Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Decatur, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Decatur, IL: $1,725 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

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

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Decatur, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,725

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,725 in Decatur, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Decatur, IL $1,725
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,654 in Decatur, IL versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Decatur, IL $2,654
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,582 in Decatur, IL versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Decatur, IL $3,582
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Decatur, IL costs roughly 28% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Decatur, IL 28% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$17.94 €15.96

11.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 $83.4

$68.1 €60.5

22.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$13.28 €11.81

-34.19%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$3.25 €2.89

66.46%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$3.01 €2.67

-25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.87 €1.66

-11.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.85 €3.42

30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.48 €3.98

36.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.29 €1.15

3.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.04 €1.81

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.72 €1.53

18.02%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$4.77 €4.24

-0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 $13.87

$16.77 €14.92

-17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.86 $14.86

$8.93 €7.94

66.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$19.88 €17.68

-34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.98 €2.65

44.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.03 €1.80

-0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.73 €2.43

47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.68 €2.38

22.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.10 €1.87

-56.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.08 €1.85

-47.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.45 €1.29

2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.89 €0.79

244.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 $15.87

$6.94 €6.17

128.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$7.78 €6.92

90.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.45 €1.29

51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.57 €2.29

-22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.12 €2.77

1.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.44 €1.28

-1.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.28 $25.28

$33.50 €29.80

-24.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.79 €1.59

-35.20%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

6.70%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

-15.17%

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

$85.6 $85.6

$178 €158

-51.85%

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

$67.2 $67.2

$13.32 €11.85

404.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 $60.2

$34.88 €31.03

72.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 $74.7

$53.3 €47.37

40.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 $11.82

$11.06 €9.84

6.87%

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

$1,525 $1,525

$957 €851

59.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K $32.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

93.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 $68.1

$88.2 €78.4

-22.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 $51.5

$39.49 €35.12

30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$103 €91.5

-1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$121 €108

18.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 $867

$1,653 €1,470

-47.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 $551

$1,302 €1,158

-57.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 $993

$2,557 €2,275

-61.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 $805

$1,915 €1,703

-57.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$940 $940

$7,286 €6,481

-87.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$941 $941

$5,080 €4,519

-81.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,599 $4,599

$2,281 €2,029

101.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

3.28

106.40%

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

Last update for Decatur, 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

Decatur, IL

$551 31.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 136% $751

Groceries & Markets

Decatur, IL

$385 22.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 16.8% $65

Eating Out

Decatur, IL

$304 17.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 11.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Decatur, IL

$213 12.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 6.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Decatur, IL

$164 9.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 3.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Decatur, IL

$98 5.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 23.3% $23

Getting Around

Decatur, IL

$10 * 0.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 362% $37

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 $867 in Decatur, IL and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Decatur, IL pays 102% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Decatur, IL vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Decatur, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

7 h ahead of Decatur, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,047

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

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Between locations

Decatur, IL Barcelona 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Decatur, 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

Decatur, IL vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Decatur, IL and Barcelona differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,725 vs $2,399 including rent). Decatur, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 102% higher in Decatur, 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: $867 in Decatur, IL versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,525 in Decatur, IL versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Decatur, IL – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,725 in Decatur, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Decatur, IL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Decatur, 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, Decatur, 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 Decatur, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.