Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,649 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bilbao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Thessaloniki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Bilbao versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki.

Bilbao $2,129
Thessaloniki $1,649

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,159 in Bilbao versus $2,537 in Thessaloniki.

Bilbao $3,159
Thessaloniki $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,190 in Bilbao versus $3,425 in Thessaloniki.

Bilbao $4,190
Thessaloniki $3,425

Living in Bilbao is roughly 29% more expensive than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 58% above, Thessaloniki 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €19.92

$17.01 €15.13

31.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.4

$67.2 €59.8

5.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$11.20 €9.96

9.38%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$4.29 €3.82

-40.56%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$2.90 €2.58

4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.76 €0.67

148.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$5.45 €4.85

-38.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$6.53 €5.81

-47.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.70 €1.51

-24.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.78 €1.58

-11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.71 €3.30

-60.11%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$5.50 €4.89

-39.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 €13.80

$14.29 €12.71

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.11

$11.48 €10.21

-30.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$18.35 €16.32

-21.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.51 €2.23

11.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.25 €2.00

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.12 €1.89

23.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.79 €2.48

-8.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.30 €1.15

25.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.22 €1.09

104.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.60 €1.42

-20.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.94 €0.84

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$5.74 €5.11

14.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$9.93 €8.83

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.06 €1.83

-28.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$3.14 €2.79

-20.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.65 €0.57

170.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

$18.07 €16.07

179.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$4.07 €3.62

36.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.13 €1.01

-8.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.04

$16.79 €14.93

94.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.25 €2.00

-19.56%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$28.0K €24.9K

24.16%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$31.0K €27.6K

-1.04%

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

$142 €127

$215 €191

-33.69%

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

$20.57 €18.29

$23.24 €20.67

-11.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 €26.92

$30.60 €27.22

-1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.96

$52.1 €46.32

5.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

$16.27 €14.47

-6.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$10.36 €9.22

-3.76%

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

$521 €463

$469 €417

11.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$9,075 €8,073

25.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$94.7 €84.2

10.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 €33.55

$44.40 €39.50

-15.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 €67.3

$125 €111

-39.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$129 €115

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$622 €554

102.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$489 €435

116.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 €2,127

$1,081 €962

121.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,503

$838 €745

101.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

$3,679 €3,273

53.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

$2,799 €2,490

31.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,394 €2,129

$1,177 €1,047

103.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

5.34

-44.19%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 53.8% $568

Eating Out

Bilbao

$290 13.6%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 4.7% $14

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$282 13.3%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 19% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.1%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 39% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$164 7.7%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$75 3.5%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 2.9% $2.2

Getting Around

Bilbao

$68 3.2%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 55.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 103% 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 $67.0 in Thessaloniki. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $336, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

1 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bilbao Thessaloniki 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
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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 Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Thessaloniki differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,129 vs $1,649 including rent). Thessaloniki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 103% 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 $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $521 in Bilbao versus $469 in Thessaloniki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,649 in Thessaloniki versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Thessaloniki but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Thessaloniki 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 Thessaloniki 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 Thessaloniki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.