Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bloomington, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloomington, IL: $2,280 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Bloomington, IL
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Bloomington, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bloomington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,280 in Bloomington, IL.

Barcelona $2,453
Bloomington, IL $2,280

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,272 in Bloomington, IL.

Barcelona $3,509
Bloomington, IL $3,272

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,264 in Bloomington, IL.

Barcelona $4,564
Bloomington, IL $4,264

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bloomington, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bloomington, IL 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$18.17 $18.17

-3.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$78.3 $78.3

-13.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.20 $12.20

10.90%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.98 $4.98

-35.94%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.36 $2.36

23.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.68 $1.68

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.60 $5.60

-28.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.89 $6.89

-34.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.09 $1.09

20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.44 $2.44

-17.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.35 $4.35

-57.47%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.62 $3.62

33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.14 $13.14

27.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.86 $7.86

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.51 $17.51

12.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.68 $3.68

-19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.59 $1.59

27.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$5.45 $5.45

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.47 $3.47

-19.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.41 $3.41

-38.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.75 $2.75

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.68 $2.68

-45.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.71 $2.71

-65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$8.07 $8.07

-14.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$15.21 $15.21

-48.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.01 $2.01

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.23 $3.23

-21.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.27 $1.27

147.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$40.17 $40.17

-36.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.42 $3.42

-12.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.53 $1.53

-2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$39.42 $39.42

-15.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.02 $1.02

76.47%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.7K $27.7K

19.89%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$25.8K $25.8K

22.88%

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

$180 €162

$203 $203

-11.34%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$70.9 $70.9

-80.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$75.5 $75.5

-55.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.79 $44.79

15.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.83 $9.83

11.80%

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

$917 €821

$1,429 $1,429

-35.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$24.1K $24.1K

-31.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$58.3 $58.3

49.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.48 $39.48

-2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$83.8 $83.8

26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$118 $118

1.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$905 $905

87.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,004 $1,004

35.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,456 $1,456

78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,461 $1,461

41.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,572 $1,572

339.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,257 $1,257

307.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,622 $4,622

-52.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.72

-51.19%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bloomington, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bloomington, IL

$1K 44% 25.9% $351

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bloomington, IL

$371 16.3% 15.4% $50

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bloomington, IL

$300 13.1% 11.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bloomington, IL

$350 15.3% 53.5% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bloomington, IL

$135 5.9% 14.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bloomington, IL

$64 2.8% 12.3% $9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bloomington, IL

$56 2.5% 16.2% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $905 in Bloomington, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bloomington, IL pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $78 in Bloomington, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $371 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Bloomington, IL

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

02:57 2:57 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

69,247

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Bloomington, IL 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bloomington, 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 Bloomington, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,280 in Bloomington, IL, so Bloomington, IL is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $905 in Bloomington, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,429 in Bloomington, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bloomington, IL 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, Barcelona and Bloomington, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.