Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Bilbao: $2,166 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Madrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Bilbao $2,166
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Bilbao $3,118
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Bilbao $4,069
Madrid $4,475

Living in Bilbao costs roughly 6% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.24

$17.73 €15.85

27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.2

$66.9 €59.8

9.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.15

$11.30 €10.10

10.35%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$3.04 €2.72

-12.17%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$3.36 €3.00

-7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.35 €2.10

-18.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.95

$3.89 €3.48

-15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.95

$4.80 €4.29

-31.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.32 €1.18

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.64 €1.47

0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.72 €1.54

-10.47%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.96

$4.20 €3.76

-21.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.90

$15.91 €14.22

-2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.13

$9.36 €8.37

-14.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.02

$17.21 €15.39

-15.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.56 €2.29

7.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.55 €2.28

-0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.58 €2.31

2.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.31 €2.07

-29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.17 €1.94

11.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.50 €1.34

-14.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.07 €0.96

-13.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$6.57 €5.87

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.79

$7.87 €7.03

-3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.21 €1.08

24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.17 €1.94

19.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.67 €1.49

16.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.33

$37.53 €33.55

35.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.80

$3.76 €3.36

42.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 €1.33

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.89

$30.17 €26.97

7.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.85 €1.65

-1.08%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$33.9K €30.3K

-1.73%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.3K €29.8K

-3.16%

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

$145 €130

$192 €171

-24.36%

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

$19.91 €17.80

$17.66 €15.79

12.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.35

$35.07 €31.36

-15.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.43

$47.27 €42.26

7.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.60

$18.23 €16.30

-16.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.10

$11.29 €10.10

-9.83%

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

$534 €477

$687 €614

-22.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$18.0K €16.1K

-34.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.6

$86.5 €77.4

20.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.68

$41.65 €37.23

-12.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.0

$108 €96.6

-29.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$112 €99.8

28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,221

$1,508 €1,348

-9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €977

$1,210 €1,081

-9.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,795

$2,829 €2,529

-29.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,394

$2,004 €1,792

-22.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,257

$9,002 €8,047

-34.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,314

$4,710 €4,210

-21.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,097

$2,453 €2,193

-4.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.14

-5.10%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 10.7% $117

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 10.1% $30

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 7.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 25.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 3.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Madrid

$70 3% 1.9% $1.3

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 19.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 5% 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: $73 in Bilbao vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $304, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $2,304 in Madrid, so Bilbao is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $687 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bilbao gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bilbao wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.