Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Budva: $1,611 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Budva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Bilbao versus $1,611 in Budva.

Bilbao $2,129
Budva $1,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,159 in Bilbao versus $2,529 in Budva.

Bilbao $3,159
Budva $2,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,190 in Bilbao versus $3,447 in Budva.

Bilbao $4,190
Budva $3,447

Living in Bilbao is roughly 32% more expensive than in Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 58% above, Budva 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €19.92

$14.76 €13.13

51.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.4

$66.5 €59.1

7.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$13.27 €11.80

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$3.39 €3.02

-24.78%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$2.21 €1.96

37.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.52 €1.35

24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$4.69 €4.17

-29.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$4.27 €3.80

-20.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.25 €1.11

3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.06 €0.95

49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.21 €1.97

-33.03%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$3.07 €2.73

7.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 €13.80

$8.50 €7.56

82.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$9.08 €8.08

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$12.17 €10.83

18.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.28 €1.14

118.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.75 €1.56

23.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.52 €1.35

71.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.78 €2.47

-8.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.85 €0.76

91.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.07 €0.95

133.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.67 €1.48

-23.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.94 €0.84

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$4.42 €3.93

49.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$7.67 €6.82

4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.06 €0.94

39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.74 €1.55

43.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.84 €2.53

-38.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

$39.74 €35.34

26.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$1.11 €0.98

399.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.09 €0.97

-5.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.04

$16.85 €14.99

93.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.70 €1.51

6.47%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$28.5K €25.4K

21.81%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$25.8K €22.9K

19.05%

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

$142 €127

$158 €140

-9.76%

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

$20.57 €18.29

$14.92 €13.27

37.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 €26.92

$33.61 €29.90

-9.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.96

$57.1 €50.8

-3.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

$21.24 €18.89

-28.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$6.19 €5.50

61.07%

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

$521 €463

$407 €362

28.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$9,855 €8,766

15.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$105 €93.3

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 €33.55

$44.04 €39.17

-14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 €67.3

$96.8 €86.1

-21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$178 €159

-18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$846 €752

49.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$606 €539

74.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 €2,127

$1,499 €1,333

59.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,503

$1,149 €1,022

47.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

$4,046 €3,599

39.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

$2,920 €2,597

26.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,394 €2,129

$1,028 €915

132.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

5.95

-49.92%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7%

Budva

$606 37.6% 42.7% $451

Eating Out

Bilbao

$290 13.6%

Budva

$246 15.2% 15.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$282 13.3%

Budva

$235 14.6% 16.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.1%

Budva

$206 12.8% 6.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$164 7.7%

Budva

$191 11.9% 16.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$75 3.5%

Budva

$69 4.3% 7.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

Budva

$58 3.6% 15.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $846 in Budva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 133% 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: $71.0 in Bilbao vs $66.0 in Budva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $235 per month, with Budva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

13,338

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Budva 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Budva

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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Budva differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,129 vs $1,611 including rent). Budva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 133% 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 $846 in Budva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $521 in Bilbao versus $407 in Budva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,611 in Budva versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Budva but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Budva 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 Budva 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 Budva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.