Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Athens

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.

101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Athens

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 Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Bilbao $2,101
Athens $1,806

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

Bilbao $3,137
Athens $2,731

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

Bilbao $4,172
Athens $3,656

Living in Bilbao is roughly 16% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.66

$16.66 €14.87

25.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 €61.6

$66.2 €59.1

4.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.83

$11.06 €9.87

9.76%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$4.14 €3.69

-39.61%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$2.80 €2.50

3.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.57 €0.51

203.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$5.64 €5.03

-39.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.92

$5.46 €4.87

-40.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.96 €1.75

-33.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.41 €1.26

12.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.83 €2.53

-46.64%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.96

$5.04 €4.50

-34.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.85

$15.35 €13.70

-6.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 €7.18

$10.34 €9.23

-22.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 €11.82

$18.97 €16.93

-30.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.17 €1.93

25.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.91 €1.70

5.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.38 €1.23

89.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.20 €1.96

8.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.10 €0.98

38.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.13 €1.00

113.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.10 €0.99

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.83 €0.74

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$5.60 €4.99

21.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$10.19 €9.09

-23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.18 €1.95

-32.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$2.45 €2.19

6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.38 €1.23

32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.25

$30.87 €27.55

64.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.02

$4.37 €3.90

28.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.04 €0.93

-4.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.89 €28.46

$17.11 €15.27

86.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.31 €2.07

-22.51%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

25.12%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

8.44%

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

$142 €127

$210 €187

-32.12%

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

$20.34 €18.15

$26.70 €23.83

-23.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 €49.81

$54.6 €48.72

2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 €13.62

$26.03 €23.23

-41.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.86

$10.78 €9.62

-7.98%

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

$538 €480

$575 €513

-6.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$13.1K €11.7K

-12.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.9

$93.2 €83.1

-3.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 €30.69

$40.68 €36.30

-15.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 €61.3

$104 €92.9

-33.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$128 €115

-0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,125

$756 €674

66.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$652 €582

61.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 €2,203

$1,294 €1,154

90.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,523

$1,163 €1,038

46.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,875 €5,243

$4,008 €3,577

46.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 €3,280

$3,452 €3,081

6.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,385 €2,128

$1,243 €1,110

91.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

4.48

-33.48%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

Athens

$652 36.5% 38.1% $402

Eating Out

Bilbao

$276 13.2%

Athens

$269 15% 2.5% $7

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$271 13%

Athens

$315 17.6% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 38.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$144 6.9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 14.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Athens

$76 4.3% 0.6% $0.5

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Athens

$46 2.6% 33% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $756 in Athens. 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: $69.0 in Bilbao vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $271 vs $315, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

From you

Bilbao
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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 Athens: 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.

Average pay runs 92% 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: $1,261 in Bilbao versus $756 in Athens. 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 $2,101 per month in Bilbao versus $1,806 in Athens – 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, Bilbao and Athens 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.