Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,909 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Alcala de Henares

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $1,909 in Alcala de Henares.

Bilbao $2,166
Alcala de Henares $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Bilbao $3,118
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $3,537 in Alcala de Henares.

Bilbao $4,069
Alcala de Henares $3,537

Living in Bilbao is roughly 13% more expensive than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Alcala de Henares 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.27

$16.95 €15.18

33.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.4

$65.8 €59.0

10.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.17

$11.11 €9.95

12.24%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$2.66 €2.39

0.38%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$3.22 €2.88

-3.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.95 €1.74

-2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.86 €3.45

-14.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$4.88 €4.37

-32.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.21 €1.08

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.56 €1.40

5.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.71 €1.53

-9.94%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$2.88 €2.58

14.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.93

$22.52 €20.17

-30.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$9.16 €8.21

-12.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.04

$17.66 €15.81

-17.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.79 €2.50

-1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.38 €2.13

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.19 €1.96

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.60 €2.33

1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.14 €1.92

-23.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$2.16 €1.93

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.51 €1.35

-15.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.75 €0.67

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.89

$6.06 €5.43

8.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.80

$7.80 €6.99

-2.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.18 €1.06

27.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.14 €1.91

21.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.47 €1.31

32.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.41

$45.73 €40.95

10.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.81

$3.70 €3.32

45.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.93 €1.73

-46.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.94

$22.94 €20.55

40.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.72 €1.54

6.40%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$32.8K €29.4K

1.49%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$30.6K €27.4K

5.43%

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

$145 €130

$188 €169

-23.05%

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

$19.91 €17.83

$19.42 €17.39

2.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.40

$30.79 €27.58

-4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.51

$41.53 €37.19

22.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.62

$8.27 €7.40

83.92%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.11

$9.49 €8.50

7.27%

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

$534 €478

$182 €163

192.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$5,892 €5,277

99.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.7

$73.7 €66.0

41.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.74

$35.88 €32.14

1.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.1

$77.1 €69.1

-1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$95.7 €85.7

49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,224

$983 €881

38.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €979

$854 €765

28.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,798

$1,791 €1,604

12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,397

$1,156 €1,035

34.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,266

$4,266 €3,821

37.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,320

$3,423 €3,066

8.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,101

$1,741 €1,559

34.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.14

-5.10%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Alcala de Henares

$854 44.7% 21.9% $239

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Alcala de Henares

$251 13.1% 14.7% $43

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.4% 11% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.5% 22.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.7% 21.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Alcala de Henares

$61 3.2% 15% $11

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4% 5.9% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $66 in Alcala de Henares. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $314, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

199,184

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bilbao Alcala de Henares 310 km

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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

Bilbao vs Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, so Alcala de Henares is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Bilbao, 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: $1,366 in Bilbao versus $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $182 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Alcala de Henares 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.

Safety-wise, Bilbao and Alcala de Henares are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Alcala de Henares wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.