Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oak Lawn, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,586 in Oak Lawn, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Oak Lawn, IL
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Oak Lawn, IL Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Oak Lawn, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,586

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,586 in Oak Lawn, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Oak Lawn, IL $2,586
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,492 in Oak Lawn, IL versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Oak Lawn, IL $3,492
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,398 in Oak Lawn, IL versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Oak Lawn, IL $4,398
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Oak Lawn, IL is roughly 9% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oak Lawn, IL 91% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 $15.26

$17.89 €15.92

-14.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 $62.8

$66.2 €58.9

-5.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 $7.77

$13.69 €12.18

-43.24%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$3.06 €2.72

77.45%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$3.07 €2.73

-29.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.94 €1.73

-41.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.87 €3.44

32.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.61 €4.10

11.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.30 €1.16

-28.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.10 €1.87

12.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.83 €1.62

86.34%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$4.62 €4.11

-18.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 $11.16

$17.36 €15.44

-35.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.61 $8.61

$9.28 €8.25

-7.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$19.83 €17.64

-33.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.01 €2.68

7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.03 €1.81

-3.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.65 €2.36

23.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.87 €2.55

14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.16 €1.92

-0.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.15 €1.91

-48.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.47 €1.31

40.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.88 €0.79

131.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$6.93 €6.16

42.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 $9.96

$7.83 €6.96

27.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.39 €1.24

48.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.63 €2.34

26.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.91 €2.59

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.95 $49.95

$25.46 €22.64

96.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.00 €2.66

79.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.44 €1.28

95.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.46 $17.46

$33.20 €29.53

-47.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.86 €1.65

-39.78%

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

$15.9K $15.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-50.88%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-14.69%

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

$220 $220

$183 €163

20.34%

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

$53.0 $53.0

$13.61 €12.11

289.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$32.93 €29.29

100.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.21 $42.21

$54.7 €48.65

-22.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$20.35 $20.35

$11.23 €9.99

81.21%

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

$1,336 $1,336

$954 €849

40.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$16.6K €14.8K

-23.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.58 $47.58

$86.0 €76.5

-44.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.39 $25.39

$39.11 €34.78

-35.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.0 $58.0

$104 €92.2

-44.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.8 $50.8

$119 €106

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,695 €1,508

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 $1,432

$1,276 €1,135

12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 $2,851

$2,576 €2,291

10.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 $1,945

$1,922 €1,710

1.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,575 $2,575

$7,281 €6,477

-64.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 $2,733

$5,010 €4,456

-45.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.28

107.93%

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

Last update for Oak Lawn, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oak Lawn, IL

$1.4K 55.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 10.9% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oak Lawn, IL

$339 13.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 32.4% $110

Groceries & Markets

Oak Lawn, IL

$313 12.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 3.7% $12

Eating Out

Oak Lawn, IL

$260 10%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 3.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Oak Lawn, IL

$83 3.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 6.9% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Oak Lawn, IL

$82 3.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 91.2% $75

Getting Around

Oak Lawn, IL

$78 3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 39% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,601 in Oak Lawn, IL and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Oak Lawn, IL vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $325 per month, with Oak Lawn, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Oak Lawn, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

05:57 5:57 AM

7 h ahead of Oak Lawn, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,362

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

Oak Lawn, IL Barcelona 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Oak Lawn, 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

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

Oak Lawn, IL and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,586 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,879 in Oak Lawn, IL and $3,571 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: $1,601 in Oak Lawn, IL versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,336 in Oak Lawn, IL versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Oak Lawn, IL pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Oak Lawn, 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 9% less than in Oak Lawn, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.