Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Ferrara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,582 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
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Ferrara Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Ferrara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Bilbao versus $1,582 in Ferrara.

Bilbao $2,129
Ferrara $1,582

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,159 in Bilbao versus $2,476 in Ferrara.

Bilbao $3,159
Ferrara $2,476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,190 in Bilbao versus $3,370 in Ferrara.

Bilbao $4,190
Ferrara $3,370

Living in Bilbao is roughly 35% more expensive than in Ferrara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 58% above, Ferrara 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €19.92

$17.96 €15.98

24.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.4

$67.9 €60.4

5.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$11.07 €9.85

10.66%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$1.92 €1.70

32.81%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$2.63 €2.34

15.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.17 €1.04

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$5.54 €4.93

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$5.46 €4.86

-37.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.62 €1.44

-20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.72 €2.42

-41.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.13 €2.78

-52.72%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$4.64 €4.13

-28.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 €13.80

$17.61 €15.67

-11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$11.31 €10.06

-29.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$24.40 €21.70

-40.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.96 €2.63

-5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.48 €1.31

45.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$3.76 €3.34

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$4.33 €3.85

-41.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.41 €2.15

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.39 €2.13

4.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.86 €1.65

-31.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.34 €0.30

164.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$6.63 €5.90

-0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$4.33 €3.85

84.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.40 €1.25

5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.13 €1.89

17.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.06 €1.84

-14.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

$30.25 €26.91

66.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$8.28 €7.37

-33.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.91 €1.70

-46.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.04

$33.91 €30.16

-3.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.10 €1.87

-13.81%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$35.6K €31.6K

-2.32%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$36.0K €32.0K

-14.78%

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

$142 €127

$139 €124

2.22%

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

$20.57 €18.29

$9.52 €8.47

116.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 €26.92

$27.59 €24.54

9.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.96

$37.21 €33.09

47.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

$15.97 €14.20

-4.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$8.80 €7.83

13.30%

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

$521 €463

$337 €300

54.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$10.0K €8,930

13.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$93.8 €83.5

11.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 €33.55

$33.56 €29.85

12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 €67.3

$104 €92.8

-27.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$103 €91.8

41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$621 €552

102.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$529 €470

99.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 €2,127

$1,261 €1,122

89.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,503

$886 €788

90.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

$2,314 €2,058

144.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

$1,763 €1,568

109.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,394 €2,129

$1,618 €1,439

47.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.37

-11.57%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ferrara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7%

Ferrara

$529 33.4% 50% $528

Eating Out

Bilbao

$290 13.6%

Ferrara

$254 16% 12.4% $36

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$282 13.3%

Ferrara

$361 22.8% 27.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.1%

Ferrara

$176 11.2% 8.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$164 7.7%

Ferrara

$151 9.5% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$75 3.5%

Ferrara

$55 3.5% 26.9% $20

Getting Around

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

Ferrara

$56 3.6% 17.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $621 in Ferrara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 48% 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 $68.0 in Ferrara. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $361, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

133,155

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bilbao Ferrara 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Ferrara

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 Ferrara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Ferrara differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,129 vs $1,582 including rent). Ferrara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $621 in Ferrara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $521 in Bilbao versus $337 in Ferrara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,582 in Ferrara versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ferrara but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Ferrara 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 Ferrara 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 Ferrara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.