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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Elgin, IL is 12.4% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Elgin, IL is 8.8% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.15 $15.15
$17.41 โ‚ฌ15.03
-12.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.5 $59.5
$68.7 โ‚ฌ59.3
-13.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.04 $10.04
$13.71 โ‚ฌ11.84
-26.77%
Cappuccino
$4.04 $4.04
$2.78 โ‚ฌ2.4
45.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 $2.63
$2.8 โ‚ฌ2.42
-6.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
-0.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.12 $6.12
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.83
38.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.89 $4.89
$4.53 โ‚ฌ3.91
7.95%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.74 $0.74
$1.24 โ‚ฌ1.07
-40.32%
White Bread (500g)
$3.69 $3.69
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
81.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.37 $5.37
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
171.21%
Eggs
$3.95 $3.95
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.99
14.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.06 $11.06
$18.32 โ‚ฌ15.82
-39.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.21 $13.21
$9.82 โ‚ฌ8.47
34.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.81 $10.81
$19.24 โ‚ฌ16.61
-43.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
-14.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 $1.08
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
-53.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 $1.63
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
-22.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 $2.71
$2.77 โ‚ฌ2.39
-2.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.66 $2.66
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
30.39%
Onion (1kg)
$2.92 $2.92
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
64.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.5 โ‚ฌ1.3
30.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$0.85 โ‚ฌ0.73
142.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.12 $10.12
$7 โ‚ฌ6.04
44.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.78 $11.78
$7.13 โ‚ฌ6.16
65.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.24
60.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.75 $4.75
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
107.42%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$3.02 โ‚ฌ2.6
-32.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.97 โ‚ฌ25.01
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 $4.37
$4.59 โ‚ฌ3.96
-4.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 $2.22
$2.02 โ‚ฌ1.74
9.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.82 $27.82
$29.56 โ‚ฌ25.53
-5.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 $0.83
$1.81 โ‚ฌ1.56
-54.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$38.4K โ‚ฌ33.1K
-36.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$32.4K โ‚ฌ28K
-21.27%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.6 $98.6
$190 โ‚ฌ164
-47.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.7 $51.7
$22.18 โ‚ฌ19.15
133.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.1 $50.1
$36.37 โ‚ฌ31.4
37.64%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.98 $42.98
$57.4 โ‚ฌ49.55
-25.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.95 โ‚ฌ18.09
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.13 $15.13
$10.8 โ‚ฌ9.33
40.09%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,654 $1,654
$732 โ‚ฌ632
125.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.5K $24.5K
$15.1K โ‚ฌ13.1K
62.05%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.7 $40.7
$86.8 โ‚ฌ74.9
-53.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.51 $47.51
$36.78 โ‚ฌ31.76
29.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$102 โ‚ฌ88.2
-1.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 $131
$117 โ‚ฌ101
11.75%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 $1,594
$1,581 โ‚ฌ1,365
0.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,372 $1,372
$1,230 โ‚ฌ1,062
11.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,657 $2,657
$2,707 โ‚ฌ2,337
-1.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,267 $2,267
$2,028 โ‚ฌ1,751
11.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,725 $2,725
$6,602 โ‚ฌ5,700
-58.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,428 $2,428
$5,045 โ‚ฌ4,356
-51.88%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Elgin, IL
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,198 โ‚ฌ1,898
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
3.39
93.22%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.