Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockford, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Rockford, IL: $2,166 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Rockford, IL
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Rockford, IL Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Rockford, IL $2,166
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,480 in Rockford, IL versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Rockford, IL $3,480
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Rockford, IL versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Rockford, IL $4,794
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Rockford, IL costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rockford, IL 60% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$17.89 €15.92

-12.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$66.2 €58.9

11.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$13.69 €12.18

-27.17%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.06 €2.72

64.38%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$3.07 €2.73

-8.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.94 €1.73

2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.87 €3.44

18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.61 €4.10

48.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.30 €1.16

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.10 €1.87

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.83 €1.62

189.62%

Eggs

$2.91 $2.91

$4.62 €4.11

-37.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$17.36 €15.44

-41.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$9.28 €8.25

50.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$19.83 €17.64

-15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.01 €2.68

58.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.03 €1.81

-24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.65 €2.36

43.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.87 €2.55

79.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.16 €1.92

13.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.15 €1.91

20.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.47 €1.31

51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.88 €0.79

110.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 $10.97

$6.93 €6.16

58.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$7.83 €6.96

102.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.39 €1.24

43.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.63 €2.34

-29.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.91 €2.59

-47.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 $55.5

$25.46 €22.64

117.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.00 €2.66

-8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.44 €1.28

9.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.70 $20.70

$33.20 €29.53

-37.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.86 €1.65

-44.09%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

3.59%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

-17.49%

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

$192 $192

$183 €163

5.19%

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

$45.71 $45.71

$13.61 €12.11

235.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$32.93 €29.29

115.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 $41.82

$54.7 €48.65

-23.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.44 $25.44

$16.52 €14.70

54.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$11.23 €9.99

24.93%

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

$520 $520

$954 €849

-45.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,074 $4,074

$16.6K €14.8K

-75.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$86.0 €76.5

-47.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 $35.80

$39.11 €34.78

-8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$104 €92.2

-10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$119 €106

-4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$1,695 €1,508

-23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$1,276 €1,135

-27.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 $2,298

$2,576 €2,291

-10.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$1,922 €1,710

6.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$7,281 €6,477

-79.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$5,010 €4,456

-71.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 $3,398

$2,227 €1,981

52.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.28

97.87%

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

Last update for Rockford, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockford, IL

$925 42.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 37.9% $351

Groceries & Markets

Rockford, IL

$389 17.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 16.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockford, IL

$309 14.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 25.8% $80

Eating Out

Rockford, IL

$272 12.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 0.9% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Rockford, IL

$129 6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 21.1% $27

Getting Around

Rockford, IL

$72 3.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 34.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 10.4% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,293 in Rockford, IL and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockford, IL pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Rockford, IL vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

04:34 4:34 AM

7 h ahead of Rockford, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,655

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

Rockford, IL Barcelona 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockford, IL
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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

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

Rockford, IL and Barcelona differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,166 vs $2,381 including rent). Rockford, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Rockford, 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: $1,293 in Rockford, IL versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $520 in Rockford, IL versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rockford, IL but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rockford, IL 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, Rockford, 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 Rockford, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.