Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaga: $2,055 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Bilbao despite lower rent and utilities.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
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Malaga Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,055

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Malaga versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Malaga $2,055
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Malaga versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Malaga $2,939
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Malaga versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Malaga $3,823
Bilbao $4,069

Living in Malaga costs roughly 5% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 51% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.07

$22.64 €20.27

-25.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$73.0 €65.4

-6.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.80

$12.47 €11.17

-3.29%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.36

$2.67 €2.39

-1.12%

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

$2.69 €2.41

$3.12 €2.79

-13.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.91 €1.71

9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.30 €2.96

3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.30 €2.96

33.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.31 €1.17

-6.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.65 €1.48

-13.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.54 €1.38

17.53%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.31 €2.97

3.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$15.55 €13.93

-1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 €7.02

$7.97 €7.14

-1.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.45

$14.56 €13.04

3.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.76 €2.47

-9.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.09 €1.87

-6.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$2.54 €2.28

-30.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.65 €2.38

-8.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.64 €1.47

-5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.43 €2.18

-15.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.28 €1.14

-5.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.93 €0.83

-23.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$6.57 €5.89

1.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.84

$7.59 €6.80

-14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.51 €1.35

-24.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.59 €2.32

-12.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.95 €1.75

-20.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 €23.57

$50.7 €45.41

-48.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.71

$5.37 €4.81

-64.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.03 €0.92

18.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.91 €19.62

$32.32 €28.94

-32.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.83 €1.64

-3.28%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$33.3K €29.8K

0.60%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$32.3K €28.9K

-2.17%

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

$162 €145

$145 €130

12.10%

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

$10.59 €9.48

$19.91 €17.83

-46.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.04 €21.53

$29.47 €26.40

-18.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.58

$50.8 €45.51

-21.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 €15.95

$15.21 €13.62

17.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 €8.71

$10.18 €9.11

-4.42%

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

$864 €773

$534 €478

61.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,940 €8,902

$11.7K €10.5K

-15.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$105 €93.7

-14.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.99 €34.92

$36.56 €32.74

6.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 €75.5

$76.0 €68.1

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.7

$143 €128

-25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 €1,289

$1,366 €1,224

5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €986

$1,093 €979

0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 €2,125

$2,008 €1,798

18.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 €1,435

$1,559 €1,397

2.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 €4,536

$5,880 €5,266

-13.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 €2,822

$3,707 €3,320

-15.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,902 €1,703

$2,346 €2,101

-18.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.98

10.74%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaga

$1.1K 53.6%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 0.7% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$266 13%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 6.2% $17

Eating Out

Malaga

$247 12%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 18.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$197 9.6%

Bilbao

$194 9% 1.4% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 12.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$59 2.9%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 20.3% $12

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 70.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Malaga and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Malaga vs $73 in Bilbao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $283 per month, with Malaga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

Same time as Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga Bilbao 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
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

Malaga vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,055 in Malaga and $2,166 in Bilbao, so Malaga is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Malaga. 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: $1,439 in Malaga versus $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $864 in Malaga versus $534 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Malaga 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, Malaga and Bilbao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Malaga wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.