Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springfield, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,641 in Springfield, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Springfield, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

128

Cost of Living Index in Springfield, IL
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Springfield, IL Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Springfield, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,641

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,641 in Springfield, IL versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Springfield, IL $2,641
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,964 in Springfield, IL versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Springfield, IL $3,964
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,286 in Springfield, IL versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Springfield, IL $5,286
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Springfield, IL is roughly 10% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Springfield, IL 96% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.61 $14.61

$17.94 €15.96

-18.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 $42.89

$68.1 €60.5

-36.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$13.28 €11.81

-23.72%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.25 €2.89

60.00%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$3.01 €2.67

-35.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.87 €1.66

-15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.85 €3.42

-23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.48 €3.98

-8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.29 €1.15

-41.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.04 €1.81

62.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$1.72 €1.53

418.02%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$4.77 €4.24

-35.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$16.77 €14.92

13.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$8.93 €7.94

91.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.40 $32.40

$19.88 €17.68

62.98%

Apples (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$2.98 €2.65

189.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.03 €1.80

-38.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.64 $8.64

$2.73 €2.43

216.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.68 €2.38

106.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.10 €1.87

54.29%

Onion (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.08 €1.85

115.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.45 €1.29

35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.89 €0.79

83.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$6.94 €6.17

42.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 $11.03

$7.78 €6.92

41.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.45 €1.29

-14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.57 €2.29

-36.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.99 €2.66

-58.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.50 $39.50

$25.20 €22.41

56.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 $5.68

$3.12 €2.77

82.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.44 €1.28

-24.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.14 $18.14

$33.50 €29.80

-45.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.79 €1.59

-46.93%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

5.12%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-11.18%

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

$233 $233

$178 €158

30.82%

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

$93.2 $93.2

$13.32 €11.85

599.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 $64.9

$34.88 €31.03

86.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 $49.49

$53.3 €47.37

-7.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$16.01 €14.24

23.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 $12.57

$11.06 €9.84

13.65%

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

$931 $931

$957 €851

-2.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 $105

$88.2 €78.4

19.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$39.49 €35.12

39.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$103 €91.5

21.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$121 €108

14.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 $915

$1,653 €1,470

-44.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 $1,164

$1,302 €1,158

-10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 $1,889

$2,557 €2,275

-26.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 $2,158

$1,915 €1,703

12.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,133 $3,133

$7,286 €6,481

-57.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,184 $1,184

$5,080 €4,519

-76.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,882 $3,882

$2,281 €2,029

70.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.28

99.70%

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

Last update for Springfield, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springfield, IL

$1.2K 44.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 11.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Springfield, IL

$519 19.6%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 38.3% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springfield, IL

$391 14.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 42.2% $165

Eating Out

Springfield, IL

$247 9.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 9.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Springfield, IL

$191 7.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 17% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Springfield, IL

$75 2.8%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 1% $0.7

Getting Around

Springfield, IL

$56 2.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 14.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $915 in Springfield, IL and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Springfield, IL pays 70% 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: $43.00 in Springfield, IL vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $519 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Springfield, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

23:25 11:25 PM

7 h ahead of Springfield, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,482

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

Springfield, IL Barcelona 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Springfield, IL
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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

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

Springfield, IL and Barcelona differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,641 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Springfield, 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: $915 in Springfield, IL versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $931 in Springfield, IL versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Springfield, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,641 in Springfield, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Springfield, 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, Springfield, 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 10% less than in Springfield, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.