Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, WV and Bilbao

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.

88

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, WV
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Charleston, WV Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Charleston, WV

🇺🇸 United States

$1,829

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Charleston, WV costs roughly 14% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.33 $14.33

$22.39 €19.92

-36.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 $50.0

$71.3 €63.4

-29.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$12.25 €10.90

-17.80%

Cappuccino

$3.09 $3.09

$2.55 €2.27

21.18%

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

$2.32 $2.32

$3.03 €2.70

-23.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.89 €1.68

-2.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.33 €2.96

-9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 $6.67

$3.41 €3.04

95.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.29 €1.15

-37.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.58 €1.41

41.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.48 €1.32

12.84%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$3.31 €2.95

-1.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$15.51 €13.80

-27.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.99 €7.11

54.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 $16.65

$14.47 €12.87

15.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.80 €2.49

57.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.16 €1.93

-52.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.61 €2.32

-17.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.55 €2.27

102.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.63 €1.45

19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.50 €2.22

14.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.27 €1.13

59.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.90 €0.80

12.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 $5.92

$6.60 €5.88

-10.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$8.00 €7.12

26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.48 €1.31

14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.50 €2.23

144.00%

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)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.81 €1.61

-46.96%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.7K €30.9K

3.06%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$30.7K €27.3K

-17.80%

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

$204 $204

$142 €127

43.31%

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

$44.92 $44.92

$20.57 €18.29

118.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 $54.3

$30.26 €26.92

79.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.39 $30.39

$55.0 €48.96

-44.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 $17.17

$15.24 €13.55

12.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 $12.04

$9.97 €8.87

20.76%

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

$543 $543

$521 €463

4.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,393 $6,393

$11.4K €10.1K

-43.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.37 $39.37

$105 €93.4

-62.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.10 $47.10

$37.72 €33.55

24.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 $68.7

$75.7 €67.3

-9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$146 €130

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 $1,017

$1,261 €1,121

-19.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 $790

$1,057 €940

-25.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 $1,749

$2,392 €2,127

-26.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 $1,330

$1,689 €1,503

-21.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,132 $1,132

$5,657 €5,032

-80.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$3,688 €3,281

-69.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,589 $3,589

$2,394 €2,129

49.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

2.98

123.49%

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

Last update for Charleston, WV: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charleston, WV

$790 43.2%

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7% 33.9% $267

Groceries & Markets

Charleston, WV

$331 18.1%

Bilbao

$282 13.3% 14.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleston, WV

$303 16.6%

Bilbao

$193 9.1% 36.3% $110

Eating Out

Charleston, WV

$227 12.4%

Bilbao

$290 13.6% 27.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Charleston, WV

$124 6.8%

Bilbao

$164 7.7% 32.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Charleston, WV

$54 3%

Bilbao

$75 3.5% 37.7% $21

Getting Around

Charleston, WV

- * 0%

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

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 $1,017 in Charleston, WV and $1,261 in Bilbao. 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: $50.0 in Charleston, WV vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $331 vs $282, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charleston, WV

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

13:49 1:49 PM

6 h ahead of Charleston, WV

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,227

346,096

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

From you

Charleston, WV
Bilbao

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

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

Average pay runs 50% higher in Charleston, WV, 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: $1,017 in Charleston, WV versus $1,261 in Bilbao. 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 $1,829 per month in Charleston, WV versus $2,129 in Bilbao – 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, Charleston, WV and Bilbao 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.