Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Evanston, IL and in Barcelona: $2,572 and $2,453 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Evanston, IL
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Evanston, IL Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,572 in Evanston, IL versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Evanston, IL $2,572
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,469 in Evanston, IL versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Evanston, IL $4,469
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,366 in Evanston, IL versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Evanston, IL $6,366
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Evanston, IL is roughly 5% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Evanston, IL 89% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$17.59 €15.80

15.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$67.5 €60.6

26.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.82 $12.82

$13.53 €12.15

-5.25%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$3.19 €2.87

82.76%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$2.91 €2.62

-6.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.89 €1.70

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$4.01 €3.60

74.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.53 €4.07

73.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.31 €1.17

-20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.02 €1.81

84.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.85 €1.66

130.81%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$4.83 €4.34

-5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$16.74 €15.03

-18.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$9.12 €8.19

57.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$19.64 €17.64

1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.98 €2.68

75.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.02 €1.81

-19.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.70 €2.43

42.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.80 €2.52

78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.09 €1.87

32.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.07 €1.86

42.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.46 €1.31

42.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.94 €0.84

152.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$6.87 €6.17

57.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$7.89 €7.08

93.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.41 €1.26

89.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.54 €2.28

31.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.14 €2.82

-21.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$25.45 €22.86

195.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.99 €2.69

34.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.49 €1.34

-4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.50 $44.50

$33.37 €29.98

33.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.80 €1.61

-42.22%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$33.2K €29.8K

-9.59%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$31.7K €28.5K

-20.07%

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

$194 $194

$180 €162

7.73%

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

$60.4 $60.4

$13.84 €12.43

336.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$33.70 €30.27

119.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.0 $75.0

$51.5 €46.27

45.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.6 $59.6

$15.96 €14.34

273.37%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$10.99 €9.88

34.12%

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

$1,646 $1,646

$917 €823

79.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$16.5K €14.8K

91.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 $63.6

$87.0 €78.2

-26.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$38.51 €34.59

30.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$106 €95.1

2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$120 €108

5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,699 €1,527

-0.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 $1,111

$1,355 €1,217

-18.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$2,603 €2,338

53.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 $3,055

$2,062 €1,853

48.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K $14.4K

$6,915 €6,211

108.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.7K $12.7K

$5,128 €4,606

147.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,558 $5,558

$2,211 €1,986

151.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.28

107.62%

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

Last update for Evanston, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 22% $244

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$433 16.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 25.7% $112

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$341 13.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 21.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$329 12.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 30.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$105 4.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 29.7% $31

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 49.6% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,688 in Evanston, IL and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Evanston, IL pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Evanston, IL vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $433 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

6 h ahead of Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Evanston, IL Barcelona 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, 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

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

Evanston, IL and Barcelona differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,572 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Evanston, IL is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $1,688 in Evanston, IL versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,646 in Evanston, IL versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Evanston, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Evanston, 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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Evanston, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.