Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Bilbao versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Bilbao $2,129
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,159 in Bilbao versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Bilbao $3,159
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,190 in Bilbao versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Bilbao $4,190
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Bilbao is roughly 36% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 58% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €19.92

$10.75 MX$199

108.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.4

$50.3 MX$929

41.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$11.10 MX$205

10.36%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$3.68 MX$68.1

-30.71%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$1.65 MX$30.42

83.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.30 MX$24.08

45.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$3.32 MX$61.3

0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$5.54 MX$102

-38.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.77 MX$32.68

-27.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$3.05 MX$56.4

-48.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.01 MX$37.20

-26.37%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$2.77 MX$51.1

19.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 €13.80

$11.91 MX$220

30.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$9.33 MX$172

-14.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$15.02 MX$278

-3.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.08 MX$56.8

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.95 MX$35.97

10.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.03 MX$37.54

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.21 MX$40.92

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.02 MX$37.41

-19.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.82 MX$33.67

37.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.52 MX$28.07

-16.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.28 MX$23.65

-29.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$5.27 MX$97.4

25.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$16.12 MX$298

-50.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.95 MX$36.05

-24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$4.25 MX$78.6

-41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.31 MX$5.82

467.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

$19.85 MX$367

154.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$2.00 MX$36.93

177.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$0.53 MX$9.86

94.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.04

$5.62 MX$104

480.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.52 MX$28.07

19.08%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

65.15%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

21.90%

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

$142 €127

$62.5 MX$1,155

127.76%

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

$20.57 €18.29

$28.77 MX$532

-28.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 €26.92

$34.45 MX$637

-12.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.96

$57.1 MX$1,055

-3.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

$24.81 MX$458

-38.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$6.67 MX$123

49.48%

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

$521 €463

$431 MX$7,964

20.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-3.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$70.8 MX$1,308

48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 €33.55

$51.8 MX$958

-27.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 €67.3

$109 MX$2,011

-30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$112 MX$2,076

29.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$1,051 MX$19.4K

19.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$665 MX$12.3K

58.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 €2,127

$2,346 MX$43.3K

1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,503

$1,227 MX$22.7K

37.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

$3,554 MX$65.7K

59.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

$1,977 MX$36.5K

86.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,394 €2,129

$975 MX$18.0K

145.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

11.3

-73.63%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 37.1% $392

Eating Out

Bilbao

$290 13.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 29.9% $87

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$282 13.3%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 14.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.1%

Mexico City

$126 8% 34.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$164 7.7%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 5.5% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$75 3.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 6.1% $4.5

Getting Around

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 62.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 146% 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 $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $323, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

17:35 5:35 PM

8 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Mexico City 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Mexico City differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,129 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% 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 $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $521 in Bilbao versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.