Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mellieha and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Mellieha: $1,868 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,129 in Bilbao.

Mellieha $1,868
Bilbao $2,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,814 in Mellieha versus $3,159 in Bilbao.

Mellieha $2,814
Bilbao $3,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,761 in Mellieha versus $4,190 in Bilbao.

Mellieha $3,761
Bilbao $4,190

Living in Mellieha costs roughly 12% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mellieha 38% above, Bilbao 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €14.98

$22.39 €19.92

-24.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 €57.4

$71.3 €63.4

-9.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 €9.55

$12.25 €10.90

-12.33%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$2.55 €2.27

3.92%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$3.03 €2.70

-19.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.89 €1.68

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 €3.49

$3.33 €2.96

17.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 €6.08

$3.41 €3.04

100.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.29 €1.15

6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.58 €1.41

-13.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.48 €1.32

132.43%

Eggs

$4.43 €3.94

$3.31 €2.95

33.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 €9.03

$15.51 €13.80

-34.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 €8.80

$7.99 €7.11

23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 €16.21

$14.47 €12.87

25.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.80 €2.49

31.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.16 €1.93

30.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.61 €2.32

52.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.36

$2.55 €2.27

48.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.63 €1.45

16.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.50 €2.22

35.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.27 €1.13

33.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.90 €0.80

27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$6.60 €5.88

-2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$8.00 €7.12

-24.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.48 €1.31

63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.50 €2.23

-5.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.43

$1.76 €1.57

55.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.87

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$5.54 €4.93

-28.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.03 €0.91

78.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$32.65 €29.04

1.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.81 €1.61

-19.34%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$34.7K €30.9K

-19.03%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$30.7K €27.3K

27.00%

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

$104 €92.3

$142 €127

-27.06%

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

$30.81 €27.40

$20.57 €18.29

49.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 €25.57

$30.26 €26.92

-4.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$55.0 €48.96

8.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 €13.55

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.51

$9.97 €8.87

-15.35%

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

$282 €250

$521 €463

-45.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$11.4K €10.1K

8.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €50.9

$105 €93.4

-45.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.17 €34.85

$37.72 €33.55

3.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 €73.2

$75.7 €67.3

8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 €64.7

$146 €130

-50.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$1,261 €1,121

-10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €814

$1,057 €940

-13.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 €1,591

$2,392 €2,127

-25.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,341

$1,689 €1,503

-10.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,935 €3,500

$5,657 €5,032

-30.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,756 €2,451

$3,688 €3,281

-25.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,350 €1,201

$2,394 €2,129

-43.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

2.98

35.91%

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

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mellieha

$915 49%

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7% 15.5% $142

Groceries & Markets

Mellieha

$326 17.4%

Bilbao

$282 13.3% 13.3% $43

Eating Out

Mellieha

$250 13.4%

Bilbao

$290 13.6% 16% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mellieha

$163 8.8%

Bilbao

$193 9.1% 18.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Mellieha

$113 6.1%

Bilbao

$164 7.7% 44.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mellieha

$77 4.1%

Bilbao

$75 3.5% 2.3% $1.8

Getting Around

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3%

Bilbao

$68 3.2% 183% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Mellieha and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 77% 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: $65.0 in Mellieha vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $282, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

Same time as Mellieha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,087

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mellieha Bilbao 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mellieha
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

Mellieha vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mellieha and Bilbao differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,868 vs $2,129 including rent). Mellieha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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: $1,131 in Mellieha versus $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,868 per month in Mellieha versus $2,129 in Bilbao – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mellieha but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Mellieha 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, Mellieha 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 Mellieha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.