Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Brookings, SD

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,639 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Brookings, SD

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Brookings, SD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,639 in Brookings, SD.

Barcelona $2,443
Brookings, SD $2,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,597 in Brookings, SD.

Barcelona $3,519
Brookings, SD $3,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,556 in Brookings, SD.

Barcelona $4,595
Brookings, SD $4,556

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 7% less than in Brookings, SD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Brookings, SD 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$17.36 $17.36

1.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$39.21 $39.21

72.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$11.52 $11.52

18.14%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$4.52 $4.52

-31.42%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$2.46 $2.46

21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.01 $2.01

-3.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$5.85 $5.85

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$6.81 $6.81

-35.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.89 $0.89

40.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$3.68 $3.68

-42.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$6.44 $6.44

-69.41%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$3.52 $3.52

35.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$10.38 $10.38

64.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$13.66 $13.66

-34.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$12.99 $12.99

58.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$5.72 $5.72

-44.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.81 $1.81

8.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$6.61 $6.61

-59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$5.07 $5.07

-43.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$4.46 $4.46

-53.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$4.27 $4.27

-48.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.28 $2.28

-32.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.03 $2.03

-52.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$12.84 $12.84

-45.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$12.05 $12.05

-34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.89 $2.89

-50.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$5.81 $5.81

-53.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$4.90 $4.90

-37.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.67 $1.67

-11.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$23.75 $23.75

38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.04 $1.04

79.81%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$29.6K $29.6K

11.51%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$25.9K $25.9K

23.36%

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

$183 €163

$184 $184

-0.84%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$57.3 $57.3

-75.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$69.4 $69.4

-50.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$12.03 $12.03

-8.06%

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

$944 €842

$1,316 $1,316

-28.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$36.7K $36.7K

-39.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$42.51 $42.51

106.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$34.79 $34.79

11.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$88.7 $88.7

17.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$105 $105

12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$1,715 $1,715

-1.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$1,459 $1,459

-8.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$2,051 $2,051

31.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$2,107 $2,107

-1.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$2,339 $2,339

205.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$2,374 $2,374

113.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.5

-42.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3% 9.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Brookings, SD

$421 16% 28.4% $93

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9% 8.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8% 34.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6% 22.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9% 67.3% $49

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5% 73.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,715 in Brookings, SD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $39 in Brookings, SD. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $421, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

20:48 8:48 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

18,802

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Brookings, SD 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Brookings, SD

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

Barcelona vs Brookings, SD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,639 in Brookings, SD, so Barcelona is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $3,958 in Brookings, SD to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,715 in Brookings, SD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,316 in Brookings, SD. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brookings, SD – a meal for two runs $39 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.