Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Barcelona

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 36.7% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 29% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 32.7% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 38.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.82 $20.82
$17.41 โ‚ฌ15.03
19.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$68.7 โ‚ฌ59.3
45.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.97 $11.97
$13.71 โ‚ฌ11.84
-12.69%
Cappuccino
$5.56 $5.56
$2.78 โ‚ฌ2.4
100.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.8 โ‚ฌ2.42
11.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
22.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.86 $6.86
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.83
54.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.45 $8.45
$4.53 โ‚ฌ3.91
86.53%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.24 โ‚ฌ1.07
-16.13%
White Bread (500g)
$4.15 $4.15
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
104.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.52 $5.52
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
178.79%
Eggs
$4.65 $4.65
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.99
34.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.33 $14.33
$18.32 โ‚ฌ15.82
-21.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.88 $14.88
$9.82 โ‚ฌ8.47
51.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.34 $19.34
$19.24 โ‚ฌ16.61
0.52%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 $5.17
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
98.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
-26.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.41 $4.41
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
109.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$2.77 โ‚ฌ2.39
62.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 $2.53
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
24.02%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
54.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.5 โ‚ฌ1.3
62.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.7 $2.7
$0.85 โ‚ฌ0.73
217.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.19 $15.19
$7 โ‚ฌ6.04
117.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.42 $16.42
$7.13 โ‚ฌ6.16
130.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.24
64.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 $3.7
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
61.57%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.53 $2.53
$3.02 โ‚ฌ2.6
-16.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.1 $74.1
$28.97 โ‚ฌ25.01
155.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.34 $3.34
$4.59 โ‚ฌ3.96
-27.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 $1.42
$2.02 โ‚ฌ1.74
-29.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.42 $25.42
$29.56 โ‚ฌ25.53
-14.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.81 โ‚ฌ1.56
-40.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K $32.4K
$38.4K โ‚ฌ33.1K
-15.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$32.4K โ‚ฌ28K
-19.04%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 $188
$190 โ‚ฌ164
-0.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.7 $63.7
$22.18 โ‚ฌ19.15
187.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.2 $65.2
$36.37 โ‚ฌ31.4
79.27%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.7 $76.7
$57.4 โ‚ฌ49.55
33.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.03 $13.03
$20.95 โ‚ฌ18.09
-37.80%
Cinema Ticket
$14.93 $14.93
$10.8 โ‚ฌ9.33
38.24%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,063 $2,063
$732 โ‚ฌ632
181.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.2K $39.2K
$15.1K โ‚ฌ13.1K
159.06%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.3 $64.3
$86.8 โ‚ฌ74.9
-25.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 $52.4
$36.78 โ‚ฌ31.76
42.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 $95.2
$102 โ‚ฌ88.2
-6.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 $145
$117 โ‚ฌ101
23.61%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,378 $2,378
$1,581 โ‚ฌ1,365
50.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$1,230 โ‚ฌ1,062
28.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,763 $4,763
$2,707 โ‚ฌ2,337
75.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,815 $2,815
$2,028 โ‚ฌ1,751
38.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,588 $3,588
$6,602 โ‚ฌ5,700
-45.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,490 $2,490
$5,045 โ‚ฌ4,356
-50.64%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Chicago, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,275 $5,275
$2,198 โ‚ฌ1,898
139.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.6
3.39
94.69%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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