Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,057 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
Learn more

Elgin, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,057 in Elgin, IL.

Barcelona $2,453
Elgin, IL $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,633 in Elgin, IL.

Barcelona $3,509
Elgin, IL $2,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,209 in Elgin, IL.

Barcelona $4,564
Elgin, IL $4,209

Living in Barcelona is roughly 132% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Elgin, IL is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.72

$20.39 $20.39

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$59.1 $59.1

14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.09

$9.94 $9.94

36.12%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$4.08 $4.08

-21.81%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.06 $3.06

-4.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.04 $2.04

-7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.98 $5.98

-32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$4.88 $4.88

-7.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.87 $0.87

50.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.52 $3.52

-42.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.15 $4.15

-55.42%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$3.64 $3.64

32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.96

$11.13 $11.13

50.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.15

$13.06 $13.06

-30.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.55

$11.98 $11.98

63.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.47 $4.47

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.33 $1.33

51.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.53 $2.53

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.04 $4.04

-30.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.00 $2.00

4.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.01 $2.01

2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.78 $1.78

-17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.40 $2.40

-60.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$10.58 $10.58

-35.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$15.75 $15.75

-49.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.71 $2.71

-47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.54 $3.54

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.75

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$4.05 $4.05

-26.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.04 $2.04

-26.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.84

$27.57 $27.57

21.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.04 $1.04

73.08%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$31.2K $31.2K

6.47%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$25.8K $25.8K

22.92%

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

$180 €161

$98.8 $98.8

82.62%

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

$13.84 €12.37

$53.3 $53.3

-74.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.13

$49.92 $49.92

-32.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.05

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.27

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.83

$15.10 $15.10

-27.22%

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

$917 €819

$1,656 $1,656

-44.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$23.4K $23.4K

-29.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.8

$40.64 $40.64

114.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.42

$50.3 $50.3

-23.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$99.6 $99.6

6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$120 $120

-0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,212

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,327

$2,162 $2,162

20.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,844

$1,820 $1,820

13.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,182

$2,201 $2,201

214.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,584

$2,268 $2,268

126.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,976

$3,966 $3,966

-44.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.69

-50.97%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Elgin, IL

$368 34.9% 14.5% $47

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Elgin, IL

$302 28.6% 12.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Elgin, IL

$202 19.1% 11.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Elgin, IL

$140 13.2% 11.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.9% 58.9% $43

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 70.6% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 79% 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 $59 in Elgin, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $368, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

112,603

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Elgin, IL 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,057 in Elgin, IL, so Elgin, IL is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,656 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,057 in Elgin, IL versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, 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 Elgin, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.