Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Charleston, WV

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleston, WV: $1,829 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, WV
Learn more

Charleston, WV Living Index

Jump to prices

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Charleston, WV

🇺🇸 United States

$1,829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Charleston, WV

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Bilbao versus $1,829 in Charleston, WV.

Bilbao $2,129
Charleston, WV $1,829

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,159 in Bilbao versus $2,694 in Charleston, WV.

Bilbao $3,159
Charleston, WV $2,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,190 in Bilbao versus $3,559 in Charleston, WV.

Bilbao $4,190
Charleston, WV $3,559

Living in Bilbao is roughly 16% more expensive than in Charleston, WV, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 58% above, Charleston, WV 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €19.92

$14.33 $14.33

56.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.4

$50.0 $50.0

42.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$10.07 $10.07

21.65%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$3.09 $3.09

-17.48%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$2.32 $2.32

30.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.84 $1.84

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$3.03 $3.03

9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$6.67 $6.67

-48.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.81 $0.81

59.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.23 $2.23

-29.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.67 $1.67

-11.38%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$3.25 $3.25

1.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 €13.80

$11.21 $11.21

38.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$12.35 $12.35

-35.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$16.65 $16.65

-13.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.42 $4.42

-36.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.03 $1.03

109.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.16 $2.16

20.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$5.17 $5.17

-50.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.95 $1.95

-16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.86 $2.86

-12.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.03 $2.03

-37.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.01 $1.01

-10.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$5.92 $5.92

11.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$10.14 $10.14

-21.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.69 $1.69

-12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$6.10 $6.10

-59.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.96 $0.96

88.54%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$35.8K $35.8K

-2.97%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$25.2K $25.2K

21.65%

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

$142 €127

$204 $204

-30.22%

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

$20.57 €18.29

$44.92 $44.92

-54.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 €26.92

$54.3 $54.3

-44.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.96

$30.39 $30.39

81.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

$17.17 $17.17

-11.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$12.04 $12.04

-17.19%

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

$521 €463

$543 $543

-4.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$6,393 $6,393

77.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$39.37 $39.37

166.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 €33.55

$47.10 $47.10

-19.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 €67.3

$68.7 $68.7

10.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$119 $119

21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$1,017 $1,017

24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$790 $790

33.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 €2,127

$1,749 $1,749

36.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,503

$1,330 $1,330

27.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

$1,132 $1,132

399.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

$1,130 $1,130

226.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,394 €2,129

$3,589 $3,589

-33.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

6.66

-55.26%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Charleston, WV: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7%

Charleston, WV

$790 43.2% 25.3% $267

Eating Out

Bilbao

$290 13.6%

Charleston, WV

$227 12.4% 21.6% $63

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$282 13.3%

Charleston, WV

$331 18.1% 17.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.1%

Charleston, WV

$303 16.6% 57% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$164 7.7%

Charleston, WV

$124 6.8% 24.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$75 3.5%

Charleston, WV

$54 3% 27.4% $21

Getting Around

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

Charleston, WV

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,261 in Bilbao and $1,017 in Charleston, WV. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, WV pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Bilbao vs $50.0 in Charleston, WV. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $331, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇺🇸 Charleston, WV

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

08:39 8:39 AM

6 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

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

Bilbao Charleston, WV 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Charleston, WV

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

Bilbao vs Charleston, WV: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Charleston, WV differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,129 vs $1,829 including rent). Charleston, WV is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Charleston, WV. 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: $1,261 in Bilbao versus $1,017 in Charleston, WV. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,129 per month in Bilbao versus $1,829 in Charleston, WV – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,829 in Charleston, WV versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Charleston, WV but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Charleston, WV the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Bilbao and Charleston, WV 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 Charleston, WV gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.