Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Waukegan, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,665 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
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Waukegan, IL Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,665 in Waukegan, IL.

Barcelona $2,443
Waukegan, IL $2,665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,853 in Waukegan, IL.

Barcelona $3,519
Waukegan, IL $3,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,041 in Waukegan, IL.

Barcelona $4,595
Waukegan, IL $5,041

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Waukegan, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Waukegan, IL 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$19.29 $19.29

-8.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$74.4 $74.4

-9.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

$11.17 $11.17

21.84%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$5.20 $5.20

-40.38%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$2.48 $2.48

20.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.97 $1.97

-2.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$5.86 $5.86

-34.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$7.12 $7.12

-38.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.00 $1.00

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$3.57 $3.57

-40.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$4.36 $4.36

-54.82%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$4.12 $4.12

15.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$12.49 $12.49

36.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$11.53 $11.53

-22.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$15.68 $15.68

31.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$4.96 $4.96

-36.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.62 $1.62

21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$4.22 $4.22

-37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$4.57 $4.57

-36.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.76 $2.76

-25.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.85 $2.85

-23.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.08 $2.08

-26.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.16 $2.16

-55.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$9.76 $9.76

-28.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$13.76 $13.76

-42.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.85 $1.85

-23.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.42 $3.42

-21.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.05 $2.05

61.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

$59.6 $59.6

-57.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$3.52 $3.52

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.60 $1.60

-7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

$28.86 $28.86

13.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.83 $0.83

125.30%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$30.0K $30.0K

10.05%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$25.2K $25.2K

26.75%

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

$183 €164

$189 $189

-3.44%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$52.6 $52.6

-72.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$68.5 $68.5

-49.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$43.74 $43.74

17.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

$13.32 $13.32

-16.97%

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

$944 €844

$1,298 $1,298

-27.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$23.0K $23.0K

-3.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

$50.9 $50.9

72.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

$40.45 $40.45

-4.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$85.0 $85.0

22.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$110 $110

7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$1,602 $1,602

5.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$1,376 $1,376

-2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$2,633 $2,633

2.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$2,197 $2,197

-5.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

$2,820 $2,820

153.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$2,459 $2,459

106.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.51

-51.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Waukegan, IL: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 51.7% 3% $40

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Waukegan, IL

$388 14.6% 18.4% $60

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Waukegan, IL

$311 11.7% 16.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Waukegan, IL

$310 11.7% 34% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Waukegan, IL

$129 4.8% 17.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Waukegan, IL

$70 2.6% 4.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Waukegan, IL

$79 3% 60.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,602 in Waukegan, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $74 in Waukegan, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $388 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

09:22 9:22 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

89,321

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Waukegan, IL 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,665 in Waukegan, IL, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $3,997 in Waukegan, 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,602 in Waukegan, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,298 in Waukegan, 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 Waukegan, IL. 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.