Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bilbao

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Bilbao: $2,210 and $2,166 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Lisbon $2,210
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Lisbon $3,275
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Lisbon $4,341
Bilbao $4,069

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Bilbao; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$22.64 €20.33

-26.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$73.0 €65.5

-15.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$12.47 €11.20

-8.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.67 €2.40

11.24%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.12 €2.80

-26.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.91 €1.72

-8.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.30 €2.97

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.30 €2.97

0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 €1.18

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.65 €1.48

15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.54 €1.39

-1.95%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.31 €2.98

21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$15.55 €13.97

-16.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.97 €7.16

-2.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$14.56 €13.08

21.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.76 €2.48

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.09 €1.88

-17.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.54 €2.28

-26.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.65 €2.38

-2.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.64 €1.47

10.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.43 €2.18

-18.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.28 €1.15

14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.93 €0.83

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.57 €5.90

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.59 €6.82

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.51 €1.35

-9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.59 €2.32

-17.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.95 €1.75

19.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$50.7 €45.55

-11.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.37 €4.83

-28.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.03 €0.92

3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$32.32 €29.03

-49.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.83 €1.64

20.22%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.3K €29.9K

2.71%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.3K €29.0K

20.01%

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

$161 €145

$145 €130

11.26%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$19.91 €17.88

-7.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$29.47 €26.48

11.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$50.8 €45.65

-12.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$15.21 €13.66

25.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$10.18 €9.14

-5.70%

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

$668 €600

$534 €480

25.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.7K €10.5K

50.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$105 €94.0

-2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$36.56 €32.84

21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$76.0 €68.3

29.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$143 €129

-13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,366 €1,227

17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,093 €982

8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,008 €1,804

40.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,559 €1,401

29.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$5,880 €5,282

33.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,707 €3,330

23.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,346 €2,108

-32.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.98

29.19%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 8.2% $97

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 3.9% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 21.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bilbao

$194 9% 8.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 2.2% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 11.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 9.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $73 in Bilbao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $283 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bilbao 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 12% less than in Bilbao. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bilbao gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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