Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,314 in Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Charleston, SC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $3,314 in Charleston, SC.

Barcelona $2,399
Charleston, SC $3,314

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $4,834 in Charleston, SC.

Barcelona $3,410
Charleston, SC $4,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $6,355 in Charleston, SC.

Barcelona $4,421
Charleston, SC $6,355

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 28% less than in Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Charleston, SC 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.88 $19.88

-9.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$131 $131

-47.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.91 $11.91

11.50%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.90 $5.90

-44.92%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.91 $2.91

3.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.37 $2.37

-21.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.68 $6.68

-42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.88 $7.88

-43.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.15 $1.15

12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$4.13 $4.13

-50.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.57 $4.57

-62.36%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$5.25 $5.25

-9.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$22.51 $22.51

-25.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$14.38 $14.38

-37.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$20.97 $20.97

-5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$7.97 $7.97

-62.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.86 $1.86

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.98 $4.98

-45.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$7.09 $7.09

-62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$5.08 $5.08

-58.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.65 $3.65

-43.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.85 $2.85

-49.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$3.30 $3.30

-73.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$9.84 $9.84

-29.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$20.33 $20.33

-61.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.74 $2.74

-47.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.04 $3.04

-15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.99 $1.99

50.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$57.8 $57.8

-56.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.06 $3.06

1.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 $1.23

17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$31.67 $31.67

5.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.96 $0.96

86.46%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.7K $35.7K

-3.06%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$25.8K $25.8K

16.49%

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

$178 €158

$233 $233

-23.70%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$78.3 $78.3

-82.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$85.8 $85.8

-59.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$45.77 $45.77

16.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$19.74 $19.74

-18.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$14.14 $14.14

-21.78%

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

$957 €851

$1,274 $1,274

-24.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$27.2K $27.2K

-39.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$78.9 $78.9

11.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$45.52 $45.52

-13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$114 $114

-9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$136 $136

-10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$2,353 $2,353

-29.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,728 $1,728

-24.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$3,610 $3,610

-29.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$2,630 $2,630

-27.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,673 $5,673

28.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,048 $3,048

66.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$4,858 $4,858

-53.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.51

-49.62%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Charleston, SC: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.2% 32.8% $427

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Charleston, SC

$535 16.1% 67.1% $215

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1% 24.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Charleston, SC

$397 12% 75.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Charleston, SC

$169 5.1% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Charleston, SC

$74 2.2% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3% 57.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $2,353 in Charleston, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, SC pays 113% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $131 in Charleston, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $535 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

150,227

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Charleston, SC 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Charleston, SC

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 Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Charleston, SC differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $3,314 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 113% lower in Charleston, SC. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $2,353 in Charleston, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,274 in Charleston, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Charleston, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Charleston, SC are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Charleston, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.