Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Urbana, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Urbana, IL: $1,886 a month against $2,157 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Urbana, IL
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Urbana, IL Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,157

/mo nomad

Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bilbao and in Urbana, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,157 in Bilbao versus $1,886 in Urbana, IL.

Bilbao $2,157
Urbana, IL $1,886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,105 in Bilbao versus $2,137 in Urbana, IL.

Bilbao $3,105
Urbana, IL $2,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,053 in Bilbao versus $2,388 in Urbana, IL.

Bilbao $4,053
Urbana, IL $2,388

Living in Bilbao is roughly 14% more expensive than in Urbana, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 60% above, Urbana, IL 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.54

$14.91 $14.91

47.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.7 €64.7

$60.0 $60.0

21.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 €11.02

$10.14 $10.14

22.09%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$4.80 $4.80

-44.79%

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

$3.15 €2.81

$2.26 $2.26

39.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.72 $1.72

5.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.94

$5.58 $5.58

-40.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 €2.98

$5.37 $5.37

-37.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.85 $0.85

51.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.47

$3.09 $3.09

-46.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.01 $3.01

-50.50%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$3.80 $3.80

-13.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.64 €13.92

$11.97 $11.97

30.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 €7.38

$8.62 $8.62

-3.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.77

$14.23 $14.23

0.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$4.07 $4.07

-29.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.67 $1.67

25.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$3.25 $3.25

-22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.56 $4.56

-43.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.18 $2.18

-27.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.69 $2.69

-7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.27 $2.27

-42.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.34 $1.34

-35.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.89

$12.30 $12.30

-46.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.01 €7.13

$15.06 $15.06

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.15 $2.15

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.50 $3.50

-26.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.98 $0.98

91.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 €45.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.01

$3.04 $3.04

85.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.64 $0.64

60.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.72 €22.01

$24.94 $24.94

-0.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.11 $1.11

65.77%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

22.83%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.4K $26.4K

22.43%

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

$142 €126

$238 $238

-40.44%

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

$20.39 €18.16

$45.91 $45.91

-55.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.72 €26.46

$60.6 $60.6

-50.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.55

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.08 €13.43

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 €8.98

$12.79 $12.79

-21.19%

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

$525 €467

$987 $987

-46.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K €15.6K

$17.1K $17.1K

2.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$49.14 $49.14

107.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 €32.85

$51.5 $51.5

-28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.6

$102 $102

-25.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$122 $122

18.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,206

$842 $842

60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €972

$759 $759

43.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,061 €1,835

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 €1,389

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,729 €5,101

$1,761 $1,761

225.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,749 €3,338

$1,777 $1,777

110.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,361 €2,102

$6,662 $6,662

-64.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

6.82

-56.30%

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

Last update for Bilbao: November 1, 2026

Last update for Urbana, IL: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

Urbana, IL

$759 40.2% 30.5% $333

Eating Out

Bilbao

$288 13.3%

Urbana, IL

$262 13.9% 8.9% $26

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$284 13.2%

Urbana, IL

$339 18% 19.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$192 8.9%

Urbana, IL

$344 18.3% 79.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$161 7.5%

Urbana, IL

$146 7.7% 9.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4% 64.1% $46

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Urbana, IL

$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 $1,355 in Bilbao and $842 in Urbana, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbana, IL pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $60 in Urbana, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $339, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

7 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

41,250

💱 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 Urbana, IL 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
Urbana, IL

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 Urbana, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,157 in Bilbao and $1,886 in Urbana, IL, so Urbana, IL is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Bilbao. 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: $1,355 in Bilbao versus $842 in Urbana, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,157 per month in Bilbao versus $1,886 in Urbana, IL – Urbana, IL is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.