Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rockford, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Rockford, IL: $2,166 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Rockford, IL
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Rockford, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,166 in Rockford, IL.

Barcelona $2,381
Rockford, IL $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,480 in Rockford, IL.

Barcelona $3,406
Rockford, IL $3,480

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,794 in Rockford, IL.

Barcelona $4,431
Rockford, IL $4,794

Living in Barcelona is roughly 10% more expensive than in Rockford, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Rockford, IL 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$15.72 $15.72

13.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$73.6 $73.6

-10.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.97 $9.97

37.31%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.03 $5.03

-39.17%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.82 $2.82

8.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.99 $1.99

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.59 $4.59

-15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.83 $6.83

-32.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.82 $0.82

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.40 $3.40

-38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$5.30 $5.30

-65.47%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.91 $2.91

58.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.07 $10.07

72.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.99 $13.99

-33.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$16.79 $16.79

18.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.78 $4.78

-37.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.53 $1.53

32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.79 $3.79

-30.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$5.15 $5.15

-44.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.45 $2.45

-11.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.59 $2.59

-16.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.23 $2.23

-34.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.85 $1.85

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.97 $10.97

-36.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.82 $15.82

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.99 $1.99

-30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.86 $1.86

41.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.52 $1.52

91.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$55.5 $55.5

-54.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.75 $2.75

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.58 $1.58

-8.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$20.70 $20.70

60.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.04 $1.04

78.85%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.5K $33.5K

-3.46%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.2K $26.2K

21.20%

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

$183 €163

$192 $192

-4.94%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$45.71 $45.71

-70.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$71.1 $71.1

-53.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.82 $41.82

30.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$25.44 $25.44

-35.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.03 $14.03

-19.96%

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

$954 €849

$520 $520

83.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$4,074 $4,074

307.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$45.23 $45.23

90.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.80 $35.80

9.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$93.1 $93.1

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$113 $113

5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,293 $1,293

31.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$925 $925

37.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,298 $2,298

12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,040 $2,040

-5.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,476 $1,476

393.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,421 $1,421

252.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,398 $3,398

-34.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.49

-49.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rockford, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Rockford, IL

$925 42.7% 27.5% $351

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Rockford, IL

$389 17.9% 19.5% $63

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Rockford, IL

$272 12.6% 0.9% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Rockford, IL

$309 14.3% 34.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Rockford, IL

$129 6% 17.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2% 9.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Rockford, IL

$72 3.3% 52.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,293 in Rockford, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockford, IL pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $74.0 in Rockford, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $389 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

22:18 10:18 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

148,655

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Rockford, IL 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Barcelona and Rockford, IL differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,166 including rent). Rockford, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Rockford, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,293 in Rockford, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $520 in Rockford, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rockford, IL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rockford, 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 Rockford, 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 Rockford, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.