Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Saint Charles, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. The total is higher in Saint Charles, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL.

Barcelona $2,453
Saint Charles, IL $2,758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,119 in Saint Charles, IL.

Barcelona $3,509
Saint Charles, IL $4,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,480 in Saint Charles, IL.

Barcelona $4,564
Saint Charles, IL $5,480

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 11% less than in Saint Charles, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Saint Charles, IL 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.71

$38.06 $38.06

-53.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$98.5 $98.5

-31.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.08

$10.46 $10.46

29.35%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$6.85 $6.85

-53.43%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.41 $3.41

-14.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.93 $2.93

-35.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$6.96 $6.96

-42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$7.31 $7.31

-38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.00 $1.00

31.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.56 $3.56

-43.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.38 $4.38

-57.76%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$4.40 $4.40

9.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.95

$12.26 $12.26

36.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.70 $11.70

-22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.54

$13.13 $13.13

49.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.95 $4.95

-39.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.03 $1.03

96.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$4.22 $4.22

-36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.77 $4.77

-41.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.77 $2.77

-24.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.93 $2.93

-29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.59 $1.59

-8.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.24 $2.24

-58.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$10.00 $10.00

-31.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$14.78 $14.78

-46.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.01 $2.01

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.45 $3.45

-26.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

$2.03 $2.03

54.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

$56.5 $56.5

-54.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.12 $3.12

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.75 $1.75

-14.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

$30.35 $30.35

9.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.02 $1.02

76.47%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.4K $28.4K

16.98%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$26.1K $26.1K

21.23%

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

$180 €161

$200 $200

-9.94%

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

$13.84 €12.36

$57.2 $57.2

-75.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.10

$68.8 $68.8

-51.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.01

$42.10 $42.10

22.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.26

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.82

$13.95 $13.95

-21.22%

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

$917 €819

$1,396 $1,396

-34.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$23.4K $23.4K

-29.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$52.2 $52.2

66.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.39

$41.94 $41.94

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$89.9 $89.9

17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$117 $117

2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,518

$1,601 $1,601

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,211

$1,276 $1,276

6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,325

$2,547 $2,547

2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,842

$2,113 $2,113

-2.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,176

$2,724 $2,724

153.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,580

$2,361 $2,361

117.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.57

-50.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 46.3% 5.8% $79

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Saint Charles, IL

$381 13.8% 18.4% $59

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Saint Charles, IL

$493 17.9% 84% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Saint Charles, IL

$326 11.8% 43.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Saint Charles, IL

$135 4.9% 14.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Saint Charles, IL

$70 2.5% 4.7% $3.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Saint Charles, IL

$76 2.8% 57.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $98 in Saint Charles, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $381 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

22:28 10:28 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

70,329

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Saint Charles, IL 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Saint Charles, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, so Barcelona is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $4,137 in Saint Charles, IL 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,396 in Saint Charles, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Saint Charles, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Saint Charles, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.