Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Scunthorpe

For one person, living costs are similar in Bilbao and in Scunthorpe: $2,101 and $2,096 a month, rent and utilities included.

Bilbao
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,101
/mo nomad
Scunthorpe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,096
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Scunthorpe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $2,096 in Scunthorpe.

  • Bilbao $2,101
  • Scunthorpe $2,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Bilbao versus $2,819 in Scunthorpe.

  • Bilbao $3,158
  • Scunthorpe $2,819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,215 in Bilbao versus $3,541 in Scunthorpe.

  • Bilbao $4,215
  • Scunthorpe $3,541

Monthly costs are close between Bilbao and Scunthorpe; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 55% above, Scunthorpe 55% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.59 €20.10
$13.09 £9.82
72.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.6 €65.4
$89.2 £66.9
-17.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.16 €10.82
$10.45 £7.84
16.36%
Cappuccino
$2.56 €2.28
$4.03 £3.03
-36.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 €2.82
$1.93 £1.44
64.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.70
$1.22 £0.92
56.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.31 €2.94
$5.18 £3.89
-36.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 €3.05
$6.69 £5.02
-48.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 €1.19
$1.46 £1.09
-8.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.58 £1.18
1.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.55 £1.16
-5.16%
Eggs
$3.35 €2.98
$3.75 £2.81
-10.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.44 €13.74
$5.36 £4.02
188.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.25 €7.34
$5.19 £3.89
58.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.39 €12.80
$7.17 £5.38
100.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 €2.58
$2.28 £1.71
27.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.88 £1.41
14.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 €2.37
$2.42 £1.81
9.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.64 €2.35
$4.73 £3.55
-44.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 €1.45
$0.84 £0.63
95.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$0.91 £0.69
179.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.02 £0.77
25.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.83
$1.39 £1.04
-32.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.65 €5.91
$17.81 £13.36
-62.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.77 €6.91
$8.22 £6.17
-5.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 €1.31
$3.94 £2.95
-62.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 €2.29
$4.70 £3.52
-45.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.77 €1.58
$3.64 £2.73
-51.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.4 €45.76
$96.4 £72.3
-46.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.66 €5.03
$4.49 £3.37
26.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 €0.89
$2.72 £2.04
-63.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.88 €29.24
$8.01 £6.01
310.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.60
$2.10 £1.58
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €29.9K
$38.3K £28.8K
-12.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.0K €28.4K
$40.8K £30.6K
-21.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 €126
$202 £151
-30.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.30 €18.06
$16.90 £12.68
20.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.31 €26.96
$45.68 £34.27
-33.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.4 €49.29
$95.1 £71.3
-41.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.19 €13.51
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.22 €9.09
$8.73 £6.55
17.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$526 €468
$1,643 £1,232
-67.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K €10.2K
$16.4K £12.3K
-30.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.4
$39.68 £29.77
161.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.05 €32.95
$20.18 £15.14
83.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.5 €66.3
$77.2 £57.9
-3.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 €127
$78.1 £58.6
83.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 €1,127
$1,216 £912
4.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,026 €913
$1,015 £762
1.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,414 €2,147
$1,284 £963
87.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,694 €1,507
$1,095 £821
54.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,882 €5,232
$5,464 £4,099
7.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,700 €3,291
$4,050 £3,039
-8.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bilbao
Scunthorpe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,424 €2,156
$1,942 £1,457
24.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.98
5.61
-46.88%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Scunthorpe: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bilbao
$1K
Scunthorpe
$1K 1.1% $11
Eating Out
Bilbao
$292
Scunthorpe
$236 19% $55
Groceries & Markets
Bilbao
$285
Scunthorpe
$242 15.3% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bilbao
$192
Scunthorpe
$264 37.9% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Bilbao
$161
Scunthorpe
$97 40% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Bilbao
$76
Scunthorpe
$113 48.4% $37
Getting Around
Bilbao
$69
Scunthorpe
$129 86.5% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in Bilbao and $1,216 in Scunthorpe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74.0 in Bilbao vs $89.0 in Scunthorpe. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $242, with Scunthorpe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Bilbao
🇬🇧 Scunthorpe
🕒 Local time
15:04 3:04 PM
14:04 2:04 PM
1 h behind Bilbao
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
346,096
81,576
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bilbao Scunthorpe 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bilbao
  • Scunthorpe

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 Scunthorpe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city pays better: Bilbao or Scunthorpe?
Average pay runs 25% higher in Bilbao, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Bilbao and in Scunthorpe?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,267 in Bilbao versus $1,216 in Scunthorpe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Bilbao and in Scunthorpe?
A monthly transit pass in Scunthorpe runs roughly 87% less than in Bilbao. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $2,096 in Scunthorpe versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Scunthorpe but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Scunthorpe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bilbao and Scunthorpe?
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.
Is Bilbao or Scunthorpe safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Bilbao and Scunthorpe?
It comes down to priorities – Scunthorpe wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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