Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hoffman Estates, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,548 in Hoffman Estates, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Hoffman Estates, IL
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Hoffman Estates, IL Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Hoffman Estates, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,548

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,548 in Hoffman Estates, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Hoffman Estates, IL $2,548
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,650 in Hoffman Estates, IL versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Hoffman Estates, IL $3,650
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,753 in Hoffman Estates, IL versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Hoffman Estates, IL $4,753
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Hoffman Estates, IL is roughly 7% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hoffman Estates, IL 88% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 $17.29

$17.89 €15.92

-3.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 $66.6

$66.2 €58.9

0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 $10.17

$13.69 €12.18

-25.71%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$3.06 €2.72

58.82%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$3.07 €2.73

-10.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.94 €1.73

3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.40 $6.40

$3.87 €3.44

65.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.61 €4.10

33.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.30 €1.16

-22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.10 €1.87

63.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.83 €1.62

134.43%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$4.62 €4.11

-7.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 $12.41

$17.36 €15.44

-28.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$9.28 €8.25

22.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.28 $17.28

$19.83 €17.64

-12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.01 €2.68

64.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.03 €1.81

-21.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.65 €2.36

61.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.87 €2.55

60.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.16 €1.92

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.15 €1.91

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.47 €1.31

45.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.88 €0.79

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.92 $8.92

$6.93 €6.16

28.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$7.83 €6.96

90.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.39 €1.24

58.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.63 €2.34

9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.91 €2.59

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.00 €2.66

12.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.44 €1.28

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.23 $30.23

$33.20 €29.53

-8.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-34.41%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$32.3K €28.8K

-18.38%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.7K €28.2K

-14.65%

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

$222 $222

$183 €163

21.51%

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

$59.5 $59.5

$13.61 €12.11

336.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$32.93 €29.29

108.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.74 $41.74

$54.7 €48.65

-23.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 $13.87

$11.23 €9.99

23.51%

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

$1,385 $1,385

$954 €849

45.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$16.6K €14.8K

52.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$86.0 €76.5

-31.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.85 $40.85

$39.11 €34.78

4.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$104 €92.2

-13.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$119 €106

3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$1,695 €1,508

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 $1,283

$1,276 €1,135

0.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 $2,803

$2,576 €2,291

8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$1,922 €1,710

5.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,652 $2,652

$7,281 €6,477

-63.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,396 $2,396

$5,010 €4,456

-52.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,390 $2,390

$2,227 €1,981

7.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.28

100.30%

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

Last update for Hoffman Estates, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hoffman Estates, IL

$1.3K 50.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 0.5% $7

Groceries & Markets

Hoffman Estates, IL

$395 15.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 17.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hoffman Estates, IL

$350 13.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 34.5% $121

Eating Out

Hoffman Estates, IL

$291 11.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 7.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Hoffman Estates, IL

$140 5.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hoffman Estates, IL

$69 2.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 11.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Hoffman Estates, IL

$19 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 147% $28

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 $1,618 in Hoffman Estates, IL and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hoffman Estates, IL pays 7% 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: $67.0 in Hoffman Estates, IL vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hoffman Estates, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

7 h ahead of Hoffman Estates, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,895

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

Hoffman Estates, IL Barcelona 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hoffman Estates, 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

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

Hoffman Estates, IL and Barcelona differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,548 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Hoffman Estates, 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: $1,618 in Hoffman Estates, IL versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,385 in Hoffman Estates, IL versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $67.0 in Hoffman Estates, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Hoffman Estates, 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 7% less than in Hoffman Estates, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.