Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Monroe, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Monroe, LA: $1,868 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
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Monroe, LA Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Monroe, LA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $1,868 in Monroe, LA.

Bilbao $2,101
Monroe, LA $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Bilbao versus $2,845 in Monroe, LA.

Bilbao $3,158
Monroe, LA $2,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,215 in Bilbao versus $3,822 in Monroe, LA.

Bilbao $4,215
Monroe, LA $3,822

Living in Bilbao is roughly 12% more expensive than in Monroe, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 55% above, Monroe, LA 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.59 €20.10

$16.80 $16.80

34.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €65.4

$39.32 $39.32

87.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 €10.82

$10.19 $10.19

19.33%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.28

$3.08 $3.08

-16.88%

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

$3.17 €2.82

$1.98 $1.98

60.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.43 $2.43

-21.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.03 $4.03

-17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$6.17 $6.17

-44.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.09 $1.09

22.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.74 $2.74

-41.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.75 $2.75

-46.55%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.98

$3.08 $3.08

8.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 €13.74

$8.69 $8.69

77.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 €7.34

$7.95 $7.95

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 €12.80

$15.71 $15.71

-8.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$5.04 $5.04

-42.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.42 $1.42

51.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$4.31 $4.31

-38.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$3.80 $3.80

-30.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.45

$2.72 $2.72

-39.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.59 $2.59

-1.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.46 $1.46

-12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$1.86 $1.86

-49.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.91

$7.93 $7.93

-16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.91

$13.25 $13.25

-41.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.81 $1.81

-18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.68 $1.68

53.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.4 €45.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.03

$2.54 $2.54

122.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.53 $1.53

-34.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 €29.24

$23.83 $23.83

37.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.90 $0.90

100.00%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$27.6K $27.6K

21.92%

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

$32.0K €28.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

19.83%

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

$141 €126

$171 $171

-17.44%

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

$20.30 €18.06

$53.2 $53.2

-61.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.31 €26.96

$63.1 $63.1

-51.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 €49.29

$47.06 $47.06

17.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 €13.51

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.09

$12.91 $12.91

-20.84%

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

$526 €468

$807 $807

-34.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.2K

$19.1K $19.1K

-40.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.4

$40.69 $40.69

155.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 €32.95

$38.06 $38.06

-2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.3

$63.3 $63.3

17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$99.4 $99.4

43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 €1,127

$984 $984

28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 €913

$812 $812

26.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 €2,147

$2,127 $2,127

13.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,507

$1,619 $1,619

4.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,882 €5,232

$1,858 $1,858

216.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,700 €3,291

$1,763 $1,763

109.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 €2,156

$3,703 $3,703

-34.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

6.75

-55.85%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monroe, LA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1K 48.9%

Monroe, LA

$812 43.5% 20.9% $214

Eating Out

Bilbao

$292 13.9%

Monroe, LA

$252 13.5% 13.6% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$285 13.6%

Monroe, LA

$325 17.4% 13.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$192 9.1%

Monroe, LA

$287 15.4% 49.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$161 7.7%

Monroe, LA

$109 5.8% 32.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Monroe, LA

$73 3.9% 3.9% $3

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5% 85.3% $59

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 $1,267 in Bilbao and $984 in Monroe, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monroe, LA pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Bilbao vs $39.00 in Monroe, LA. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $325, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

02:19 2:19 AM

7 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

47,702

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bilbao Monroe, LA 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Monroe, LA

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 Monroe, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Monroe, LA differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $1,868 including rent). Monroe, LA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Monroe, LA. 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: $1,267 in Bilbao versus $984 in Monroe, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $2,101 per month in Bilbao versus $1,868 in Monroe, LA – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,868 in Monroe, LA versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monroe, LA but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Monroe, LA 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 Monroe, LA 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 Monroe, LA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.