Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Urbana, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Urbana, IL: $1,871 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Urbana, IL
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Urbana, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,871 in Urbana, IL.

Barcelona $2,453
Urbana, IL $1,871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,130 in Urbana, IL.

Barcelona $3,509
Urbana, IL $2,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,389 in Urbana, IL.

Barcelona $4,564
Urbana, IL $2,389

Living in Barcelona is roughly 31% more expensive than in Urbana, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Urbana, IL 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$14.75 $14.75

19.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$60.9 $60.9

10.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.04 $10.04

34.76%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.85 $4.85

-34.23%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.23 $2.23

30.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.77 $1.77

6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.59 $5.59

-28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.62 $5.62

-19.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.79 $0.79

65.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.11 $3.11

-35.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.99 $2.99

-38.13%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.98 $3.98

21.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$12.11 $12.11

38.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.64 $8.64

5.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.18 $14.18

38.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.01 $4.01

-25.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.62 $1.62

24.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.12 $3.12

-13.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.39 $4.39

-36.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.19 $2.19

-4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.62 $2.62

-20.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.28 $2.28

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.38 $1.38

-31.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$12.47 $12.47

-44.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$15.11 $15.11

-47.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.07 $2.07

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.38 $3.38

-24.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.98 $0.98

220.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.07 $3.07

-2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.64 $0.64

132.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$24.53 $24.53

36.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.17 $1.17

53.85%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.7K $27.7K

19.62%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

18.28%

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

$180 €162

$240 $240

-24.71%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$45.26 $45.26

-69.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$62.2 $62.2

-45.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.25 $13.25

-17.06%

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

$917 €821

$1,009 $1,009

-9.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$20.0K $20.0K

-17.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$47.71 $47.71

82.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$52.5 $52.5

-26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$99.8 $99.8

5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$122 $122

-1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$862 $862

97.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$743 $743

82.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,728 $1,728

300.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,749 $1,749

193.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$6,557 $6,557

-66.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.82

-51.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Urbana, IL: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Urbana, IL

$743 39.7% 45.2% $613

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Urbana, IL

$338 18.1% 5% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Urbana, IL

$262 14% 2.4% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Urbana, IL

$347 18.6% 52.3% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Urbana, IL

$145 7.8% 8.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4% 64% $47

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Urbana, IL

$10 * 0.6% 79% $38

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $862 in Urbana, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbana, IL pays about 3 times 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 $61 in Urbana, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $338, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

41,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Urbana, IL 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,871 in Urbana, IL, so Urbana, IL is about 24% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $862 in Urbana, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,009 in Urbana, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Urbana, IL – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.