Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Merrillville, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,725 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Merrillville, IN

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 Merrillville, IN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,725 in Merrillville, IN.

Barcelona $2,443
Merrillville, IN $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,722 in Merrillville, IN.

Barcelona $3,519
Merrillville, IN $3,722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,719 in Merrillville, IN.

Barcelona $4,595
Merrillville, IN $4,719

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 10% less than in Merrillville, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Merrillville, IN 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$15.29 $15.29

15.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$55.2 $55.2

22.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$9.14 $9.14

48.91%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$1.98 $1.98

56.57%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.49 $1.49

101.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.32 $2.32

-16.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$4.48 $4.48

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$6.13 $6.13

-28.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.77 $0.77

62.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.08 $3.08

-31.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.60 $4.60

-57.17%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$4.61 $4.61

3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$11.23 $11.23

52.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$9.28 $9.28

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$21.61 $21.61

-4.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$5.99 $5.99

-47.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.09 $1.09

80.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.54 $4.54

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$5.48 $5.48

-47.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.73 $3.73

-44.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$4.37 $4.37

-50.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.38 $2.38

-35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.23 $1.23

-21.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$11.43 $11.43

-39.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$11.82 $11.82

-33.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.01 $2.01

-29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.56 $3.56

-24.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.77 $1.77

87.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$67.1 $67.1

-61.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$5.10 $5.10

-39.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.82 $1.82

-18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$49.04 $49.04

-32.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.98 $0.98

90.82%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$27.4K $27.4K

20.45%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$26.5K $26.5K

20.36%

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

$183 €162

$258 $258

-29.23%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$55.0 $55.0

-74.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$55.2 $55.2

-37.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$36.74 $36.74

39.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$15.02 $15.02

-26.36%

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

$944 €838

$1,347 $1,347

-29.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$15.9K $15.9K

40.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$54.4 $54.4

61.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$40.53 $40.53

-4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$107 $107

-2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$93.8 $93.8

25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,753 $1,753

-3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,457 $1,457

-8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$2,325 $2,325

15.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$2,052 $2,052

1.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$3,169 $3,169

125.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$2,247 $2,247

126.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.66

-52.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Merrillville, IN: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Merrillville, IN

$1.5K 53.5% 9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Merrillville, IN

$387 14.2% 18.2% $60

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Merrillville, IN

$223 8.2% 16.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Merrillville, IN

$369 13.5% 59.1% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Merrillville, IN

$133 4.9% 15.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Merrillville, IN

$67 2.5% 9.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Merrillville, IN

$88 3.2% 79.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,753 in Merrillville, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Merrillville, IN. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $387, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

36,444

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Merrillville, IN 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Merrillville, IN

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 Merrillville, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,725 in Merrillville, IN, so Barcelona is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $4,087 in Merrillville, IN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,753 in Merrillville, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,347 in Merrillville, IN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Merrillville, IN. 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.