Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Malaga

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaga: $2,055 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Bilbao despite lower rent and utilities.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Malaga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $2,055 in Malaga.

Bilbao $2,166
Malaga $2,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,939 in Malaga.

Bilbao $3,118
Malaga $2,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $3,823 in Malaga.

Bilbao $4,069
Malaga $3,823

Living in Bilbao is roughly 5% more expensive than in Malaga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Malaga 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.27

$16.82 €15.07

34.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.4

$68.1 €61.0

7.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.17

$12.06 €10.80

3.40%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$2.64 €2.36

1.14%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$2.69 €2.41

15.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.09 €1.87

-8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.42 €3.06

-3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$4.42 €3.96

-25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.22 €1.09

7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.42 €1.27

16.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.81 €1.62

-14.92%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$3.42 €3.06

-3.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.93

$15.35 €13.75

1.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$7.84 €7.02

1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.04

$15.02 €13.45

-3.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.49 €2.23

10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.96 €1.75

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.76 €1.58

44.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.42 €2.17

9.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.55 €1.39

5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$2.05 €1.84

18.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.21 €1.08

5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.71 €0.63

30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.89

$6.64 €5.94

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.80

$6.52 €5.84

16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.14 €1.02

32.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.26 €2.02

14.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.55 €1.39

25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.41

$26.32 €23.57

92.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.81

$1.90 €1.71

182.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.22 €1.09

-15.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.94

$21.91 €19.62

47.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.77 €1.58

3.39%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$33.5K €30.0K

-0.59%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$31.6K €28.3K

2.22%

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

$145 €130

$162 €145

-10.79%

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

$19.91 €17.83

$10.59 €9.48

88.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.40

$24.04 €21.53

22.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.51

$39.73 €35.58

27.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.62

$17.81 €15.95

-14.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.11

$9.73 €8.71

4.62%

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

$534 €478

$864 €773

-38.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$9,940 €8,902

17.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.7

$89.5 €80.2

16.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.74

$38.99 €34.92

-6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.1

$84.3 €75.5

-9.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$107 €95.7

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,224

$1,439 €1,289

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €979

$1,101 €986

-0.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,798

$2,373 €2,125

-15.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,397

$1,602 €1,435

-2.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,266

$5,065 €4,536

16.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,320

$3,151 €2,822

17.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,101

$1,902 €1,703

23.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.3

-9.70%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6% 0.7% $7.9

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Malaga

$247 12% 15.8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Malaga

$266 13% 5.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Malaga

$197 9.6% 1.4% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Malaga

$144 7% 11.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Malaga

$59 2.9% 16.8% $12

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Malaga

$41 2% 41.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $1,439 in Malaga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $68 in Malaga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $266 per month, with Malaga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇪🇸 Malaga

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

586,384

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Malaga 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Malaga

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 Malaga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $2,055 in Malaga, so Malaga is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Bilbao, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,366 in Bilbao versus $1,439 in Malaga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $864 in Malaga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Malaga 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 Malaga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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