Cost of living comparison
Barbados vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
Barbados is 24.9% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1 times more in Barbados
- Groceries
-
pay 2.3 times more in Barbados
- Transportation
-
pay 97.0% more in Barbados
- Housing
-
pay 23.8% less in Barbados
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.0% less in Barbados
- Clothing
-
pay 20.6% less in Barbados
The cost of groceries, restaurants, and transportation in Barbados are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including entertainment and sports, housing, and clothing are lower in Barbados. Notably, groceries, restaurants, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Barbados.
Barbados vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Barbados instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 2.1 times more for restaurants
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.43
AED30.95
|
$22.50
BBD45.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.55
AED31.39
|
$11.25
BBD22.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.07
AED3.94
|
$2.28
BBD4.57
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.45
AED1.66
|
$1.62
BBD3.25
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for groceries
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.46
AED5.38
|
$3.24
BBD6.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.94
AED18.13
|
$3.91
BBD7.82
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.75
AED24.79
|
$14.47
BBD28.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
AED10.28
|
$6.13
BBD12.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
AED13.51
|
$4.50
BBD9.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.97
AED3.58
|
$2.38
BBD4.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
AED2.80
|
$1.70
BBD3.41
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
AED2.65
|
$2.44
BBD4.87
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
AED2.13
|
$2.46
BBD4.91
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
AED1.75
|
$1.96
BBD3.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
AED1.74
|
$1.62
BBD3.24
|
|
pay 97.0% more for transportation
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
AED12.50
|
$7.73
BBD15.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$49.01
AED180.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,745.09
AED124K
|
$43,750.00
BBD87,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.71
AED28.31
|
$32.40
BBD64.80
|
|
pay 23.8% less for housing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$87.46
AED321.23
|
$83.96
BBD167.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,419.61
AED5,214.23
|
$925.00
BBD1,850.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,087.32
AED3,993.73
|
$900.00
BBD1,800.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$131.39
AED482.60
|
$112.79
BBD225.59
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$481.84
AED1,769.81
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,191.72
AED30,088.20
|
?? |
pay 25.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.81
AED39.72
|
$2.75
BBD5.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
AED18.34
|
$5.13
BBD10.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.20
AED22.77
|
$7.00
BBD14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.98
AED257.02
|
$69.17
BBD138.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.30
AED48.83
|
$11.88
BBD23.75
|
|
pay 20.6% less for clothing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Barbados
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.49
AED196.45
|
$49.38
BBD98.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$52.36
AED192.32
|
$26.88
BBD53.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.31
AED350.08
|
$93.12
BBD186.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.82
AED348.27
|
$81.25
BBD162.50
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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