Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,665 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
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Waukegan, IL Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,665

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,665 in Waukegan, IL versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Waukegan, IL $2,665
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,853 in Waukegan, IL versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Waukegan, IL $3,853
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,041 in Waukegan, IL versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Waukegan, IL $5,041
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Waukegan, 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: Waukegan, IL 97% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.29 $19.29

$17.66 €15.80

9.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$67.5 €60.4

10.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$13.61 €12.18

-17.93%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.10 €2.77

67.74%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$3.00 €2.69

-17.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.93 €1.72

2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.84 €3.44

52.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.36 €3.90

63.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.25 €1.12

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.12 €1.90

68.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.97 €1.77

121.32%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$4.76 €4.26

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$17.07 €15.27

-26.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.53 $11.53

$8.96 €8.01

28.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 $15.68

$20.65 €18.48

-24.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.16 €2.83

56.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.97 €1.76

-17.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.65 €2.37

59.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.88 €2.58

58.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.06 €1.84

33.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.18 €1.95

30.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.53 €1.37

35.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.97 €0.87

122.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.76 $9.76

$6.97 €6.23

40.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 $13.76

$7.89 €7.06

74.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.42 €1.27

30.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.69 €2.40

27.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.31 €2.96

-38.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$25.61 €22.91

132.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.08 €2.76

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.48 €1.33

8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.86 $28.86

$32.87 €29.42

-12.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.87 €1.67

-55.61%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$33.0K €29.5K

-9.13%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$31.9K €28.6K

-21.11%

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

$189 $189

$183 €164

3.56%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$14.24 €12.74

269.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$34.56 €30.93

98.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.74 $43.74

$51.4 €46.01

-14.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 $13.32

$11.06 €9.90

20.43%

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

$1,298 $1,298

$944 €844

37.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$22.3K €19.9K

3.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$87.7 €78.5

-41.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.45 $40.45

$38.77 €34.70

4.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 $85.0

$105 €93.6

-18.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$118 €105

-6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,697 €1,518

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 $1,376

$1,337 €1,196

2.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,633 $2,633

$2,692 €2,409

-2.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 $2,197

$2,077 €1,858

5.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,820 $2,820

$7,155 €6,402

-60.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,459 $2,459

$5,079 €4,545

-51.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.19

104.08%

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

Last update for Waukegan, IL: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 51.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 2.9% $40

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$388 14.6%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 15.5% $60

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$311 11.7%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 14.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$310 11.7%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 25.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$129 4.8%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 21.8% $28

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$79 3%

Barcelona

$49 2% 37.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$70 2.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 4.5% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,602 in Waukegan, IL and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Waukegan, IL vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

7 h ahead of Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

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

Waukegan, IL Barcelona 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,665 in Waukegan, IL and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,997 in Waukegan, IL and $3,664 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: $1,602 in Waukegan, IL versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,298 in Waukegan, IL versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Waukegan, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.