Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Barbados

Name: Barbados
Address: BB

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,128 in Barbados, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
Learn more

Barbados Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇧🇧 Barbados

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in Barbados actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $791 per month in China vs $2,128 in Barbados, rent included.

China $791
Barbados $2,128

A couple spends around $1,251 per month in China vs $3,587 in Barbados, rent included.

China $1,251
Barbados $3,587

A family of three spends $1,711 per month in China vs $5,047 in Barbados, rent included.

China $1,711
Barbados $5,047

The regional cost range is wider in Barbados ($278–$2,488) than in China ($465–$1,222), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in China is roughly 63% lower than in Barbados on average.

China sits 42% below the global median, while Barbados is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$19.87 BBD 39.75

-85.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$101 BBD 202

-78.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$10.79 BBD 21.59

-51.81%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$5.38 BBD 10.77

-44.80%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.96 BBD 3.91

-75.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.56 BBD 3.11

-80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$2.48 BBD 4.96

-56.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$4.04 BBD 8.08

-43.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$3.63 BBD 7.26

-50.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$2.80 BBD 5.59

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$3.86 BBD 7.72

-76.17%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$5.59 BBD 11.17

-71.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$7.27 BBD 14.55

84.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$10.58 BBD 21.15

-68.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$10.12 BBD 20.23

12.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$4.93 BBD 9.86

-63.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$3.52 BBD 7.03

-62.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$5.94 BBD 11.88

-74.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$6.39 BBD 12.78

-80.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$5.43 BBD 10.85

-86.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$3.96 BBD 7.92

-76.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$2.71 BBD 5.42

-77.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$2.54 BBD 5.09

-77.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$8.08 BBD 16.16

-53.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$16.20 BBD 32.40

-25.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$2.00 BBD 4.01

-58.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$3.10 BBD 6.19

-45.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.71 BBD 3.43

-83.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$51.9 BBD 104

-65.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$9.35 BBD 18.70

-84.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.94 BBD 5.89

-87.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$40.33 BBD 80.7

-82.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$2.01 BBD 4.01

-37.31%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$37.2K BBD 74.3K

-47.69%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$38.8K BBD 77.6K

-54.80%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$172 BBD 345

-68.34%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$50.6 BBD 101

-82.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$77.3 BBD 155

-85.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$70.7 BBD 141

-42.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$11.46 BBD 22.91

-40.84%

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

$517 ¥3,433

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$6,174 BBD 12.3K

220.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$49.63 BBD 99.3

-6.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$29.36 BBD 58.7

21.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$103 BBD 205

-25.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$82.0 BBD 164

-2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$885 BBD 1,770

-56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$820 BBD 1,639

-71.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,828 BBD 3,657

-55.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$1,996 BBD 3,993

-77.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$3,443 BBD 6,886

36.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$3,532 BBD 7,063

-32.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$1,433 BBD 2,866

-23.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.39

-58.76%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barbados: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Barbados

$820 38.5% 249% $585

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Barbados

$423 19.9% 101% $213

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Barbados

$119 5.6% 10.2% $11

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Barbados

$291 13.7% 230% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Barbados

$300 14.1% 304% $226

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Barbados

$94 4.4% 72.3% $39

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Barbados

$83 3.9% 271% $61

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $298 in China vs $983 in Barbados. For reference, capital cities sit at $933 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,177 in Bridgetown.

Average salary: $873 in China vs $2,071 in Barbados. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 230% higher in Barbados.

Dining out costs 423% more in Barbados.

Public transport is 489% more expensive in Barbados.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in Barbados, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇧🇧 Barbados

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

04:00 4:00 AM

12 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

303,431

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Barbados 14,110 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Barbados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 63% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Barbados: a central one-bedroom averages $983 versus $298 in China.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in China – part of why living there is about 63% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in China, but in Barbados it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

China is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.