Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bilbao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bilbao

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Bilbao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,101 in Bilbao.

Athens $1,806
Bilbao $2,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,137 in Bilbao.

Athens $2,731
Bilbao $3,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $4,172 in Bilbao.

Athens $3,656
Bilbao $4,172

Living in Athens costs roughly 14% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Bilbao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$20.91 €18.66

-20.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$69.0 €61.6

-4.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$12.14 €10.83

-8.90%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.50 €2.23

65.60%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.91 €2.59

-3.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.73 €1.55

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.40 €3.03

65.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.27 €2.92

66.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.30 €1.16

50.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.58 €1.41

-10.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.51 €1.35

87.42%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.32 €2.96

51.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$14.39 €12.85

6.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$8.05 €7.18

28.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$13.25 €11.82

43.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.72 €2.43

-20.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.02 €1.80

-5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.61 €2.33

-47.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.38 €2.13

-7.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.52 €1.36

-27.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.41 €2.15

-53.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.21 €1.08

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.78 €0.70

6.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.83 €6.09

-18.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.78 €6.94

30.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.48 €1.32

47.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.62 €2.34

-6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.83 €1.63

-24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$50.7 €45.25

-39.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$5.63 €5.02

-22.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.99 €0.88

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$31.89 €28.46

-46.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.79 €1.60

29.05%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$35.0K €31.2K

-20.08%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$30.4K €27.1K

-7.79%

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

$210 €187

$142 €127

47.32%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$20.34 €18.15

31.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$55.8 €49.81

-2.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$15.27 €13.62

70.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$9.92 €8.86

8.67%

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

$575 €513

$538 €480

6.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$11.5K €10.3K

13.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$89.5 €79.9

4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$34.39 €30.69

18.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$68.7 €61.3

51.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$127 €114

0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,261 €1,125

-40.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,054 €941

-38.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$2,469 €2,203

-47.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,707 €1,523

-31.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$5,875 €5,243

-31.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$3,675 €3,280

-6.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$2,385 €2,128

-47.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.98

50.34%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6% 61.6% $402

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Bilbao

$271 13% 13.8% $43

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Bilbao

$276 13.2% 2.6% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Bilbao

$193 9.3% 27.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Bilbao

$144 6.9% 12.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Bilbao

$76 3.6% 0.6% $0.5

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Bilbao

$69 3.3% 49.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 92% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $69.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $271, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bilbao 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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

Athens vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Bilbao. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Bilbao. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $69.0 in Bilbao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $2,101 in Bilbao – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bilbao 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.