Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Madrid Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Madrid

🙂 Solo nomad: Bilbao is 8% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 14.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bilbao is 6.8% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 17.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €14.71
$17.03 €14.7
0.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.6 €60.1
$70.3 €60.7
-0.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.62 €10.04
$11.77 €10.16
-1.27%
Cappuccino
$2.31 €2
$3.21 €2.77
-28.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.6
$3.18 €2.75
-5.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.8
$2.1 €1.82
-0.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.74 €3.23
$4.13 €3.56
-9.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 €3.31
$4.49 €3.88
-14.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.1
$1.23 €1.07
4.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 €1.24
$1.63 €1.41
-11.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 €1.4
$1.64 €1.41
-1.22%
Eggs
$3.01 €2.6
$3.34 €2.89
-9.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.32 €13.23
$14.88 €12.84
2.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 €7.62
$9.04 €7.81
-2.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.17 €11.37
$16.8 €14.5
-21.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 €2.4
$2.73 €2.35
1.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 €2.09
$2.15 €1.86
12.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 €2.15
$2.5 €2.16
-0.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 €2.09
$2.67 €2.31
-9.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.75 €1.51
$2.14 €1.85
-18.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 €2
$2.16 €1.87
7.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.27
$1.35 €1.17
8.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 €0.97
$0.93 €0.81
20.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.05
$7.12 €6.15
-1.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.8 €5.87
$7.96 €6.87
-14.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.2
$1.39 €1.2
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 €2.35
$2.27 €1.96
20.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2 €1.72
$1.71 €1.47
16.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.85 €43.04
$48.37 €41.77
3.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 €4.63
$4.15 €3.59
29.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 €0.83
$1.34 €1.15
-28.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.06 €28.54
$28.54 €24.64
15.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.5
$1.86 €1.6
-6.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K €33.1K
$37.9K €32.7K
1.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K €27.2K
$34.2K €29.5K
-8.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 €133
$191 €165
-19.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.93 €18.94
$21.25 €18.35
3.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.32 €29.63
$35.96 €31.05
-4.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 €48.68
$54 €46.59
4.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.15 €8.76
$17.96 €15.51
-43.49%
Cinema Ticket
$10.05 €8.68
$11.51 €9.94
-12.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 €482
$674 €582
-17.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,950 €7,728
$11.8K €10.2K
-24.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.5 €71.2
$95.7 €82.6
-13.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.76 €30.87
$41.6 €35.92
-14.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82 €70.8
$105 €91.1
-22.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 €97.1
$132 €114
-14.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 €933
$1,561 €1,348
-30.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$961 €829
$1,109 €958
-13.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,793 €1,548
$2,840 €2,452
-36.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,320 €1,140
$1,884 €1,626
-29.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,862 €4,198
$8,381 €7,236
-41.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,701 €3,195
$4,938 €4,263
-25.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bilbao
Madrid
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,114 €1,826
$2,579 €2,227
-18.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.38
3.43
-1.46%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 28, 2025

Last update for Madrid: October 29, 2025

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