Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Syros

For one person, living is cheaper in Syros: $1,533 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Syros
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Syros Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Syros

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Syros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $1,533 in Syros.

Bilbao $2,166
Syros $1,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,316 in Syros.

Bilbao $3,118
Syros $2,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $3,099 in Syros.

Bilbao $4,069
Syros $3,099

Living in Bilbao is roughly 41% more expensive than in Syros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Syros 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.28

$12.82 €11.49

76.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.4

$55.1 €49.36

32.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.18

$10.08 €9.03

23.71%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.40

$3.36 €3.01

-20.54%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$2.38 €2.13

31.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.73 €0.66

161.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$5.57 €4.99

-40.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$5.20 €4.66

-36.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.78 €1.60

-26.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.43 €1.28

15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$2.59 €2.33

-40.54%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$4.52 €4.05

-26.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.94

$15.50 €13.89

0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$10.43 €9.35

-23.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.05

$14.96 €13.41

-2.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.17 €1.95

27.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.05 €1.84

1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.34 €1.20

89.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$1.77 €1.58

49.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.19 €1.06

37.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$1.18 €1.05

105.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$0.89 €0.80

43.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.70 €0.63

32.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.89

$4.98 €4.46

31.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.80

$8.02 €7.19

-5.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.23 €2.00

-32.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.99 €2.68

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.35 €1.21

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.44

$53.2 €47.70

-4.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.81

$4.44 €3.97

20.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.10 €0.99

-6.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.96

$5.48 €4.91

489.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.18 €1.95

-16.06%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$27.8K €24.9K

19.80%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$24.1K €21.6K

34.02%

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

$145 €130

$194 €174

-25.25%

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

$19.91 €17.84

$25.45 €22.80

-21.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.41

$27.57 €24.71

6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.54

$54.1 €48.46

-6.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.63

$25.02 €22.42

-39.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.12

$9.01 €8.07

12.99%

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

$534 €478

$391 €350

36.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$3,967 €3,555

195.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.8

$88.9 €79.7

17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.76

$27.47 €24.62

33.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.1

$84.2 €75.4

-9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$82.9 €74.3

72.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,224

$577 €517

136.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €979

$501 €449

118.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,799

$995 €892

101.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,397

$828 €742

88.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,269

$1,662 €1,489

253.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,322

$1,567 €1,404

136.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,102

$966 €865

142.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

4.44

-32.88%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Syros: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Syros

$501 32.7% 54.1% $592

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Syros

$224 14.6% 23.8% $70

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Syros

$293 19.1% 3.5% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Syros

$247 16.1% 27.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Syros

$128 8.3% 21.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Syros

$72 4.7% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Syros

$69 4.5% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $577 in Syros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $55 in Syros. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $293, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇬🇷 Syros

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

1 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

1,138

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Syros 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Syros

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 Syros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $1,533 in Syros, so Syros is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bilbao is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $1,366 in Bilbao versus $577 in Syros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $391 in Syros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Syros is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Syros is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bilbao, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bilbao and Syros are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Syros wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.