Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,023

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Des Plaines, IL $3,023
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,419 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Des Plaines, IL $4,419
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,815 in Des Plaines, IL versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Des Plaines, IL $5,815
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 26% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 124% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.29 $21.29

$17.94 €15.96

18.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$68.1 €60.5

30.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 $13.10

$13.28 €11.81

-1.36%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.25 €2.89

74.77%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$3.01 €2.67

-13.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.87 €1.66

19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.85 €3.42

83.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$4.48 €3.98

83.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.29 €1.15

-28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.04 €1.81

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.72 €1.53

144.19%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$4.77 €4.24

-11.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.74 $14.74

$16.77 €14.92

-12.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$8.93 €7.94

46.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 $18.82

$19.88 €17.68

-5.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.98 €2.65

54.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.03 €1.80

-18.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.73 €2.43

52.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.68 €2.38

83.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.10 €1.87

29.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.08 €1.85

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.45 €1.29

44.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.89 €0.79

175.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$6.94 €6.17

57.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$7.78 €6.92

92.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.45 €1.29

77.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.57 €2.29

30.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.99 €2.66

-34.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$25.20 €22.41

137.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.12 €2.77

5.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.44 €1.28

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.88 $24.88

$33.50 €29.80

-25.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.79 €1.59

-44.69%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

4.36%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-14.38%

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

$192 $192

$178 €158

7.94%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$13.32 €11.85

344.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.0 $76.0

$34.88 €31.03

118.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$53.3 €47.37

130.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.32 $39.32

$16.01 €14.24

145.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$11.06 €9.84

33.09%

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

$1,563 $1,563

$957 €851

63.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.6K €14.7K

42.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$88.2 €78.4

-26.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$39.49 €35.12

28.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$103 €91.5

-1.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$121 €108

-1.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 $2,084

$1,653 €1,470

26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$1,302 €1,158

18.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,937 $3,937

$2,557 €2,275

53.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 $2,485

$1,915 €1,703

29.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 $3,279

$7,286 €6,481

-54.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,480 $2,480

$5,080 €4,519

-51.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,121 $6,121

$2,281 €2,029

168.38%

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 Des Plaines, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 51.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 15.9% $246

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$418 13.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 23.4% $98

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$349 11.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 22.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$327 10.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 30.9% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$152 5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 50.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$151 5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 4.7% $7

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$78 2.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 39.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 168% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $418 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

7 h ahead of Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

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

Des Plaines, IL Barcelona 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

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

Des Plaines, IL and Barcelona differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($3,023 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 168% higher in Des Plaines, 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: $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,563 in Des Plaines, 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 31% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Des Plaines, 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.