Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaumburg, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Schaumburg, IL
Learn more

Schaumburg, IL Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Schaumburg, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,283

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Schaumburg, IL $3,283
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,589 in Schaumburg, IL versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Schaumburg, IL $4,589
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,894 in Schaumburg, IL versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Schaumburg, IL $5,894
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Schaumburg, IL is roughly 34% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Schaumburg, IL 141% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.80 $14.80

$17.59 €15.71

-15.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$67.5 €60.3

49.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 $13.18

$13.53 €12.08

-2.59%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$3.19 €2.85

52.66%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$2.91 €2.60

-11.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.89 €1.69

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.01 €3.58

14.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 $6.24

$4.53 €4.05

37.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.31 €1.17

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.02 €1.80

106.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.44 $7.44

$1.85 €1.65

302.16%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$4.83 €4.32

-16.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 $14.79

$16.74 €14.95

-11.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 $13.80

$9.12 €8.14

51.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$19.64 €17.54

-11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.98 €2.66

82.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.02 €1.80

44.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.70 €2.41

88.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.80 €2.50

46.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.09 €1.86

58.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.07 €1.85

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.46 €1.30

34.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$0.94 €0.84

281.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.19 $18.19

$6.87 €6.14

164.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.44 $19.44

$7.89 €7.04

146.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.54 €2.26

112.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.80 €1.61

-47.22%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$33.2K €29.6K

-20.42%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$31.7K €28.3K

-9.96%

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

$342 $342

$180 €161

89.66%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$13.84 €12.36

448.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$148 $148

$33.70 €30.10

338.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.5 $64.5

$51.5 €46.01

25.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.22 $39.22

$15.96 €14.26

145.74%

Cinema Ticket

$20.02 $20.02

$10.99 €9.82

82.17%

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

$917 €819

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$84.6K $84.6K

$16.5K €14.7K

413.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 $73.9

$87.0 €77.7

-15.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.96 $49.96

$38.51 €34.39

29.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$106 €94.5

-5.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$120 €107

0.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 $1,914

$1,699 €1,518

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$1,355 €1,211

27.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,818 $2,818

$2,603 €2,325

8.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 $2,558

$2,062 €1,842

24.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$6,915 €6,176

-69.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 $2,073

$5,128 €4,580

-59.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,915 $4,915

$2,211 €1,975

122.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

3.28

85.98%

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

Last update for Schaumburg, IL: 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

Schaumburg, IL

$1.7K 52.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 21.3% $367

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaumburg, IL

$566 17.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 59.7% $338

Groceries & Markets

Schaumburg, IL

$465 * 14.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 30.7% $143

Eating Out

Schaumburg, IL

$271 8.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 1.3% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Schaumburg, IL

$155 4.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 2.1% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Schaumburg, IL

$105 3.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 29.7% $31

Getting Around

Schaumburg, IL

- * 0%

Barcelona

$48 2%

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 $1,914 in Schaumburg, IL and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schaumburg, IL pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Schaumburg, IL vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $465 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Schaumburg, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

03:15 3:15 AM

7 h ahead of Schaumburg, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,723

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Schaumburg, IL Barcelona 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Schaumburg, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Schaumburg, IL is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,914 in Schaumburg, IL versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $101 in Schaumburg, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,283 per month in Schaumburg, IL versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Barcelona is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Schaumburg, 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, Schaumburg, IL and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Schaumburg, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.