Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ferrara and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,582 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
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Ferrara Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,582

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ferrara and in Bilbao

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ferrara and in Bilbao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,582 in Ferrara versus $2,129 in Bilbao.

Ferrara $1,582
Bilbao $2,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,476 in Ferrara versus $3,159 in Bilbao.

Ferrara $2,476
Bilbao $3,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,370 in Ferrara versus $4,190 in Bilbao.

Ferrara $3,370
Bilbao $4,190

Living in Ferrara costs roughly 26% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ferrara 17% above, Bilbao 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.96 €15.98

$22.39 €19.92

-19.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$71.3 €63.4

-4.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.85

$12.25 €10.90

-9.63%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.70

$2.55 €2.27

-24.71%

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

$2.63 €2.34

$3.03 €2.70

-13.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.89 €1.68

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.33 €2.96

66.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.41 €3.04

60.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.29 €1.15

25.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.58 €1.41

72.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$1.48 €1.32

111.49%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.13

$3.31 €2.95

40.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 €15.67

$15.51 €13.80

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 €10.06

$7.99 €7.11

41.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.40 €21.70

$14.47 €12.87

68.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.80 €2.49

5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$2.16 €1.93

-31.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 €3.34

$2.61 €2.32

44.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.85

$2.55 €2.27

69.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.63 €1.45

47.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.50 €2.22

-4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.27 €1.13

46.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.90 €0.80

-62.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$6.60 €5.88

0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.33 €3.85

$8.00 €7.12

-45.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.48 €1.31

-5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.50 €2.23

-14.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.76 €1.57

17.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.25 €26.91

$50.4 €44.87

-40.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 €7.37

$5.54 €4.93

49.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.03 €0.91

85.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.91 €30.16

$32.65 €29.04

3.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.81 €1.61

16.02%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$34.7K €30.9K

2.37%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$30.7K €27.3K

17.34%

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

$139 €124

$142 €127

-2.17%

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

$9.52 €8.47

$20.57 €18.29

-53.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 €24.54

$30.26 €26.92

-8.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 €33.09

$55.0 €48.96

-32.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.97 €14.20

$15.24 €13.55

4.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.83

$9.97 €8.87

-11.74%

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

$337 €300

$521 €463

-35.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,930

$11.4K €10.1K

-11.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.5

$105 €93.4

-10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.56 €29.85

$37.72 €33.55

-11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$75.7 €67.3

37.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.8

$146 €130

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 €552

$1,261 €1,121

-50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 €470

$1,057 €940

-49.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,122

$2,392 €2,127

-47.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$886 €788

$1,689 €1,503

-47.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,058

$5,657 €5,032

-59.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 €1,568

$3,688 €3,281

-52.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,618 €1,439

$2,394 €2,129

-32.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

2.98

13.09%

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

Last update for Ferrara: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ferrara

$529 33.4%

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7% 99.9% $528

Groceries & Markets

Ferrara

$361 22.8%

Bilbao

$282 13.3% 21.8% $79

Eating Out

Ferrara

$254 16%

Bilbao

$290 13.6% 14.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ferrara

$176 11.2%

Bilbao

$193 9.1% 9.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ferrara

$151 9.5%

Bilbao

$164 7.7% 8.7% $13

Getting Around

Ferrara

$56 3.6%

Bilbao

$68 3.2% 21% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ferrara

$55 3.5%

Bilbao

$75 3.5% 36.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Ferrara and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 48% 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: $68.0 in Ferrara vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $361 vs $282, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

Same time as Ferrara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,155

346,096

💱 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

Ferrara Bilbao 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ferrara
Bilbao

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

Ferrara vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ferrara and Bilbao differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,582 vs $2,129 including rent). Ferrara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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: $621 in Ferrara versus $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Ferrara versus $521 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,582 in Ferrara versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ferrara but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Ferrara 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, Ferrara and Bilbao 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 Ferrara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.