Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bilbao: $2,166 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Bilbao $2,166
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Bilbao $3,118
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Bilbao $4,069
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Bilbao costs roughly 12% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.24

$17.59 €15.72

28.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.2

$67.5 €60.3

8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.15

$13.53 €12.09

-7.83%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$3.19 €2.85

-16.30%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$2.91 €2.60

7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.89 €1.69

1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.95

$4.01 €3.59

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.95

$4.53 €4.05

-27.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.02 €1.80

-18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.85 €1.65

-16.76%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.96

$4.83 €4.32

-31.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.90

$16.74 €14.96

-7.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.13

$9.12 €8.15

-12.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.02

$19.64 €17.55

-25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.98 €2.66

-7.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.02 €1.80

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.70 €2.41

-5.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.80 €2.51

-5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.09 €1.86

-21.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.07 €1.85

17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.46 €1.30

-12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.94 €0.84

-1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$6.87 €6.14

-4.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.79

$7.89 €7.05

-3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.41 €1.26

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.54 €2.27

1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.14 €2.81

-37.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.33

$25.45 €22.75

99.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.80

$2.99 €2.67

79.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 €1.33

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.89

$33.37 €29.84

-3.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.80 €1.61

1.67%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

0.29%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$31.7K €28.3K

1.79%

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

$145 €130

$180 €161

-19.68%

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

$19.91 €17.80

$13.84 €12.37

43.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.35

$33.70 €30.13

-12.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.43

$51.5 €46.05

-1.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.60

$15.96 €14.27

-4.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.10

$10.99 €9.83

-7.37%

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

$534 €477

$917 €819

-41.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$16.5K €14.7K

-28.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.6

$87.0 €77.8

20.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.68

$38.51 €34.42

-5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.0

$106 €94.6

-28.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$120 €107

19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,221

$1,699 €1,519

-19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €977

$1,355 €1,212

-19.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,795

$2,603 €2,327

-22.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,394

$2,062 €1,844

-24.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,257

$6,915 €6,182

-14.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,314

$5,128 €4,584

-27.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,097

$2,211 €1,976

6.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.28

-9.15%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 24% $262

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 8.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 13.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 17.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 2.6% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 29.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $322, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Bilbao is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bilbao 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 Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.