Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Barrington, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,652 in Barrington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Barrington, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Barrington, IL
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Barrington, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Barrington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Barrington, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,652 in Barrington, IL.

Barcelona $2,443
Barrington, IL $2,652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,890 in Barrington, IL.

Barcelona $3,519
Barrington, IL $3,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,128 in Barrington, IL.

Barcelona $4,595
Barrington, IL $5,128

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Barrington, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Barrington, IL 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$19.78 $19.78

-10.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$75.8 $75.8

-10.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$11.28 $11.28

20.66%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$5.17 $5.17

-40.04%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.69 $2.69

11.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.04 $2.04

-5.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$5.93 $5.93

-35.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$7.36 $7.36

-40.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.17 $1.17

6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.88 $3.88

-45.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.34 $4.34

-54.61%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$4.37 $4.37

8.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$15.30 $15.30

11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$11.08 $11.08

-19.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$17.05 $17.05

21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$5.98 $5.98

-47.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.01 $2.01

-1.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.19 $4.19

-36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$7.08 $7.08

-59.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.75 $2.75

-25.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.13 $2.13

2.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.85 $1.85

-17.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.27 $2.27

-57.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$10.08 $10.08

-30.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$17.30 $17.30

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.78 $1.78

-20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.52 $3.52

-23.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.98 $1.98

67.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$59.7 $59.7

-57.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.16 $3.16

-2.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.53 $1.53

-3.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$30.15 $30.15

9.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.21 $1.21

54.55%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$28.5K $28.5K

15.52%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$25.7K $25.7K

24.46%

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

$183 €162

$233 $233

-21.52%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$47.44 $47.44

-69.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$60.9 $60.9

-43.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$40.01 $40.01

28.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$14.95 $14.95

9.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$14.27 $14.27

-22.49%

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

$944 €838

$1,476 $1,476

-36.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

-19.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$53.9 $53.9

62.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$41.99 $41.99

-7.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$89.1 $89.1

17.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$115 $115

2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,587 $1,587

6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,282 $1,282

4.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$2,554 $2,554

5.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$2,122 $2,122

-2.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$2,346 $2,346

204.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$2,255 $2,255

125.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$5,900 $5,900

-62.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.59

-51.59%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barrington, IL: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Barrington, IL

$1.3K 48.3% 4.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Barrington, IL

$430 16.2% 31.1% $102

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Barrington, IL

$317 12% 18.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Barrington, IL

$341 12.9% 47.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Barrington, IL

$135 5.1% 14% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Barrington, IL

$69 2.6% 6.8% $5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Barrington, IL

$78 3% 59% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,587 in Barrington, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barrington, IL pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $76 in Barrington, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $430 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Barrington, IL

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

08:14 8:14 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

10,772

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Barrington, IL 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Barrington, IL

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

Barcelona vs Barrington, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,652 in Barrington, IL, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,587 in Barrington, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,476 in Barrington, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barrington, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Barrington, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Barrington, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.