Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Barbados

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbados: $1,862 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Barbados

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calgary and in Barbados actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $1,862 in Barbados.

Calgary $2,232
Barbados $1,862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $4,060 in Barbados.

Calgary $3,363
Barbados $4,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $6,257 in Barbados.

Calgary $4,493
Barbados $6,257

Living in Calgary is roughly 20% more expensive than in Barbados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Barbados 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$25.31 BBD 50.6

-31.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$113 BBD 227

-37.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$12.63 BBD 25.26

-16.39%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$4.53 BBD 9.07

-16.78%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.13 BBD 4.26

-10.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$1.70 BBD 3.40

8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$3.04 BBD 6.07

59.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$3.88 BBD 7.77

43.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$3.65 BBD 7.29

-48.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.70 BBD 5.39

1.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$4.08 BBD 8.16

30.88%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$6.07 BBD 12.14

-37.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$6.65 BBD 13.29

69.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$10.15 BBD 20.30

12.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

$11.16 BBD 22.32

63.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$4.98 BBD 9.97

-6.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$4.34 BBD 8.68

-66.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$5.52 BBD 11.05

-23.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$5.75 BBD 11.51

-32.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$6.70 BBD 13.40

-60.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$4.93 BBD 9.86

-46.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$2.78 BBD 5.55

-6.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$2.62 BBD 5.24

-41.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

$6.80 BBD 13.61

109.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$16.18 BBD 32.37

-5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$1.77 BBD 3.54

36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

$3.01 BBD 6.02

2.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$1.72 BBD 3.43

67.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

$5.10 BBD 10.20

-36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$3.46 BBD 6.92

-60.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$2.09 BBD 4.18

-43.54%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

$50.8K BBD 101.6K

-44.32%

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

$40.2K BBD 80.3K

-48.40%

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

$159 CA$227

$99.5 BBD 199

60.09%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$48.94 BBD 97.9

-23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$87.3 BBD 175

-43.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$76.1 BBD 152

-30.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$8.64 BBD 17.28

62.96%

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

$809 CA$1,154

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$46.50 BBD 93.0

26.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

$20.34 BBD 40.67

90.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$60.2 BBD 120

51.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$664 BBD 1,327

86.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$680 BBD 1,359

46.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$1,822 BBD 3,644

4.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$3,402 BBD 6,804

-50.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,461

$1,308 BBD 2,616

139.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

-59.00%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Barbados: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Barbados

$680 36.6% 31.8% $316

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Barbados

$430 23.1% 11% $43

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Barbados

$333 17.9% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Barbados

$236 12.7% 4.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Barbados

$57 * 3.1% 57.4% $77

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Barbados

$29 * 1.6% 73.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Barbados

$93 5% 14.8% $12

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 $1,237 in Calgary and $664 in Barbados. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 139% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $113 in Barbados for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $430 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇧🇧 Barbados

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

623

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.446 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BBD (1 BBD = 0.446 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Barbados 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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

Calgary vs Barbados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary and Barbados differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,232 vs $1,862 including rent). Barbados is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 139% higher in Calgary, 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: $1,237 in Calgary versus $664 in Barbados. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barbados – a meal for two runs $113 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,232 per month in Calgary versus $1,862 in Barbados – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,862 in Barbados versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barbados but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Barbados the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Barbados are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barbados gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.