Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Mellieha

For one person, living is cheaper in Mellieha: $1,868 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Mellieha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Bilbao versus $1,868 in Mellieha.

Bilbao $2,129
Mellieha $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,159 in Bilbao versus $2,814 in Mellieha.

Bilbao $3,159
Mellieha $2,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,190 in Bilbao versus $3,761 in Mellieha.

Bilbao $4,190
Mellieha $3,761

Living in Bilbao is roughly 14% more expensive than in Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 58% above, Mellieha 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €19.92

$16.84 €14.98

32.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.4

$64.6 €57.4

10.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$10.74 €9.55

14.06%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$2.65 €2.36

-3.77%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$2.43 €2.16

24.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.98 €1.76

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$3.92 €3.49

-15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$6.84 €6.08

-50.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.37 €1.22

-5.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.37 €1.22

15.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.44 €3.06

-56.98%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$4.43 €3.94

-25.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 €13.80

$10.15 €9.03

52.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$9.90 €8.80

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$18.22 €16.21

-20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.69 €3.28

-24.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.81 €2.50

-23.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$3.99 €3.55

-34.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.78 €3.36

-32.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.90 €1.69

-14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.39 €3.02

-26.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.70 €1.51

-25.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.15 €1.02

-21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$6.43 €5.72

2.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$6.01 €5.35

33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.42 €2.15

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.36 €2.10

5.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.74 €2.43

-35.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.96 €3.52

39.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.84 €1.64

-44.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.04

$33.19 €29.52

-1.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.46 €1.30

23.97%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$28.1K €25.0K

23.50%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$39.0K €34.7K

-21.26%

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

$142 €127

$104 €92.3

37.09%

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

$20.57 €18.29

$30.81 €27.40

-33.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 €26.92

$28.75 €25.57

5.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.96

$59.9 €53.3

-8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$8.44 €7.51

18.13%

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

$521 €463

$282 €250

85.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$12.3K €11.0K

-7.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$57.2 €50.9

83.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 €33.55

$39.17 €34.85

-3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 €67.3

$82.3 €73.2

-8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$72.7 €64.7

100.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$1,131 €1,006

11.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$915 €814

15.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 €2,127

$1,789 €1,591

33.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,503

$1,508 €1,341

12.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

$3,935 €3,500

43.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

$2,756 €2,451

33.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,394 €2,129

$1,350 €1,201

77.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

4.05

-26.42%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7%

Mellieha

$915 49% 13.4% $142

Eating Out

Bilbao

$290 13.6%

Mellieha

$250 13.4% 13.8% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$282 13.3%

Mellieha

$326 17.4% 15.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.1%

Mellieha

$163 8.8% 15.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$164 7.7%

Mellieha

$113 6.1% 30.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$75 3.5%

Mellieha

$77 4.1% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3% 64.6% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 77% 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: $71.0 in Bilbao vs $65.0 in Mellieha. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $326, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

10,087

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Mellieha 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Mellieha

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 Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Mellieha differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,129 vs $1,868 including rent). Mellieha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 77% 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: $1,261 in Bilbao versus $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,129 per month in Bilbao versus $1,868 in Mellieha – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mellieha but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Mellieha 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 Mellieha 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 Mellieha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.