Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Naperville, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,820 in Naperville, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Naperville, IL
Learn more

Naperville, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Naperville, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,820 in Naperville, IL.

Barcelona $2,443
Naperville, IL $2,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,982 in Naperville, IL.

Barcelona $3,519
Naperville, IL $3,982

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,145 in Naperville, IL.

Barcelona $4,595
Naperville, IL $5,145

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 13% less than in Naperville, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Naperville, IL 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$13.84 $13.84

27.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$74.8 $74.8

-9.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

$11.95 $11.95

13.89%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$5.43 $5.43

-42.91%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$3.04 $3.04

-1.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.34 $2.34

-17.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$5.84 $5.84

-34.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$8.35 $8.35

-47.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.77 $0.77

62.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.86 $2.86

-25.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.85 $2.85

-30.88%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$3.48 $3.48

36.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$7.58 $7.58

125.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$11.43 $11.43

-21.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$10.47 $10.47

97.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$5.49 $5.49

-42.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.71 $1.71

15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.53 $3.53

-24.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$5.55 $5.55

-48.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.79 $1.79

15.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$3.23 $3.23

-32.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.61 $1.61

-4.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$11.96 $11.96

-41.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$8.08 $8.08

-2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.78 $1.78

-20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$4.05 $4.05

-33.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

$129 $129

-80.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$2.73 $2.73

12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.70 $2.70

-45.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

$30.52 $30.52

7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.11 $1.11

68.47%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$24.8K $24.8K

33.00%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$25.2K $25.2K

26.99%

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

$183 €164

$176 $176

3.96%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$51.5 $51.5

-72.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$51.3 $51.3

-32.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$69.8 $69.8

-26.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

$14.94 $14.94

9.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

$11.88 $11.88

-6.90%

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

$944 €844

$1,506 $1,506

-37.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$12.7K $12.7K

75.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

$57.4 $57.4

52.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

$25.11 $25.11

54.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$89.6 $89.6

16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$50.1 $50.1

134.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$1,982 $1,982

-14.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$1,619 $1,619

-17.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$3,319 $3,319

-18.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$2,458 $2,458

-15.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

$2,327 $2,327

207.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$2,241 $2,241

126.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

$6,647 $6,647

-66.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.35

-49.76%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Naperville, IL: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Naperville, IL

$1.6K 57.4% 21.1% $282

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Naperville, IL

$304 * 10.8% 7.3% $24

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Naperville, IL

$279 9.9% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Naperville, IL

$279 9.9% 20.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Naperville, IL

$100 3.6% 36.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Naperville, IL

$94 3.3% 27.2% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Naperville, IL

$145 * 5.2% 195% $96

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 $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,982 in Naperville, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Naperville, IL pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $75 in Naperville, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $304, with Naperville, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Naperville, IL

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

149,540

💱 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

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,820 in Naperville, IL, so Barcelona is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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 $1,982 in Naperville, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,506 in Naperville, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Naperville, IL pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Naperville, 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, Naperville, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.