Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Gela

For one person, living is cheaper in Gela: $1,232 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Gela
Learn more

Gela Living Index

Jump to prices

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Gela

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Gela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $1,232 in Gela.

Bilbao $2,101
Gela $1,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Bilbao versus $1,971 in Gela.

Bilbao $3,158
Gela $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,215 in Bilbao versus $2,709 in Gela.

Bilbao $4,215
Gela $2,709

Living in Bilbao is roughly 71% more expensive than in Gela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bilbao is 55% above, Gela is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.59 €20.10

$11.28 €10.03

100.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €65.4

$56.5 €50.3

30.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 €10.82

$9.46 €8.41

28.54%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.28

$1.74 €1.55

47.13%

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

$3.17 €2.82

$2.35 €2.09

34.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.20 €1.07

59.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.00 €3.56

-17.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.98 €3.54

-13.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.31 €1.17

2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.78 €1.58

-9.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.17 €1.93

-32.26%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.98

$2.91 €2.58

15.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 €13.74

$14.92 €13.27

3.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 €7.34

$11.60 €10.32

-28.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 €12.80

$16.79 €14.93

-14.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.92 €2.59

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.21 €1.96

-2.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.06 €1.84

29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.25 €2.00

17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.45

$1.62 €1.44

1.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.90 €2.58

-12.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.26 €1.12

1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$0.42 €0.38

123.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.91

$6.88 €6.12

-3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.91

$7.51 €6.68

3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.06 €1.83

-28.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.22 €1.98

16.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.43 €1.27

23.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.4 €45.76

$42.26 €37.59

21.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.03

$5.65 €5.03

0.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.17 €1.93

-53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 €29.24

$32.85 €29.22

0.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.07 €1.84

-13.04%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$35.7K €31.7K

-5.60%

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

$32.0K €28.4K

$35.0K €31.2K

-8.74%

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

$141 €126

$166 €148

-15.02%

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

$20.30 €18.06

$9.91 €8.82

104.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.31 €26.96

$26.65 €23.70

13.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 €49.29

$51.1 €45.46

8.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 €13.51

$23.72 €21.10

-35.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.09

$8.97 €7.98

13.94%

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

$526 €468

$446 €397

17.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.2K

$5,528 €4,917

106.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.4

$70.6 €62.8

47.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 €32.95

$30.84 €27.43

20.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.3

$84.3 €75.0

-11.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$126 €112

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 €1,127

$311 €277

306.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 €913

$272 €242

277.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 €2,147

$494 €439

388.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,507

$533 €474

217.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,882 €5,232

$2,110 €1,877

178.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,700 €3,291

$991 €882

273.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 €2,156

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.39

-12.09%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gela: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1K 48.9%

Gela

$272 22.1% 73.5% $755

Eating Out

Bilbao

$292 13.9%

Gela

$182 14.8% 37.7% $110

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$285 13.6%

Gela

$302 24.5% 6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$192 9.1%

Gela

$203 16.5% 5.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$161 7.7%

Gela

$140 11.4% 13% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Gela

$69 5.6% 9% $6.8

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Gela

$64 5.2% 6.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in Bilbao and $311 in Gela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Bilbao vs $57.0 in Gela. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $302, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇮🇹 Gela

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

70,735

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Gela 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Gela

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 Gela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Gela differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $1,232 including rent). Gela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,152 in Bilbao and $1,848 in Gela to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,267 in Bilbao versus $311 in Gela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $526 in Bilbao versus $446 in Gela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,232 in Gela versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gela but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Gela 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 Gela 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 Gela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.