North America · Bridgetown
Cost of living in Barbados
Barbados is 9% more expensive than the US, ranking #4 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $108,500 in Barbados.
Quality of life
79/100 · #93 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Barbados
Barbados was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Enslaved Africans worked the sugar plantations established on the island, which initially dominated the Caribbean sugar industry. By 1720, Barbados was no longer a dominant force within the sugar industry, having been surpassed by the Leeward Islands and Jamaica. Slavery was abolished in 1834. The Barbadian economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Barbados became a republic in 2021, with the former Governor-General Sandra MASON elected as the first president.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Barbados expensive to live in?
Barbados is 9% more expensive than the US, ranking #4 of the 203 countries we track.
How much money do you need to live in Barbados?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $108,500 in Barbados, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Barbados cheaper than the United States?
No. Its overall price level is 108.6, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Barbados?
Barbados scores 79 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#93 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 76 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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