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

🙂 Solo nomad: Bilbao is 7.7% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bilbao is 8% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 19.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €14.71
$17.41 €15.03
-2.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.6 €60.1
$68.7 €59.3
1.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.62 €10.04
$13.71 €11.84
-15.24%
Cappuccino
$2.31 €2
$2.78 €2.4
-16.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.6
$2.8 €2.42
7.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.8
$1.98 €1.71
5.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.74 €3.23
$4.43 €3.83
-15.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 €3.31
$4.53 €3.91
-15.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.1
$1.24 €1.07
3.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 €1.24
$2.03 €1.75
-29.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 €1.4
$1.98 €1.71
-18.18%
Eggs
$3.01 €2.6
$3.46 €2.99
-13.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.32 €13.23
$18.32 €15.82
-16.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 €7.62
$9.82 €8.47
-10.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.17 €11.37
$19.24 €16.61
-31.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 €2.4
$2.61 €2.25
6.51%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 €2.09
$2.34 €2.02
3.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 €2.15
$2.11 €1.82
18.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 €2.09
$2.77 €2.39
-12.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.75 €1.51
$2.04 €1.76
-14.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 €2
$1.77 €1.53
31.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.27
$1.5 €1.3
-2.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 €0.97
$0.85 €0.73
31.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.05
$7 €6.04
-
Wine (Bottle)
$6.8 €5.87
$7.13 €6.16
-4.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.2
$1.43 €1.24
-2.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 €2.35
$2.29 €1.98
19.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2 €1.72
$3.02 €2.6
-33.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.85 €43.04
$28.97 €25.01
72.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 €4.63
$4.59 €3.96
16.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 €0.83
$2.02 €1.74
-52.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.06 €28.54
$29.56 €25.53
11.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.5
$1.81 €1.56
-3.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K €33.1K
$38.4K €33.1K
-0.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K €27.2K
$32.4K €28K
-2.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 €133
$190 €164
-18.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.93 €18.94
$22.18 €19.15
-1.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.32 €29.63
$36.37 €31.4
-5.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 €48.68
$57.4 €49.55
-1.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.15 €8.76
$20.95 €18.09
-51.55%
Cinema Ticket
$10.05 €8.68
$10.8 €9.33
-6.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 €482
$732 €632
-23.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,950 €7,728
$15.1K €13.1K
-40.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.5 €71.2
$86.8 €74.9
-4.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.76 €30.87
$36.78 €31.76
-2.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82 €70.8
$102 €88.2
-19.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 €97.1
$117 €101
-3.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 €933
$1,581 €1,365
-31.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$961 €829
$1,230 €1,062
-21.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,793 €1,548
$2,707 €2,337
-33.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,320 €1,140
$2,028 €1,751
-34.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,862 €4,198
$6,602 €5,700
-26.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,701 €3,195
$5,045 €4,356
-26.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bilbao
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,114 €1,826
$2,198 €1,898
-3.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.38
3.39
-0.29%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 28, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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