Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Smith, AR: $1,951 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bilbao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,951

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fort Smith, AR 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 Fort Smith, AR and in Bilbao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Fort Smith, AR $1,951
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,992 in Fort Smith, AR versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Fort Smith, AR $2,992
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,033 in Fort Smith, AR versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Fort Smith, AR $4,033
Bilbao $4,069

Living in Fort Smith, AR costs roughly 10% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Smith, AR 43% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$22.64 €20.28

-10.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 $64.6

$73.0 €65.4

-11.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 $11.43

$12.47 €11.18

-8.34%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$2.67 €2.40

99.25%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$3.12 €2.79

-23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.91 €1.71

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.30 €2.96

80.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$3.30 €2.96

173.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.31 €1.17

-27.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.65 €1.48

97.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.54 €1.38

145.45%

Eggs

$2.89 $2.89

$3.31 €2.97

-12.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$15.55 €13.94

-51.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 $10.76

$7.97 €7.14

35.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$14.56 €13.05

34.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.76 €2.47

72.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.09 €1.87

-30.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.54 €2.28

-2.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.65 €2.38

-20.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.64 €1.47

15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.43 €2.18

-34.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.28 €1.15

36.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.93 €0.83

145.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.33 $8.33

$6.57 €5.89

26.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 $13.89

$7.59 €6.80

83.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.51 €1.35

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.59 €2.32

1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.95 €1.75

-37.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.44 $35.44

$50.7 €45.44

-30.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$5.37 €4.81

-50.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.03 €0.92

25.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 $29.99

$32.32 €28.96

-7.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.83 €1.64

-58.47%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$33.3K €29.8K

-22.02%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$32.3K €28.9K

-20.72%

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

$276 $276

$145 €130

90.22%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$19.91 €17.84

249.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$29.47 €26.41

134.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.06 $27.06

$50.8 €45.54

-46.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.21 €13.63

6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 $13.52

$10.18 €9.12

32.81%

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

$918 $918

$534 €478

71.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.7K €10.5K

100.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$105 €93.8

-47.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 $41.77

$36.56 €32.76

14.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 $91.8

$76.0 €68.1

20.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 $77.6

$143 €128

-45.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 $683

$1,366 €1,224

-50.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 $646

$1,093 €979

-40.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$2,008 €1,799

-23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$1,559 €1,397

-16.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,557 $1,557

$5,880 €5,269

-73.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,561 $1,561

$3,707 €3,322

-57.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,154 $3,154

$2,346 €2,102

34.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

2.98

114.09%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Smith, AR

$646 33.1%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 69.2% $447

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$414 21.2%

Bilbao

$194 9% 53.1% $220

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$342 17.6%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 17.4% $60

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$325 16.7%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 9.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$120 6.1%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 35.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.8%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 31.6% $17

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$49 2.5%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 39.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Fort Smith, AR and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in Fort Smith, AR vs $73 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $283, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

7 h ahead of Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

346,096

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Smith, AR Bilbao 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, AR
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

Fort Smith, AR vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR and $2,166 in Bilbao, so Fort Smith, AR is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Fort Smith, AR, 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: $683 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $918 in Fort Smith, AR versus $534 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.