Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wheaton, IL and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,771 in Wheaton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Wheaton, IL
Learn more

Wheaton, IL Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Wheaton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,771

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,771 in Wheaton, IL versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Wheaton, IL $2,771
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,053 in Wheaton, IL versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Wheaton, IL $4,053
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,335 in Wheaton, IL versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Wheaton, IL $5,335
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Wheaton, IL is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wheaton, IL 105% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.87 $15.87

$17.66 €15.69

-10.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 $69.9

$67.5 €59.9

3.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 $11.93

$13.61 €12.09

-12.34%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$3.10 €2.75

85.48%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$3.00 €2.67

-2.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.93 €1.71

21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 $6.66

$3.84 €3.41

73.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.36 €3.87

80.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.25 €1.11

-24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.12 €1.89

32.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.97 €1.75

51.27%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$4.76 €4.23

-22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 $10.54

$17.07 €15.16

-38.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$8.96 €7.96

20.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.74 $19.74

$20.65 €18.34

-4.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.16 €2.81

61.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.97 €1.75

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.65 €2.36

28.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.88 €2.56

57.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.06 €1.83

-4.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.18 €1.94

34.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.53 €1.36

28.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.97 €0.86

135.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.71 $8.71

$6.97 €6.19

24.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.11 $12.11

$7.89 €7.01

53.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.42 €1.26

58.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.69 €2.39

0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.31 €2.94

50.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 $100

$25.61 €22.75

290.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.08 €2.74

27.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.48 €1.32

-46.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.34 $44.34

$32.87 €29.20

34.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.87 €1.66

-41.18%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$33.0K €29.3K

-31.29%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$31.9K €28.4K

-20.84%

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

$176 $176

$183 €162

-3.77%

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

$46.90 $46.90

$14.24 €12.65

229.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 $71.4

$34.56 €30.70

106.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.68 $35.68

$51.4 €45.68

-30.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 $11.94

$11.06 €9.83

7.96%

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

$1,597 $1,597

$944 €838

69.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K $21.7K

$22.3K €19.8K

-2.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$87.7 €77.9

-34.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.83 $34.83

$38.77 €34.44

-10.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 $89.6

$105 €92.9

-14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$118 €105

-13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$1,697 €1,507

17.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 $1,491

$1,337 €1,187

11.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,806 $2,806

$2,692 €2,391

4.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 $2,523

$2,077 €1,845

21.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,433 $5,433

$2,241 €1,991

142.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.19

113.48%

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

Last update for Wheaton, IL: October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wheaton, IL

$1.5K 53.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 10.3% $154

Groceries & Markets

Wheaton, IL

$369 13.3%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 11.2% $41

Eating Out

Wheaton, IL

$302 10.9%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 11.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wheaton, IL

$294 10.6%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 21.3% $63

Getting Around

Wheaton, IL

$128 4.6%

Barcelona

$49 2% 61.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Wheaton, IL

$128 4.6%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 22.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Wheaton, IL

$60 2.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 23.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,989 in Wheaton, IL and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wheaton, IL pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Wheaton, IL vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $369 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wheaton, IL

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

13:53 1:53 PM

7 h ahead of Wheaton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,611

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wheaton, IL Barcelona 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wheaton, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,771 in Wheaton, IL and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Wheaton, IL is about 2.4 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: $1,989 in Wheaton, IL versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,597 in Wheaton, 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 13% higher in Wheaton, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Wheaton, IL and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Wheaton, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.