Which plug adaptor do I need when travelling from Costa Rica to Barbados?

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Summary

The table below summarises the plug types, voltage and frequency of electrical current in both Costa Rica and Barbados.

Costa RicaBarbados
Plug TypesA, BA, B
Voltage120V115V
Frequency of electrical current60Hz50Hz

Plug Adaptors

In Costa Rica there's more than one plug type in use.

What type of plug does your appliance have?

Your Appliance has Plug Type A

In Barbados there's more than one socket type in use.

You will need this adaptor:

Socket Type
(Costa Rica) to Plug Type B
(Barbados)

Barbados also uses Socket Type A, which is used in Costa Rica. If using an appliance that has a Type A Plug in the Type A Sockets of Barbados, you will not need an adaptor.

Your Appliance has Plug Type B

In Barbados there's more than one socket type in use.

You will need this adaptor:

Socket Type
(Costa Rica) to Plug Type A
(Barbados)

Barbados also uses Socket Type B, which is used in Costa Rica. If using an appliance that has a Type B Plug in the Type B Sockets of Barbados, you will not need an adaptor.

Considerations

Voltage

The voltages found in Costa Rica (120V) and Barbados (115V) are not exactly the same, but the difference is tolerable, so you should not need a transformer.

Frequency of Electrical Current

The frequency of electrical current found in Costa Rica (60Hz) differs to that found in Barbados (50Hz).

Most equipment is not affected by differences in frequencies. Some exceptions are:

  • Electric clocks: Some electric clocks use the frequency of electrical current to measure time. If the clock is designed for one frequency, but used with another, time shifts could be experienced.
  • Appliances using motors: If there is a motor load associated with an appliance, the frequency governs the speed in revolutions of the motor. This could mean that the motor will spin faster, or slower than intended and could have a detrimental effect in the appliance's operation. This is of particular concern in power tools and other machinery that uses motors, so if you must use these, you should seek access to a frequency converter.

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