Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Champaign, IL: $2,161 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Champaign, IL $2,161
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,133 in Champaign, IL versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Champaign, IL $3,133
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,106 in Champaign, IL versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Champaign, IL $4,106
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Champaign, IL costs roughly 10% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Champaign, IL 60% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$17.94 €15.96

-14.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$68.1 €60.5

-10.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$13.28 €11.81

-23.87%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$3.25 €2.89

48.62%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$3.01 €2.67

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.87 €1.66

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.85 €3.42

44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 $5.35

$4.48 €3.98

19.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.29 €1.15

-34.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.04 €1.81

53.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.72 €1.53

81.98%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$4.77 €4.24

-18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 $12.19

$16.77 €14.92

-27.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$8.93 €7.94

-33.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$19.88 €17.68

-35.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.98 €2.65

15.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.03 €1.80

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.73 €2.43

13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.68 €2.38

70.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.10 €1.87

-3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.08 €1.85

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.45 €1.29

52.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.89 €0.79

40.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$6.94 €6.17

47.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$7.78 €6.92

89.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.45 €1.29

48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.57 €2.29

58.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.99 €2.66

-67.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.38 $20.38

$25.20 €22.41

-19.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.12 €2.77

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.44 €1.28

10.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.79 €1.59

-35.20%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

1.42%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$30.1K €26.7K

7.26%

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

$240 $240

$178 €158

34.90%

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

$45.66 $45.66

$13.32 €11.85

242.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$34.88 €31.03

93.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.34 $25.34

$53.3 €47.37

-52.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 $11.85

$16.01 €14.24

-25.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$11.06 €9.84

0.27%

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

$993 $993

$957 €851

3.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$16.6K €14.7K

20.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.98 $48.98

$88.2 €78.4

-44.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$103 €91.5

12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$121 €108

0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$1,653 €1,470

-12.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$1,302 €1,158

-21.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 $1,941

$2,557 €2,275

-24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,915 €1,703

-11.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 $1,688

$7,286 €6,481

-76.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$5,080 €4,519

-66.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,674 $3,674

$2,281 €2,029

61.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.28

107.93%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Champaign, IL

$1K 47%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 28.1% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 36% $127

Groceries & Markets

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 1.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 2.2% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 22.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 58.6% $28

Getting Around

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 36.6% $13

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 $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Champaign, IL pays 61% 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 $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $320 per month, with Champaign, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

22:12 10:12 PM

7 h ahead of Champaign, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,302

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Champaign, IL
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Champaign, IL and Barcelona differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,161 vs $2,399 including rent). Champaign, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,453 in Champaign, IL versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $993 in Champaign, IL versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,161 in Champaign, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Champaign, IL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Champaign, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Champaign, IL and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Champaign, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.