Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Barcelona

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.

160

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,314

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Charleston, SC 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 Charleston, SC and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Charleston, SC is roughly 38% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$17.94 €15.96

10.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$131 $131

$68.1 €60.5

91.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$13.28 €11.81

-10.32%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.25 €2.89

81.54%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$3.01 €2.67

-3.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.87 €1.66

26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 $6.68

$3.85 €3.42

73.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.48 €3.98

75.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.29 €1.15

-10.85%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.04 €1.81

102.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.72 €1.53

165.70%

Eggs

$5.25 $5.25

$4.77 €4.24

10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.51 $22.51

$16.77 €14.92

34.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 $14.38

$8.93 €7.94

61.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 $20.97

$19.88 €17.68

5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$2.98 €2.65

167.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.03 €1.80

-8.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.73 €2.43

82.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.68 €2.38

164.55%

Potato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.10 €1.87

141.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.08 €1.85

75.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.45 €1.29

96.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$0.89 €0.79

270.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$6.94 €6.17

41.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 $20.33

$7.78 €6.92

161.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.45 €1.29

88.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.57 €2.29

18.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.99 €2.66

-33.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 $57.8

$25.20 €22.41

129.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.12 €2.77

-1.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.44 €1.28

-14.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.67 $31.67

$33.50 €29.80

-5.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.79 €1.59

-46.37%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

3.15%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$30.1K €26.7K

-14.15%

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

$233 $233

$178 €158

31.07%

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

$78.3 $78.3

$13.32 €11.85

487.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.8 $85.8

$34.88 €31.03

145.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 $45.77

$53.3 €47.37

-14.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$16.01 €14.24

23.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$11.06 €9.84

27.85%

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

$1,274 $1,274

$957 €851

33.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K $27.2K

$16.6K €14.7K

64.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 $78.9

$88.2 €78.4

-10.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.52 $45.52

$39.49 €35.12

15.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$103 €91.5

10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$121 €108

12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$1,653 €1,470

42.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 $1,728

$1,302 €1,158

32.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,610 $3,610

$2,557 €2,275

41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$1,915 €1,703

37.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,673 $5,673

$7,286 €6,481

-22.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,048 $3,048

$5,080 €4,519

-39.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,858 $4,858

$2,281 €2,029

113.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.28

98.48%

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

Last update for Charleston, SC: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 24.7% $427

Groceries & Markets

Charleston, SC

$535 16.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 40.1% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleston, SC

$397 12%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 43.1% $171

Eating Out

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 19.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Charleston, SC

$169 5.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 6.1% $10

Getting Around

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 36.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Charleston, SC

$74 2.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 1.8% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,353 in Charleston, SC and $1,653 in Barcelona. 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: $131 in Charleston, SC vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $535 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

14:35 2:35 PM

6 h ahead of Charleston, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,227

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Charleston, SC
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

Charleston, SC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 113% higher in Charleston, SC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $1,274 in Charleston, SC versus $957 in Barcelona. 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, Charleston, SC and Barcelona 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.