Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Mataro

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataro: $1,844 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Mataro
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Mataro Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Mataro

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Mataro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $1,844 in Mataro.

Bilbao $2,166
Mataro $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,696 in Mataro.

Bilbao $3,118
Mataro $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $3,548 in Mataro.

Bilbao $4,069
Mataro $3,548

Living in Bilbao is roughly 17% more expensive than in Mataro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Mataro 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.33

$16.70 €15.00

35.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.5

$56.6 €50.9

28.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.20

$13.34 €11.99

-6.52%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.40

$2.04 €1.83

30.88%

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

$3.12 €2.80

$2.33 €2.09

33.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.89 €1.70

1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.97

$4.01 €3.60

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.97

$3.40 €3.05

-2.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.23 €1.11

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.08 €1.87

-20.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.48 €1.33

4.05%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.98

$3.99 €3.58

-17.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.97

$17.04 €15.31

-8.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.16

$9.27 €8.33

-14.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.08

$19.59 €17.60

-25.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.64 €2.37

4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.96 €1.76

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.69 €2.41

-5.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.86 €2.57

-7.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.07 €1.86

-20.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$2.28 €2.05

6.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.52 €1.36

-15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.88 €0.79

5.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.90

$6.35 €5.70

3.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.82

$5.64 €5.07

34.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.10 €0.99

37.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.29 €2.06

13.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$2.54 €2.28

-23.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.55

$34.37 €30.87

47.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.83

$2.30 €2.07

133.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.07 €0.96

-3.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €29.03

$29.06 €26.10

11.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.74 €1.56

5.17%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$32.3K €29.0K

3.04%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$32.0K €28.8K

0.74%

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

$145 €130

$184 €165

-21.32%

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

$19.91 €17.88

$12.18 €10.94

63.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.48

$29.34 €26.35

0.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.65

$60.8 €54.6

-16.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.66

$13.76 €12.36

10.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.14

$10.81 €9.71

-5.83%

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

$534 €480

$500 €449

6.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$7,830 €7,034

49.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €94.0

$87.1 €78.2

20.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.84

$39.89 €35.83

-8.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.3

$96.9 €87.0

-21.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €129

$114 €102

25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,227

$940 €844

45.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €982

$780 €700

40.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,804

$1,333 €1,198

50.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,401

$1,172 €1,053

33.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,282

$3,286 €2,951

78.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,330

$2,846 €2,557

30.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,108

$1,861 €1,672

26.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.28

-9.15%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mataro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Mataro

$780 42.3% 28.7% $313

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Mataro

$242 13.1% 17.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Mataro

$310 16.8% 9.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Mataro

$226 12.2% 16.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Mataro

$152 8.2% 6.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Mataro

$82 4.5% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Mataro

$52 2.8% 24.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $940 in Mataro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $57 in Mataro. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $310, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇪🇸 Mataro

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

129,870

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Mataro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $1,844 in Mataro, so Mataro is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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 $940 in Mataro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $500 in Mataro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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