Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Barbados

Name: Barbados
Address: BB

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇧🇧 Barbados

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

United Kingdom $2,462
Barbados $2,128

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

United Kingdom $3,600
Barbados $3,587

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

United Kingdom $4,738
Barbados $5,047

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 the United Kingdom is about 16% higher than in Barbados on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.05

$19.87 BBD 39.75

8.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.1

$101 BBD 202

-15.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$10.79 BBD 21.59

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$5.38 BBD 10.77

-8.74%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.96 BBD 3.91

35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.56 BBD 3.11

19.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$2.48 BBD 4.96

167.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$4.04 BBD 8.08

69.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$3.63 BBD 7.26

-53.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$2.80 BBD 5.59

-38.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$3.86 BBD 7.72

-43.78%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$5.59 BBD 11.17

-28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$7.27 BBD 14.55

29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$10.58 BBD 21.15

-13.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$10.12 BBD 20.23

45.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$4.93 BBD 9.86

-39.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$3.52 BBD 7.03

-53.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$5.94 BBD 11.88

-52.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$6.39 BBD 12.78

-44.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$5.43 BBD 10.85

-66.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$3.96 BBD 7.92

-59.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.71 BBD 5.42

-53.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$2.54 BBD 5.09

-34.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.67

$8.08 BBD 16.16

192.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$16.20 BBD 32.40

-35.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$2.00 BBD 4.01

49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$3.10 BBD 6.19

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$1.71 BBD 3.43

132.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$51.9 BBD 104

106.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$9.35 BBD 18.70

-44.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.94 BBD 5.89

-20.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.05

$40.33 BBD 80.7

-33.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.01 BBD 4.01

-1.00%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$37.2K BBD 74.3K

6.12%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$38.8K BBD 77.6K

4.36%

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

$327 £244

$172 BBD 345

89.85%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$50.6 BBD 101

-64.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.57

$77.3 BBD 155

-43.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.64

$70.7 BBD 141

-40.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.61

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$11.46 BBD 22.91

20.86%

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

$1,868 £1,396

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$6,174 BBD 12.3K

266.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$49.63 BBD 99.3

87.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.30

$29.36 BBD 58.7

56.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$103 BBD 205

-1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$82.0 BBD 164

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,003

$885 BBD 1,770

51.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £802

$820 BBD 1,639

30.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,667

$1,828 BBD 3,657

22.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$1,996 BBD 3,993

-12.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,185

$3,443 BBD 6,886

62.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,186

$3,532 BBD 7,063

20.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,502

$1,433 BBD 2,866

133.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

8.39

-36.59%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barbados: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Barbados

$820 38.5% 23.6% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Barbados

$300 14.1% 22.8% $89

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Barbados

$291 13.7% 11.3% $37

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Barbados

$423 19.9% 37.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Barbados

$119 5.6% 23% $36

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Barbados

$83 3.9% 40.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Barbados

$94 4.4% 33.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $2,071 in Barbados. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇧🇧 Barbados

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

4 h behind the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

303,431

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Barbados: 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.