Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Hamrun

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamrun: $1,654 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Hamrun
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Hamrun Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Hamrun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Hamrun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $1,654 in Hamrun.

Bilbao $2,101
Hamrun $1,654

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Bilbao versus $2,564 in Hamrun.

Bilbao $3,158
Hamrun $2,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,215 in Bilbao versus $3,475 in Hamrun.

Bilbao $4,215
Hamrun $3,475

Living in Bilbao is roughly 27% more expensive than in Hamrun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 55% above, Hamrun 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.59 €20.10

$12.57 €11.18

79.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €65.4

$55.0 €48.93

33.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 €10.82

$8.90 €7.92

36.63%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.28

$2.01 €1.79

27.36%

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

$3.17 €2.82

$1.98 €1.76

60.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.36 €1.21

40.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.94 €1.72

70.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.27 €2.02

51.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.25 €1.12

7.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.34 €1.19

20.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$4.29 €3.82

-65.73%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.98

$4.33 €3.85

-22.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 €13.74

$8.08 €7.19

91.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 €7.34

$10.33 €9.19

-20.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 €12.80

$18.24 €16.23

-21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$4.11 €3.65

-29.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.83 €2.51

-24.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.54 €3.15

-24.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$3.26 €2.90

-19.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.45

$2.47 €2.19

-33.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.99 €1.77

27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.27 €2.02

-43.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$1.35 €1.20

-30.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.91

$6.59 €5.87

0.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.91

$8.05 €7.16

-3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.70 €1.51

-12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.43 €2.16

6.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.53 €2.25

-30.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.4 €45.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.03

$5.67 €5.05

-0.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.22 €1.97

-54.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 €29.24

$26.95 €23.97

22.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.49 €1.32

20.81%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$37.7K €33.6K

-10.78%

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

$32.0K €28.4K

$39.2K €34.8K

-18.37%

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

$141 €126

$102 €90.8

38.32%

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

$20.30 €18.06

$25.76 €22.91

-21.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.31 €26.96

$27.46 €24.42

10.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 €49.29

$62.9 €56.0

-11.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 €13.51

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.09

$10.24 €9.11

-0.20%

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

$526 €468

$369 €329

42.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.2K

$11.3K €10.0K

1.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.4

$87.6 €77.9

18.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 €32.95

$40.99 €36.46

-9.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.3

$97.7 €86.9

-23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$78.5 €69.9

82.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 €1,127

$842 €749

50.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 €913

$747 €664

37.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 €2,147

$1,560 €1,388

54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,507

$1,361 €1,211

24.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,882 €5,232

$3,947 €3,511

49.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,700 €3,291

$2,795 €2,486

32.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 €2,156

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

2.9

2.76%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hamrun: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1K 48.9%

Hamrun

$747 45.2% 27.2% $280

Eating Out

Bilbao

$292 13.9%

Hamrun

$179 10.8% 38.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$285 13.6%

Hamrun

$325 19.7% 14% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$192 9.1%

Hamrun

$155 9.4% 19% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$161 7.7%

Hamrun

$137 8.3% 15% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Hamrun

$83 5% 9.9% $7.5

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Hamrun

$27 * 1.6% 61.1% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in Bilbao and $842 in Hamrun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Bilbao vs $55.0 in Hamrun. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $325, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇲🇹 Hamrun

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

9,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Hamrun 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Hamrun

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 Hamrun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Hamrun differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $1,654 including rent). Hamrun 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 $2,480 in Hamrun 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 $842 in Hamrun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,101 per month in Bilbao versus $1,654 in Hamrun – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,654 in Hamrun versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamrun but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Hamrun 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 Hamrun 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 Hamrun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.