Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Cairo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $643 in Cairo.

Bilbao $2,101
Cairo $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Bilbao versus $1,037 in Cairo.

Bilbao $3,137
Cairo $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,172 in Bilbao versus $1,431 in Cairo.

Bilbao $4,172
Cairo $1,431

Living in Bilbao is roughly 227% more expensive than in Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bilbao is 57% above, Cairo is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.66

$4.69 E£245

345.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 €61.6

$28.49 E£1,491

142.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.83

$6.03 E£315

101.33%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$1.81 E£94.7

38.12%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$0.35 E£18.18

731.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.15 E£7.95

1053.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.45 E£76.0

134.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.24 E£117

45.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.97 E£50.7

34.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.73 E£37.96

116.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.77 E£40.24

96.10%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.96

$1.17 E£61.2

183.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.85

$4.32 E£226

233.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 €7.18

$5.07 E£265

58.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 €11.82

$8.92 E£467

48.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.83 E£95.8

48.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.75 E£39.07

169.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$0.57 E£29.78

357.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$0.51 E£26.62

366.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.38 E£20.05

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$0.42 E£21.88

473.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.35 E£18.43

245.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.24 E£12.57

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$1.99 E£104

243.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$7.48 E£391

4.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.52 E£79.4

-2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$2.13 E£112

23.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.33 E£17.10

454.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.25

$8.66 E£453

485.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.02

$0.37 E£19.27

1421.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.20 E£10.65

395.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.89 €28.46

$1.49 E£77.8

2040.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.46 E£23.94

289.13%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$32.6K E£1.7M

7.31%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$28.4K E£1.5M

6.99%

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

$142 €127

$27.54 E£1,441

416.99%

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

$20.34 €18.15

$8.27 E£432

145.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$14.05 E£735

114.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 €49.81

$28.27 E£1,479

97.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 €13.62

$6.70 E£350

127.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.86

$4.40 E£230

125.45%

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

$538 €480

$121 E£6,356

343.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$3,619 E£189.3K

218.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.9

$40.16 E£2,101

122.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 €30.69

$49.61 E£2,596

-30.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 €61.3

$115 E£6,033

-40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$60.6 E£3,170

110.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,125

$220 E£11.5K

473.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$194 E£10.2K

442.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 €2,203

$514 E£26.9K

380.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,523

$334 E£17.5K

411.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,875 €5,243

$806 E£42.2K

628.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 €3,280

$513 E£26.9K

616.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,385 €2,128

$200 E£10.5K

1091.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

16.21

-81.62%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 81.6% $860

Eating Out

Bilbao

$276 13.2%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 67% $185

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$271 13%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 47.9% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.3%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 74.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$144 6.9%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 17% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 51% $39

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 83.5% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $220 in Cairo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 1091% 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 $28.00 in Cairo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $141 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bilbao Cairo 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Cairo differ by about 227% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $643 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1091% 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 $220 in Cairo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Bilbao versus $121 in Cairo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $643 in Cairo versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo 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 Cairo 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 Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.