Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oak Park, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,585 in Oak Park, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Oak Park, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,585

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,585 in Oak Park, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Oak Park, IL $2,585
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,781 in Oak Park, IL versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Oak Park, IL $3,781
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,977 in Oak Park, IL versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Oak Park, IL $4,977
Barcelona $4,431

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$17.89 €15.92

10.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$66.2 €58.9

13.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 $11.41

$13.69 €12.18

-16.65%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.06 €2.72

78.76%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$3.07 €2.73

-11.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.94 €1.73

1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.87 €3.44

56.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.61 €4.10

55.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.30 €1.16

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.10 €1.87

68.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.83 €1.62

130.60%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$4.62 €4.11

-10.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 $14.11

$17.36 €15.44

-18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$9.28 €8.25

22.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$19.83 €17.64

-14.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.01 €2.68

65.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.03 €1.81

-22.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.65 €2.36

66.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.87 €2.55

55.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.16 €1.92

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.15 €1.91

27.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.47 €1.31

30.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.88 €0.79

188.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$6.93 €6.16

33.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$7.83 €6.96

89.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.39 €1.24

60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.63 €2.34

31.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.91 €2.59

-41.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.00 €2.66

-10.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.44 €1.28

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 $33.26

$33.20 €29.53

0.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.86 €1.65

-44.09%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-19.80%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$31.7K €28.2K

-23.89%

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

$198 $198

$183 €163

8.13%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$13.61 €12.11

335.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$32.93 €29.29

114.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.92 $37.92

$54.7 €48.65

-30.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 $12.41

$11.23 €9.99

10.51%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$954 €849

52.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

39.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$86.0 €76.5

-38.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$39.11 €34.78

11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$104 €92.2

-15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$119 €106

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$1,695 €1,508

-7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$1,276 €1,135

2.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,550 $2,550

$2,576 €2,291

-1.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 $2,168

$1,922 €1,710

12.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,118 $3,118

$7,281 €6,477

-57.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 $2,251

$5,010 €4,456

-55.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,703 $5,703

$2,227 €1,981

156.10%

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 Oak Park, 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

Oak Park, IL

$1.3K 50.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 2.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Oak Park, IL

$403 15.6%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 19.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oak Park, IL

$328 12.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 30% $98

Eating Out

Oak Park, IL

$322 12.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 16.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Oak Park, IL

$139 5.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 12.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Oak Park, IL

$63 2.4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 23% $14

Getting Around

Oak Park, IL

$19 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 144% $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 $1,575 in Oak Park, IL and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oak Park, IL pays 156% 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: $75.0 in Oak Park, IL vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Oak Park, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

06:48 6:48 AM

7 h ahead of Oak Park, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,583

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

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Between locations

Oak Park, IL Barcelona 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Oak Park, IL and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,585 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 156% higher in Oak Park, 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: $1,575 in Oak Park, IL versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Oak Park, 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 $75.0 in Oak Park, 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, Oak Park, 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 Park, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.