Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bilbao Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bilbao

😐 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 8.3% more expensive than Bilbao without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Barcelona is 8.7% more expensive than Bilbao without rent, and 24% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$17.04 €14.71
2.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$69.6 €60.1
-1.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$11.62 €10.04
17.99%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$2.31 €2
20.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$3.01 €2.6
-6.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.08 €1.8
-4.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$3.74 €3.23
18.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$3.83 €3.31
18.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$1.28 €1.1
-3.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$1.44 €1.24
40.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.62 €1.4
22.22%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$3.01 €2.6
14.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$15.32 €13.23
19.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$8.83 €7.62
11.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$13.17 €11.37
46.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$2.78 €2.4
-6.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$2.42 €2.09
-3.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$2.49 €2.15
-15.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$2.42 €2.09
14.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$1.75 €1.51
16.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$2.32 €2
-23.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$1.47 €1.27
2.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$1.12 €0.97
-24.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$7 €6.05
-
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$6.8 €5.87
4.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$1.39 €1.2
2.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$2.73 €2.35
-16.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$2 €1.72
51.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
$49.85 €43.04
-41.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$5.36 €4.63
-14.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$0.96 €0.83
110.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$33.06 €28.54
-10.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.74 €1.5
4.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$38.3K €33.1K
0.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$31.5K €27.2K
2.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$155 €133
22.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$21.93 €18.94
1.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$34.32 €29.63
5.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
$56.4 €48.68
1.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
$10.15 €8.76
106.40%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$10.05 €8.68
7.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$558 €482
31.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$8,950 €7,728
68.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$82.5 €71.2
5.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$35.76 €30.87
2.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$82 €70.8
24.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$112 €97.1
4.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
$1,081 €933
46.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
$961 €829
28.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
$1,793 €1,548
50.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
$1,320 €1,140
53.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
$4,862 €4,198
35.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
$3,701 €3,195
36.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Bilbao
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
$2,114 €1,826
3.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
3.38
0.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Bilbao: October 28, 2025

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