,128 per month in Barbados vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Barbados $2,128
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $3,587 per month in Barbados vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Barbados $3,587
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $5,047 per month in Barbados vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Barbados $5,047
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Barbados ($278–$2,488), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Barbados is roughly 14% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both Barbados and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – Barbados by 56%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 BBD 39.75

$21.48 £16.05

-7.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 BBD 202

$85.7 £64.1

18.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 BBD 21.59

$10.61 £7.93

1.70%

Cappuccino

$5.38 BBD 10.77

$4.91 £3.67

9.57%

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

$1.96 BBD 3.91

$2.66 £1.99

-26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BBD 3.11

$1.87 £1.39

-16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 BBD 4.96

$6.63 £4.95

-62.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 BBD 8.08

$6.84 £5.11

-40.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.63 BBD 7.26

$1.68 £1.26

116.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 BBD 5.59

$1.72 £1.28

62.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 BBD 7.72

$2.17 £1.62

77.88%

Eggs

$5.59 BBD 11.17

$4.00 £2.99

39.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.27 BBD 14.55

$9.42 £7.04

-22.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 BBD 21.15

$9.19 £6.86

15.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 BBD 20.23

$14.77 £11.03

-31.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 BBD 9.86

$2.97 £2.22

65.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.52 BBD 7.03

$1.62 £1.21

117.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.94 BBD 11.88

$2.85 £2.13

108.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 BBD 12.78

$3.52 £2.63

81.53%

Potato (1kg)

$5.43 BBD 10.85

$1.83 £1.37

196.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 BBD 7.92

$1.61 £1.20

145.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 BBD 5.42

$1.25 £0.93

116.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 BBD 5.09

$1.66 £1.24

53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 BBD 16.16

$23.65 £17.67

-65.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 BBD 32.40

$10.50 £7.84

54.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 BBD 4.01

$2.98 £2.23

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 BBD 6.19

$3.51 £2.62

-11.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 BBD 3.43

$3.98 £2.97

-57.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.9 BBD 104

$107 £80.3

-51.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 BBD 18.70

$5.18 £3.87

80.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 BBD 5.89

$2.35 £1.75

25.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.33 BBD 80.7

$26.84 £20.05

50.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 BBD 4.01

$1.99 £1.48

1.01%

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

$37.2K BBD 74.3K

$39.4K £29.5K

-5.77%

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

$38.8K BBD 77.6K

$40.5K £30.2K

-4.18%

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

$172 BBD 345

$327 £244

-47.33%

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

$50.6 BBD 101

$18.21 £13.60

177.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 BBD 155

$43.60 £32.57

77.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 BBD 141

$42.36 £31.64

66.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.61

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 BBD 22.91

$13.85 £10.34

-17.26%

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

$1,868 £1,396

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 BBD 12.3K

$22.6K £16.9K

-72.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.63 BBD 99.3

$92.9 £69.4

-46.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 BBD 58.7

$45.92 £34.30

-36.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 BBD 205

$102 £75.9

1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.0 BBD 164

$102 £76.4

-19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 BBD 1,770

$1,342 £1,003

-34.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 BBD 1,639

$1,073 £802

-23.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 BBD 3,657

$2,231 £1,667

-18.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 BBD 3,993

$1,742 £1,301

14.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,443 BBD 6,886

$5,601 £4,185

-38.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,532 BBD 7,063

$4,265 £3,186

-17.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,433 BBD 2,866

$3,349 £2,502

-57.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.39

5.32

57.71%

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

Last update for Barbados: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barbados

$820 38.5%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 31% $254

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$423 19.9%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 27.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$300 14.1%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 29.5% $89

Eating Out

Barbados

$291 13.7%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 12.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$119 5.6%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 30% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$94 4.4%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 25.2% $24

Getting Around

Barbados

$83 3.9%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 69.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $983 in Barbados vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,177 in Bridgetown and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $2,071 in Barbados vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 31% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 39% more in Barbados.

Salaries are 57% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

4 h ahead of Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,431

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barbados United Kingdom 6,780 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbados is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 14% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $983 in Barbados.

$3,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Barbados, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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.