Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Libertyville, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,530 in Libertyville, IL, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Libertyville, IL
Learn more

Libertyville, IL Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Libertyville, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,530

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Libertyville, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Libertyville, IL $2,530
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Libertyville, IL versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Libertyville, IL $3,759
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,987 in Libertyville, IL versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Libertyville, IL $4,987
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Libertyville, IL is roughly 6% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Libertyville, IL 87% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$17.89 €15.92

-15.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$66.2 €58.9

-16.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$13.69 €12.18

-26.08%

Cappuccino

$4.45 $4.45

$3.06 €2.72

45.42%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$3.07 €2.73

-26.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.94 €1.73

19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.87 €3.44

13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.61 €4.10

32.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.30 €1.16

-40.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.10 €1.87

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.83 €1.62

145.90%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$4.62 €4.11

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$17.36 €15.44

-34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.58 $9.58

$9.28 €8.25

3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.81 $21.81

$19.83 €17.64

9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.01 €2.68

100.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.03 €1.81

-44.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.65 €2.36

71.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.87 €2.55

100.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.16 €1.92

67.59%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.15 €1.91

98.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.47 €1.31

59.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.88 €0.79

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.33 $11.33

$6.93 €6.16

63.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 $12.13

$7.83 €6.96

54.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.39 €1.24

47.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.63 €2.34

32.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.91 €2.59

-40.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.00 €2.66

68.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.44 €1.28

27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.63 $49.63

$33.20 €29.53

49.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.86 €1.65

-48.39%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

-16.56%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$31.7K €28.2K

-16.73%

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

$234 $234

$183 €163

28.28%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$13.61 €12.11

279.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$32.93 €29.29

79.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 $37.44

$54.7 €48.65

-31.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$11.23 €9.99

34.46%

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

$1,323 $1,323

$954 €849

38.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$16.6K €14.8K

19.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$86.0 €76.5

-39.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 $40.16

$39.11 €34.78

2.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$104 €92.2

6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.3 $95.3

$119 €106

-19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 $1,412

$1,695 €1,508

-16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$1,276 €1,135

2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,278 $2,278

$2,576 €2,291

-11.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$1,922 €1,710

24.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,754 $2,754

$7,281 €6,477

-62.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,395 $2,395

$5,010 €4,456

-52.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,437 $4,437

$2,227 €1,981

99.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

3.28

99.09%

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

Last update for Libertyville, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Libertyville, IL

$1.3K 51.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 2.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Libertyville, IL

$392 15.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 17.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Libertyville, IL

$345 13.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 33.6% $116

Eating Out

Libertyville, IL

$257 10.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 4.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Libertyville, IL

$134 5.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 16.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Libertyville, IL

$68 2.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 14.1% $9.5

Getting Around

Libertyville, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 123% $26

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 $1,412 in Libertyville, IL and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Libertyville, IL pays 99% 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: $55.0 in Libertyville, IL vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Libertyville, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

7 h ahead of Libertyville, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Libertyville, 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

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

Libertyville, IL and Barcelona differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,530 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 99% higher in Libertyville, 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: $1,412 in Libertyville, IL versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,323 in Libertyville, 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 $55.0 in Libertyville, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,530 in Libertyville, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Libertyville, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Libertyville, 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 6% less than in Libertyville, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.