Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bilbao: $2,101 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 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
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $4,086 in London.

Bilbao $2,101
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Bilbao versus $5,816 in London.

Bilbao $3,137
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,172 in Bilbao versus $7,546 in London.

Bilbao $4,172
London $7,546

Living in Bilbao costs roughly 49% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 57% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.66

$26.62 £20.11

-21.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 €61.6

$108 £81.3

-35.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.83

$10.39 £7.85

16.84%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$5.79 £4.38

-56.82%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$3.01 £2.27

-3.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.15 £1.63

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$9.35 £7.06

-63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.92

$7.84 £5.93

-58.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.79 £1.35

-27.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.06 £1.56

-23.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.31 £1.74

-34.63%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.96

$5.05 £3.82

-34.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.85

$12.57 £9.50

14.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 €7.18

$10.66 £8.05

-24.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 €11.82

$17.13 £12.94

-22.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$3.03 £2.29

-10.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.41 £1.07

43.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$3.05 £2.31

-14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$3.38 £2.56

-29.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.67 £1.26

-8.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.73 £1.31

39.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.41 £1.07

-14.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.79 £1.35

-56.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$23.22 £17.55

-70.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$12.99 £9.82

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.18 £2.40

-53.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$4.41 £3.33

-40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$3.87 £2.93

-52.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.25

$250 £189

-79.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.02

$5.71 £4.31

-1.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$3.33 £2.51

-70.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.89 €28.46

$57.9 £43.76

-44.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.04 £1.54

-12.25%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$37.5K £28.4K

-6.75%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$40.9K £30.9K

-25.71%

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

$142 €127

$376 £284

-62.14%

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

$20.34 €18.15

$17.88 £13.51

13.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$40.01 £30.24

-24.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 €49.81

$61.2 £46.22

-8.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 €13.62

$21.07 £15.93

-27.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.86

$17.95 £13.57

-44.74%

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

$538 €480

$2,865 £2,165

-81.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$35.3K £26.7K

-67.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.9

$116 £87.7

-22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 €30.69

$54.1 £40.87

-36.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 €61.3

$127 £95.7

-45.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$159 £120

-20.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,125

$2,853 £2,156

-55.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$2,301 £1,739

-54.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 €2,203

$5,201 £3,931

-52.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,523

$3,723 £2,813

-54.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,875 €5,243

$19.0K £14.4K

-69.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 €3,280

$7,881 £5,955

-53.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,385 €2,128

$4,818 £3,641

-50.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

4.65

-35.91%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 118% $1.2K

Eating Out

Bilbao

$276 13.2%

London

$397 9.7% 43.9% $121

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$271 13%

London

$349 8.6% 28.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.3%

London

$434 10.7% 125% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$144 6.9%

London

$205 5% 42.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

London

$97 2.4% 28.3% $21

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

London

$288 7.1% 320% $219

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 102% 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 $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $349 per month, with Bilbao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao London 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and London differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $4,086 including rent). Bilbao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 102% lower in London. 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: $1,261 in Bilbao versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Bilbao versus $2,865 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,101 in Bilbao versus $4,086 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bilbao but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Bilbao 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 London 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 Bilbao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.