Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Albufeira

For one person, living costs are similar in Champaign, IL and in Albufeira: $2,161 and $2,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

Champaign, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,161
/mo nomad
Albufeira
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Champaign, IL and in Albufeira

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Champaign, IL and in Albufeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL versus $2,208 in Albufeira.

  • Champaign, IL $2,161
  • Albufeira $2,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,133 in Champaign, IL versus $3,063 in Albufeira.

  • Champaign, IL $3,133
  • Albufeira $3,063

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,106 in Champaign, IL versus $3,918 in Albufeira.

  • Champaign, IL $4,106
  • Albufeira $3,918

Living in Champaign, IL costs roughly 2% less than in Albufeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Champaign, IL 60% above, Albufeira 64% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.25 $15.25
$13.24 €11.78
15.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 $60.8
$55.7 €49.51
9.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.11 $10.11
$10.15 €9.03
-0.39%
Cappuccino
$4.83 $4.83
$2.57 €2.28
87.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.55 €1.38
38.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
$1.32 €1.18
31.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.57 $5.57
$3.40 €3.03
63.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.35 $5.35
$4.33 €3.85
23.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 $0.85
$1.07 €0.95
-20.56%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 $3.14
$1.20 €1.06
161.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$1.55 €1.37
101.94%
Eggs
$3.88 $3.88
$3.01 €2.67
28.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.19 $12.19
$15.68 €13.94
-22.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.96 $5.96
$8.01 €7.13
-25.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 $12.81
$22.41 €19.94
-42.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.45 $3.45
$2.56 €2.28
34.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 $1.38
$1.31 €1.16
5.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.10 $3.10
$1.87 €1.67
65.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.56 $4.56
$3.14 €2.79
45.22%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.79 €1.59
12.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 $2.23
$2.82 €2.51
-20.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.57 €1.39
40.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 $1.25
$0.54 €0.48
131.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.25 $10.25
$6.14 €5.46
66.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.71 $14.71
$5.14 €4.57
186.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.34 €1.20
60.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 $4.08
$1.80 €1.60
126.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 $0.97
$3.05 €2.72
-68.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.38 $20.38
$55.2 €49.06
-63.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.52 $2.52
$3.56 €3.17
-29.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.09 €0.97
45.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$16.45 €14.63
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$2.02 €1.80
-42.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K $35.1K
$33.5K €29.8K
4.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.3K $32.3K
$32.7K €29.1K
-1.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$240 $240
$108 €96.0
122.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.66 $45.66
$21.27 €18.92
114.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.6 $67.6
$34.44 €30.64
96.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.34 $25.34
$52.8 €47.00
-52.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.85 $11.85
$11.28 €10.04
5.05%
Cinema Ticket
$11.09 $11.09
$8.76 €7.79
26.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$993 $993
$482 €428
106.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.9K $19.9K
$11.1K €9,837
80.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.98 $48.98
$105 €93.8
-53.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$45.52 €40.49
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 $116
$83.3 €74.1
39.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 $122
$145 €129
-15.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,453 $1,453
$1,292 €1,149
12.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 $1,016
$1,239 €1,102
-17.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,941 $1,941
$2,971 €2,642
-34.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,691 $1,691
$1,670 €1,485
1.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,688 $1,688
$2,306 €2,051
-26.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,709 $1,709
$2,233 €1,986
-23.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Champaign, IL
Albufeira
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,674 $3,674
$1,541 €1,371
138.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
3.54
92.66%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Albufeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Champaign, IL
$1K
Albufeira
$1.2K 21.9% $223
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Champaign, IL
$353
Albufeira
$164 53.7% $189
Groceries & Markets
Champaign, IL
$316
Albufeira
$283 10.4% $33
Eating Out
Champaign, IL
$264
Albufeira
$204 22.7% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Champaign, IL
$129 *
Albufeira
$171 32.2% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Champaign, IL
$48
Albufeira
$70 48.1% $23
Getting Around
Champaign, IL
$35
Albufeira
$76 120% $42

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 $1,453 in Champaign, IL and $1,292 in Albufeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Champaign, IL pays 138% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Champaign, IL vs $56.0 in Albufeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $283 per month, with Albufeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Champaign, IL
🇵🇹 Albufeira
🕒 Local time
16:44 4:44 PM
22:44 10:44 PM
6 h ahead of Champaign, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
88,302
44,168
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Champaign, IL Albufeira 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Champaign, IL
  • Albufeira

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
Champaign, IL vs Albufeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Champaign, IL and in Albufeira?
Champaign, IL and Albufeira differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,161 vs $2,208 including rent). Champaign, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Champaign, IL or Albufeira?
Average pay runs 138% higher in Champaign, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Champaign, IL and in Albufeira?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,453 in Champaign, IL versus $1,292 in Albufeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Champaign, IL and Albufeira?
Childcare runs $993 in Champaign, IL versus $482 in Albufeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Albufeira pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,161 in Champaign, IL versus $2,208 in Albufeira, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Champaign, IL but tight or insufficient in Albufeira. The gap between the two cities makes Champaign, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Champaign, IL and Albufeira?
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.
Is Champaign, IL or Albufeira safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Champaign, IL and Albufeira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Champaign, IL or Albufeira?
Expats usually find Champaign, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Albufeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Champaign, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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