Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Fort Smith, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Smith, AR: $1,951 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bilbao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Fort Smith, AR

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 Fort Smith, AR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR.

Bilbao $2,166
Fort Smith, AR $1,951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,992 in Fort Smith, AR.

Bilbao $3,118
Fort Smith, AR $2,992

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $4,033 in Fort Smith, AR.

Bilbao $4,069
Fort Smith, AR $4,033

Living in Bilbao is roughly 11% more expensive than in Fort Smith, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Fort Smith, AR 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.27

$20.20 $20.20

12.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.4

$64.6 $64.6

12.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.17

$11.43 $11.43

9.10%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$5.32 $5.32

-49.81%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$2.39 $2.39

30.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.00 $2.00

-4.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$5.96 $5.96

-44.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$9.04 $9.04

-63.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.95 $0.95

37.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$3.26 $3.26

-49.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.78 $3.78

-59.26%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$2.89 $2.89

14.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.93

$7.55 $7.55

105.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$10.76 $10.76

-25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.04

$19.61 $19.61

-25.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$4.77 $4.77

-42.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.45 $1.45

44.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.48 $2.48

2.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.11 $2.11

25.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.90 $1.90

-13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$1.58 $1.58

53.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.75 $1.75

-26.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$2.28 $2.28

-59.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.89

$8.33 $8.33

-21.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.80

$13.89 $13.89

-45.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.82 $1.82

-17.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.64 $2.64

-1.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.22 $1.22

59.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.41

$35.44 $35.44

43.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.81

$2.68 $2.68

100.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.29 $1.29

-20.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.94

$29.99 $29.99

7.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.76 $0.76

140.79%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$26.0K $26.0K

28.23%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

26.13%

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

$145 €130

$276 $276

-47.43%

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

$19.91 €17.83

$69.5 $69.5

-71.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.40

$69.1 $69.1

-57.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.51

$27.06 $27.06

87.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.62

$16.22 $16.22

-6.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.11

$13.52 $13.52

-24.70%

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

$534 €478

$918 $918

-41.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$23.5K $23.5K

-50.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.7

$54.7 $54.7

91.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.74

$41.77 $41.77

-12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.1

$91.8 $91.8

-17.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$77.6 $77.6

84.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,224

$683 $683

100.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €979

$646 $646

69.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,798

$1,536 $1,536

30.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,397

$1,295 $1,295

20.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,266

$1,557 $1,557

277.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,320

$1,561 $1,561

137.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,101

$3,154 $3,154

-25.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

6.38

-53.29%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Fort Smith, AR

$646 33.1% 40.9% $447

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Fort Smith, AR

$325 16.7% 10.7% $31

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Fort Smith, AR

$342 17.6% 21% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Fort Smith, AR

$414 21.2% 113% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Fort Smith, AR

$120 6.1% 26.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.8% 24% $17

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Fort Smith, AR

$49 2.5% 28.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $683 in Fort Smith, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays 34% 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 $65 in Fort Smith, AR. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $342, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

7 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

89,142

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Fort Smith, AR 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Fort Smith, AR

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 Fort Smith, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR, so Fort Smith, AR is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Bilbao. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,366 in Bilbao versus $683 in Fort Smith, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $918 in Fort Smith, AR. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.