Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Champaign, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Champaign, IL: $2,161 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,161 in Champaign, IL.

Barcelona $2,399
Champaign, IL $2,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,133 in Champaign, IL.

Barcelona $3,410
Champaign, IL $3,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,106 in Champaign, IL.

Barcelona $4,421
Champaign, IL $4,106

Living in Barcelona is roughly 11% more expensive than in Champaign, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Champaign, IL 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$15.25 $15.25

17.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$60.8 $60.8

12.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.11 $10.11

31.36%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.83 $4.83

-32.71%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.15 $2.15

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.73 $1.73

8.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.57 $5.57

-30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.35 $5.35

-16.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.85 $0.85

51.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.14 $3.14

-35.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.13 $3.13

-45.05%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.88 $3.88

22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$12.19 $12.19

37.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$5.96 $5.96

49.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.81 $12.81

55.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.45 $3.45

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.38 $1.38

47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.10 $3.10

-11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.56 $4.56

-41.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.02 $2.02

3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.23 $2.23

-6.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.21 $2.21

-34.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.25 $1.25

-28.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$10.25 $10.25

-32.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$14.71 $14.71

-47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.15 $2.15

-32.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.08 $4.08

-37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.97 $0.97

208.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$20.38 $20.38

23.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.52 $2.52

23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.59 $1.59

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.16 $1.16

54.31%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.1K $35.1K

-1.40%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$32.3K $32.3K

-6.77%

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

$178 €158

$240 $240

-25.87%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$45.66 $45.66

-70.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$67.6 $67.6

-48.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$25.34 $25.34

110.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$11.85 $11.85

35.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.09 $11.09

-0.27%

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

$957 €851

$993 $993

-3.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$19.9K $19.9K

-16.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$48.98 $48.98

80.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$116 $116

-11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$122 $122

-0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,453 $1,453

13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,016 $1,016

28.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,941 $1,941

31.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,691 $1,691

13.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,688 $1,688

331.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,709 $1,709

197.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,674 $3,674

-37.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.82

-51.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Champaign, IL

$1K 47% 22% $286

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6% 1.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2% 2.1% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3% 56.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6% 18.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2% 37% $28

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6% 26.8% $13

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 $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,453 in Champaign, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Champaign, IL pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $61.0 in Champaign, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $316 per month, with Champaign, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

19:32 7:32 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

88,302

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Champaign, IL 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Barcelona and Champaign, IL differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,161 including rent). Champaign, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Champaign, IL. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,453 in Champaign, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $993 in Champaign, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,161 in Champaign, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Champaign, IL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Champaign, IL 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, Barcelona and Champaign, IL 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 Champaign, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.