Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Barcelona

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.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Brookings, SD is roughly 8% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$17.66 €15.79

-1.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 $39.21

$67.5 €60.3

-41.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$13.61 €12.17

-15.36%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.10 €2.77

45.81%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$3.00 €2.68

-18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.93 €1.72

4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.84 €3.44

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.36 €3.90

56.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.25 €1.11

-28.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.12 €1.90

73.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.97 €1.76

226.90%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$4.76 €4.26

-26.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$17.07 €15.26

-39.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$8.96 €8.01

52.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$20.65 €18.46

-37.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$3.16 €2.83

81.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.97 €1.76

-8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.65 €2.37

149.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.88 €2.58

76.04%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.06 €1.84

116.50%

Onion (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.18 €1.95

95.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.53 €1.37

49.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.97 €0.87

109.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 $12.84

$6.97 €6.23

84.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$7.89 €7.05

52.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.42 €1.27

103.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.69 €2.40

115.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.08 €2.76

59.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.48 €1.33

12.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$32.87 €29.40

-27.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.87 €1.67

-44.39%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$33.0K €29.5K

-10.32%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$31.9K €28.6K

-18.94%

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

$184 $184

$183 €164

0.85%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$14.24 €12.73

302.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$34.56 €30.91

100.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$11.06 €9.89

8.77%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$944 €844

39.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$22.3K €19.9K

64.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 $42.51

$87.7 €78.4

-51.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$38.77 €34.67

-10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$105 €93.5

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$118 €105

-11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,697 €1,517

1.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$1,337 €1,195

9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$2,692 €2,407

-23.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$2,077 €1,857

1.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 $2,339

$7,155 €6,398

-67.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$5,079 €4,542

-53.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

3.19

72.41%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 8.4% $123

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$421 16%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 22.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 25.5% $79

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 7.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 28.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 206% $49

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$49 2% 273% $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 $1,715 in Brookings, SD and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

03:57 3:57 AM

7 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

From you

Brookings, SD
Barcelona

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

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

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

You’d need roughly $3,958 in Brookings, SD and $3,664 in Barcelona 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: $1,715 in Brookings, SD versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,316 in Brookings, SD versus $944 in Barcelona. 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.