Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Charleroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleroi: $2,041 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Charleroi
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Charleroi Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Charleroi

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Charleroi

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 Charleroi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,041 in Charleroi.

Barcelona $2,453
Charleroi $2,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,937 in Charleroi.

Barcelona $3,509
Charleroi $2,937

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,833 in Charleroi.

Barcelona $4,564
Charleroi $3,833

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Charleroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Charleroi 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$21.95 €19.72

-19.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$82.4 €74.0

-18.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.56 €12.18

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.01 €2.70

5.98%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.20 €1.98

32.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.17 €1.95

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.31 €2.97

21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.11 €3.69

10.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 €1.06

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.45 €2.20

-17.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.22 €2.00

-16.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.00 €3.59

20.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$16.52 €14.84

1.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$12.01 €10.79

-24.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$22.11 €19.86

-11.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.62 €2.35

13.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.25 €2.03

-10.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.67 €2.40

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.41 €3.06

-17.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.07 €1.86

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.14 €1.03

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.36 €1.22

7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.68 €0.61

38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$12.74 €11.45

-46.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$8.75 €7.86

-9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.74 €1.56

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.99 €1.79

27.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.93 €2.64

7.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$41.93 €37.67

-39.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.56 €4.99

-46.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.60 €2.34

-42.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$44.93 €40.36

-25.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.82 €1.64

-1.10%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$29.7K €26.7K

11.81%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$32.3K €29.0K

-1.85%

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

$180 €162

$208 €187

-13.31%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$21.83 €19.61

-36.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$46.70 €41.95

-27.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$31.51 €28.30

63.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$28.27 €25.39

-43.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.79 €14.19

-30.40%

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

$917 €823

$1,619 €1,455

-43.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

-0.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$114 €103

-23.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$53.0 €47.60

-27.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$90.6 €81.4

16.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$90.5 €81.3

32.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$799 €718

112.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$834 €749

62.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,043 €937

149.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,052 €945

95.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$2,886 €2,593

139.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,941 €2,642

74.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$2,251 €2,022

-1.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.53

-7.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Charleroi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Charleroi

$834 40.9% 38.5% $522

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Charleroi

$344 16.8% 6.8% $22

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Charleroi

$295 14.4% 10% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Charleroi

$277 13.6% 21.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Charleroi

$157 7.7% 0.8% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Charleroi

$63 3.1% 14.2% $10

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Charleroi

$72 3.5% 49% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $799 in Charleroi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $82 in Charleroi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $344 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Charleroi

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

202,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Charleroi 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Charleroi

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 Charleroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,041 in Charleroi, so Charleroi is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $3,061 in Charleroi 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $799 in Charleroi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,619 in Charleroi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Charleroi 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.