Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Scunthorpe Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Scunthorpe

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,181 in Bilbao versus $2,235 in Scunthorpe.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Bilbao versus $2,971 in Scunthorpe.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,175 in Bilbao versus $3,707 in Scunthorpe.

Living in Bilbao costs roughly 2% less than in Scunthorpe, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Scunthorpe 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.67 €17.79

$13.53 £10.01

52.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 €61.5

$81.7 £60.4

-12.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.89 €11.10

$9.40 £6.95

37.13%

Cappuccino

$2.66 €2.29

$4.06 £3.00

-34.48%

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

$3.15 €2.71

$1.92 £1.42

64.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.60

$1.19 £0.88

56.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 €3.09

$5.29 £3.92

-32.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €2.98

$7.49 £5.54

-53.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.20

$1.43 £1.06

-2.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.43

$1.77 £1.31

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.34

$1.61 £1.19

-3.73%

Eggs

$3.37 €2.90

$4.08 £3.01

-17.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 €13.00

$5.53 £4.09

173.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 €6.97

$5.35 £3.95

51.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 €11.72

$7.43 £5.50

83.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$2.41 £1.79

14.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.84

$2.06 £1.52

3.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.30

$2.81 £2.08

-4.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.09

$3.57 £2.64

-31.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.30

$0.79 £0.58

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 €2.20

$0.97 £0.72

163.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.10

$1.00 £0.74

27.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.74

$1.60 £1.19

-46.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €5.88

$18.27 £13.52

-62.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 €7.01

$7.96 £5.89

2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.38

$2.89 £2.14

-44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.26

$3.14 £2.32

-16.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.63

$3.65 £2.70

-48.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 €45.58

$94.0 £69.5

-43.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 €5.02

$3.18 £2.35

83.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.92

$2.05 £1.52

-47.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.10 €29.35

$8.34 £6.17

308.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.05 £1.51

-16.59%

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

$36.4K €31.3K

$38.8K £28.7K

-6.11%

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

$31.6K €27.2K

$41.3K £30.5K

-23.32%

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

$149 €128

$289 £214

-48.39%

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

$20.81 €17.91

$21.51 £15.91

-3.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.51 €27.12

$41.52 £30.71

-24.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 €49.56

$97.2 £71.9

-40.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 €13.94

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 €9.10

$8.62 £6.37

22.62%

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

$555 €477

$1,844 £1,364

-69.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.1K

$22.9K £17.0K

-48.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €80.5

$40.10 £29.67

133.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.95 €30.95

$20.46 £15.14

75.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 €61.6

$91.9 £68.0

-22.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €116

$80.7 £59.7

67.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,121

$1,249 £924

4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 €946

$1,056 £782

4.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 €2,206

$1,289 £954

98.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,807 €1,556

$1,115 £825

62.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,083 €5,236

$5,197 £3,845

17.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,833 €3,299

$4,095 £3,029

-6.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,439 €2,100

$2,007 £1,485

21.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

4.99

-40.28%

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

Last update for Bilbao: August 30, 2026

Last update for Scunthorpe: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,302 in Bilbao and $1,249 in Scunthorpe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Bilbao vs $82.0 in Scunthorpe. Groceries flip the comparison at $281 vs $238, with Scunthorpe cheaper for home cooking.

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 Scunthorpe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Scunthorpe differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,181 vs $2,235 including rent). Bilbao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $1,302 in Bilbao versus $1,249 in Scunthorpe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Bilbao versus $1,844 in Scunthorpe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Scunthorpe pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,181 in Bilbao versus $2,235 in Scunthorpe, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bilbao but tight or insufficient in Scunthorpe. The gap between the two cities makes Bilbao 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 Scunthorpe 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 Bilbao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Scunthorpe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.