Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Bilbao Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Bilbao

😐 Solo nomad: Madrid is 3.4% more expensive than Bilbao without rent, and 12.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Madrid is 3.8% more expensive than Bilbao without rent, and 17.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €14.98

$17.06 €14.65

2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €59.9

$69.9 €60.1

-0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 €10.11

$11.45 €9.83

2.79%

Cappuccino

$3.16 €2.71

$2.38 €2.04

32.77%

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

$3.18 €2.73

$2.89 €2.48

10.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.88

$2.06 €1.77

6.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 €3.45

$3.83 €3.29

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €3.91

$3.87 €3.32

17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.27 €1.09

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.44

$1.50 €1.29

12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.63 €1.40

3.68%

Eggs

$3.40 €2.92

$2.99 €2.57

13.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 €12.85

$15.26 €13.11

-1.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 €7.55

$8.99 €7.72

-2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.32

$13.59 €11.67

22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.33

$2.77 €2.38

-2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.92

$2.34 €2.01

-4.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.10

$2.51 €2.16

-2.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.40

$2.38 €2.04

17.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.77

$1.73 €1.49

19.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.85

$2.27 €1.95

-4.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.16

$1.43 €1.23

-5.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.86

$1.11 €0.96

-9.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.86

$6.88 €5.91

-0.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 €7.15

$8.10 €6.96

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.25

$1.39 €1.19

4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.87

$2.68 €2.30

-18.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.48

$1.99 €1.71

-13.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.68 €41.82

$48.95 €42.05

-0.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.55

$5.28 €4.54

-21.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 €1.18

$0.90 €0.77

52.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 €25.19

$34.21 €29.38

-14.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.64

$1.82 €1.57

4.95%

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

$38.0K €32.7K

$38.3K €32.9K

-0.81%

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

$34.0K €29.2K

$31.7K €27.2K

7.27%

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

$192 €165

$153 €132

25.41%

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

$21.64 €18.59

$22.06 €18.95

-1.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.47 €30.47

$35.09 €30.14

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 €46.18

$56.4 €48.48

-4.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €15.63

$10.02 €8.60

81.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.66 €10.01

$10.21 €8.77

14.20%

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

$681 €585

$543 €467

25.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.4K

$8,821 €7,577

37.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €81.7

$83.7 €71.9

13.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.76 €36.73

$34.77 €29.87

22.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €92.2

$81.1 €69.7

32.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €115

$111 €95.5

20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,339

$1,107 €951

40.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 €951

$960 €825

15.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,817 €2,420

$1,851 €1,590

52.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,621

$1,338 €1,149

41.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,280 €7,971

$5,767 €4,954

60.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,391 €3,772

$3,716 €3,192

18.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,575 €2,212

$2,386 €2,049

7.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

3.38

1.48%

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

Last update for Madrid: March 1, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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