Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Mexico City $1,608
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Mexico City $2,549
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Mexico City $3,490
Bilbao $4,069

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 26% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$22.64 €20.27

-53.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$73.0 €65.4

-33.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$12.47 €11.17

-17.00%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.67 €2.39

38.20%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$3.12 €2.79

-46.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.91 €1.71

-33.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.30 €2.96

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.30 €2.96

60.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.31 €1.17

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.65 €1.48

84.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.54 €1.38

25.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.31 €2.97

-12.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$15.55 €13.93

-29.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$7.97 €7.14

16.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$14.56 €13.04

3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.76 €2.47

10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.09 €1.87

-7.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.54 €2.28

-20.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.65 €2.38

-12.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.64 €1.47

24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.43 €2.18

-25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.28 €1.14

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.93 €0.83

36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$6.57 €5.89

-19.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.59 €6.80

112.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.51 €1.35

31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.59 €2.32

64.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.95 €1.75

-84.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$50.7 €45.41

-61.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$5.37 €4.81

-65.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.03 €0.92

-48.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$32.32 €28.94

-83.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.83 €1.64

-17.49%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$33.3K €29.8K

-34.65%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$32.3K €28.9K

-25.66%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$145 €130

-56.54%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$19.91 €17.83

37.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.47 €26.40

21.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$50.8 €45.51

15.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$15.21 €13.62

55.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.18 €9.11

-37.13%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$534 €478

-19.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$11.7K €10.5K

-2.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$105 €93.7

-34.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$36.56 €32.74

45.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$76.0 €68.1

41.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$143 €128

-18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,366 €1,224

-18.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,093 €979

-34.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,008 €1,798

28.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,559 €1,397

-9.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$5,880 €5,266

-38.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$3,707 €3,320

-42.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,346 €2,101

-59.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.98

280.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: 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

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 53.8% $382

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 11.5% $37

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 47.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 4% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bilbao

$194 9% 54.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 171% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $73 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $283, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

346,096

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bilbao 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,166 in Bilbao, so Mexico City is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City 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 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.

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