Structural Engineer Salary: Barcelona vs Chicago
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇪🇸 Barcelona
Spain
€33K EUR
$35K USD
$52K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-68%
Barcelona vs Chicago
🇺🇸 Chicago
United States
$109K USD
$109K USD
$109K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Barcelona | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | €33K EUR | $109K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $35K | $109K | -68% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $52K | $109K 🏆 | -52% |
| 25th Percentile | €26K EUR | $87K USD | — |
| Median | €33K EUR | $109K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | €41K EUR | $137K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | €35K EUR | $118K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Barcelona offers a Structural Engineer salary of $35K USD, while Chicago offers $109K USD — a difference of -68% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Barcelona's salary is worth $52K in US purchasing power terms, versus $109K for Chicago. This means Chicago offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.