Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Bilbao $2,101
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Bilbao versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Bilbao $3,137
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,172 in Bilbao versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Bilbao $4,172
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Bilbao is roughly 56% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 57% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.66

$14.46 RON 68.4

44.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 €61.6

$57.7 RON 273

19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.83

$7.50 RON 35.46

61.87%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$3.43 RON 16.20

-27.11%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$2.46 RON 11.63

18.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.33 RON 11.01

-25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.80 RON 17.97

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.92

$4.10 RON 19.41

-20.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.65 RON 7.79

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.35 RON 6.39

17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.78 RON 8.42

-15.17%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.96

$3.66 RON 17.33

-9.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.85

$8.57 RON 40.54

67.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 €7.18

$6.80 RON 32.17

18.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 €11.82

$11.72 RON 55.4

13.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.29 RON 6.11

110.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.56 RON 7.37

29.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.54 RON 7.28

69.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.48 RON 11.75

-4.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.83 RON 3.92

83.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$0.80 RON 3.77

201.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.84 RON 3.98

44.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.93 RON 4.39

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$6.44 RON 30.45

6.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$6.32 RON 29.91

23.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.26 RON 5.94

17.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$1.60 RON 7.59

63.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.81 RON 3.85

125.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.25

$21.13 RON 99.9

139.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.02

$0.60 RON 2.86

838.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.61 RON 2.91

62.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.89 €28.46

$6.17 RON 29.19

416.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.96 RON 9.27

-8.67%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

24.38%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

15.56%

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

$142 €127

$197 RON 931

-27.67%

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

$20.34 €18.15

$8.34 RON 39.44

143.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$9.19 RON 43.47

227.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 €49.81

$49.87 RON 236

11.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 €13.62

$24.99 RON 118

-38.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.86

$8.46 RON 40.01

17.26%

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

$538 €480

$639 RON 3,023

-15.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-19.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.9

$90.6 RON 429

-1.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 €30.69

$38.05 RON 180

-9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 €61.3

$79.7 RON 377

-13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$93.2 RON 441

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,125

$673 RON 3,184

87.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$449 RON 2,123

134.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 €2,203

$1,098 RON 5,195

124.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,523

$729 RON 3,448

134.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,875 €5,243

$3,740 RON 17.7K

57.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 €3,280

$2,189 RON 10.4K

67.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,385 €2,128

$1,323 RON 6,259

80.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

6.74

-55.79%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 57.4% $605

Eating Out

Bilbao

$276 13.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 18.2% $50

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$271 13%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 18.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.3%

Bucharest

$214 16% 11.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$144 6.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 5.8% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 11.7% $8.9

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 59.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 80% 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 $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Bilbao
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Bucharest differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% 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 $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Bilbao versus $639 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.