Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Merrillville, IN and in Barcelona: $2,522 and $2,453 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,522

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,522 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Merrillville, IN $2,522
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,513 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Merrillville, IN $3,513
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,505 in Merrillville, IN versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Merrillville, IN $4,505
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 3% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 85% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$17.59 €15.80

-14.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 $55.8

$67.5 €60.6

-17.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$13.53 €12.15

-26.53%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$3.19 €2.87

40.44%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$2.91 €2.62

-21.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.89 €1.70

17.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 $4.40

$4.01 €3.60

9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.53 €4.07

31.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.31 €1.17

-44.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.02 €1.81

57.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.85 €1.66

155.14%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$4.83 €4.34

-2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$16.74 €15.04

-33.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$9.12 €8.19

3.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.23 $22.23

$19.64 €17.64

13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$2.98 €2.68

93.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.02 €1.81

-44.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.70 €2.43

62.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$2.80 €2.52

102.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.09 €1.87

70.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.07 €1.86

109.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.46 €1.31

67.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.94 €0.84

29.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.07 $11.07

$6.87 €6.17

61.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$7.89 €7.09

50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.41 €1.26

41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.54 €2.28

36.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.14 €2.82

-44.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 $67.2

$25.45 €22.86

164.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.99 €2.69

64.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.49 €1.34

21.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.1 $50.1

$33.37 €29.99

50.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.80 €1.62

-48.89%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.2K €29.8K

-17.86%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$31.7K €28.5K

-18.01%

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

$233 $233

$180 €162

29.34%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$13.84 €12.43

265.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$33.70 €30.28

77.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.20 $37.20

$51.5 €46.28

-27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$10.99 €9.88

35.12%

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

$1,353 $1,353

$917 €824

47.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

44.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$87.0 €78.2

-38.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$38.51 €34.60

4.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$106 €95.1

2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 $95.5

$120 €108

-20.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 $1,400

$1,699 €1,527

-17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$1,355 €1,218

-8.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 $2,523

$2,603 €2,339

-3.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 $1,796

$2,062 €1,853

-12.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,837 $2,837

$6,915 €6,213

-58.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 $2,031

$5,128 €4,607

-60.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

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 Merrillville, IN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.2K 49.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 8.9% $111

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 17.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$344 13.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 33.7% $116

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$255 10.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 4.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$134 5.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 17.9% $24

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$88 3.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 45% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$67 2.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 9.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Merrillville, IN and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Merrillville, IN vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

15:26 3:26 PM

6 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Merrillville, IN Barcelona 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and Barcelona differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,522 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,783 in Merrillville, IN and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,400 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,353 in Merrillville, IN 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 21% higher in Merrillville, IN. 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.