Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Wheaton, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,771 in Wheaton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Wheaton, IL
Learn more

Wheaton, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Wheaton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,771 in Wheaton, IL.

Barcelona $2,443
Wheaton, IL $2,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,053 in Wheaton, IL.

Barcelona $3,519
Wheaton, IL $4,053

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,335 in Wheaton, IL.

Barcelona $4,595
Wheaton, IL $5,335

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 12% less than in Wheaton, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Wheaton, IL 105% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$15.87 $15.87

11.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$69.9 $69.9

-3.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$11.93 $11.93

14.08%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.75 $5.75

-46.09%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.94 $2.94

2.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.35 $2.35

-17.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$6.66 $6.66

-42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.87 $7.87

-44.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.95 $0.95

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.80 $2.80

-24.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.98 $2.98

-33.89%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.67 $3.67

29.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$10.54 $10.54

61.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$10.81 $10.81

-17.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$19.74 $19.74

4.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$5.09 $5.09

-37.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.73 $1.73

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.41 $3.41

-22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.53 $4.53

-36.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.97 $1.97

4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.94 $2.94

-25.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.97 $1.97

-22.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.28 $2.28

-57.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$8.71 $8.71

-19.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$12.11 $12.11

-34.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.25 $2.25

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.71 $2.71

-0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.97 $4.97

-33.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$100 $100

-74.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.94 $3.94

-21.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.79 $0.79

87.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$44.34 $44.34

-25.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.10 $1.10

70.00%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$22.7K $22.7K

45.54%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$25.3K $25.3K

26.32%

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

$183 €163

$176 $176

3.92%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$46.90 $46.90

-69.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$71.4 $71.4

-51.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$35.68 $35.68

44.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$11.94 $11.94

-7.37%

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

$944 €840

$1,597 $1,597

-40.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$21.7K $21.7K

2.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$57.8 $57.8

51.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$34.83 $34.83

11.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$89.6 $89.6

16.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$102 $102

15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$1,989 $1,989

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,491 $1,491

-10.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$2,806 $2,806

-4.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$2,523 $2,523

-17.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$5,433 $5,433

-58.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.81

-53.16%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wheaton, IL: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Wheaton, IL

$1.5K 53.8% 11.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Wheaton, IL

$369 13.3% 12.6% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Wheaton, IL

$302 10.9% 13.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Wheaton, IL

$294 10.6% 27% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Wheaton, IL

$128 4.6% 18.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Wheaton, IL

$60 2.2% 19% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Wheaton, IL

$128 4.6% 159% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,989 in Wheaton, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wheaton, IL pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $70 in Wheaton, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $369 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Wheaton, IL

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

54,611

💱 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 Wheaton, IL 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,771 in Wheaton, IL, so Barcelona is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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 $1,989 in Wheaton, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,597 in Wheaton, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Wheaton, 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 Wheaton, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Wheaton, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.