Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Charleston, SC and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,932 in North Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in North Charleston, SC
Learn more

North Charleston, SC Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

North Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,932

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,932 in North Charleston, SC versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

North Charleston, SC $2,932
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,243 in North Charleston, SC versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

North Charleston, SC $4,243
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,554 in North Charleston, SC versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

North Charleston, SC $5,554
Barcelona $4,431

Living in North Charleston, SC is roughly 23% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Charleston, SC 116% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$17.89 €15.92

12.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.3 $92.3

$66.2 €58.9

39.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$13.69 €12.18

-13.37%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$3.06 €2.72

93.79%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$3.07 €2.73

-4.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.94 €1.73

29.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.87 €3.44

52.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$4.61 €4.10

71.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.30 €1.16

-20.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.10 €1.87

78.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.83 €1.62

158.47%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$4.62 €4.11

10.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$17.36 €15.44

-57.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.76 $14.76

$9.28 €8.25

59.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.30 $20.30

$19.83 €17.64

2.37%

Apples (1kg)

$8.26 $8.26

$3.01 €2.68

174.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.03 €1.81

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.65 €2.36

93.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.87 €2.55

123.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.16 €1.92

102.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.15 €1.91

48.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.47 €1.31

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.88 €0.79

132.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.94 $8.94

$6.93 €6.16

29.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 $15.38

$7.83 €6.96

96.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.39 €1.24

52.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.63 €2.34

12.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.91 €2.59

-15.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.53 $49.53

$25.46 €22.64

94.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.00 €2.66

1.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.44 €1.28

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.64 $32.64

$33.20 €29.53

-1.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.86 €1.65

-46.77%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$32.3K €28.8K

-17.21%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$31.7K €28.2K

-18.64%

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

$223 $223

$183 €163

22.11%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$13.61 €12.11

457.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$32.93 €29.29

161.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.45 $17.45

$54.7 €48.65

-68.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$11.23 €9.99

22.80%

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

$920 $920

$954 €849

-3.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$16.6K €14.8K

10.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$86.0 €76.5

-24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.10 $45.10

$39.11 €34.78

15.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$104 €92.2

7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$119 €106

10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 $2,063

$1,695 €1,508

21.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$1,276 €1,135

16.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 $2,429

$2,576 €2,291

-5.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$1,922 €1,710

21.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,844 $2,844

$7,281 €6,477

-60.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,898 $2,898

$5,010 €4,456

-42.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,763 $3,763

$2,227 €1,981

68.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.28

100.30%

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

Last update for North Charleston, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Charleston, SC

$1.5K 50.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 14.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

North Charleston, SC

$450 15.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 27.7% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Charleston, SC

$385 13.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 40.5% $156

Eating Out

North Charleston, SC

$334 11.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 19.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

North Charleston, SC

$159 5.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 1.6% $2.6

Getting Around

North Charleston, SC

$69 2.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 31.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

North Charleston, SC

$45 1.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 71.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,063 in North Charleston, SC and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Charleston, SC pays 69% 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: $92.0 in North Charleston, SC vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Charleston, SC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

6 h ahead of North Charleston, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,471

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

North 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

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

North Charleston, SC and Barcelona differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,932 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% higher in North 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: $2,063 in North Charleston, SC versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $920 in North Charleston, SC versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in North 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, North 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 23% less than in North Charleston, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.