Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novara and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,483 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Novara
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Novara Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,483

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Novara versus $2,101 in Bilbao.

Novara $1,483
Bilbao $2,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,293 in Novara versus $3,158 in Bilbao.

Novara $2,293
Bilbao $3,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,103 in Novara versus $4,215 in Bilbao.

Novara $3,103
Bilbao $4,215

Living in Novara costs roughly 29% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novara 9% above, Bilbao 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 €14.92

$22.59 €20.10

-25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.3

$73.6 €65.4

-23.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.12

$12.16 €10.82

-15.71%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.55

$2.56 €2.28

-32.03%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$3.17 €2.82

9.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.91 €1.70

-9.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.96

$3.31 €2.94

68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.52

$3.43 €3.05

48.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.34 €1.19

3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.61 €1.43

21.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.47 €1.31

95.92%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$3.35 €2.98

-0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 €10.14

$15.44 €13.74

-26.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 €7.79

$8.25 €7.34

6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 €11.76

$14.39 €12.80

-8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.90 €2.58

-12.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.46

$2.15 €1.91

-23.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.66 €2.37

28.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.64 €2.35

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.64 €1.45

18.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.54 €2.26

-55.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.28 €1.14

-19.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.94 €0.83

-20.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.55

$6.65 €5.91

-6.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$7.77 €6.91

-28.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.48 €1.31

24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.58 €2.29

-11.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.77 €1.58

-4.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 €34.01

$51.4 €45.76

-25.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.87

$5.66 €5.03

-22.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.00 €0.89

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.82 €30.97

$32.88 €29.24

5.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.80 €1.60

13.89%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$33.7K €29.9K

-20.15%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$32.0K €28.4K

4.46%

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

$176 €157

$141 €126

25.00%

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

$10.41 €9.26

$20.30 €18.06

-48.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.24 €26.90

$30.31 €26.96

-0.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.3 €69.6

$55.4 €49.29

41.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 €16.86

$15.19 €13.51

24.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$10.22 €9.09

11.45%

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

$517 €460

$526 €468

-1.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,907 €8,813

$11.4K €10.2K

-13.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 €110

$104 €92.4

19.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 €30.27

$37.05 €32.95

-8.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 €49.40

$74.5 €66.3

-25.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €123

$143 €127

-3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$1,267 €1,127

-49.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €389

$1,026 €913

-57.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$2,414 €2,147

-56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €698

$1,694 €1,507

-53.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,850 €2,535

$5,882 €5,232

-51.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 €1,666

$3,700 €3,291

-49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,082 €1,852

$2,424 €2,156

-14.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

2.98

21.48%

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

Last update for Novara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novara

$438 29.5%

Bilbao

$1K 48.9% 135% $589

Groceries & Markets

Novara

$269 18.1%

Bilbao

$285 13.6% 6% $16

Eating Out

Novara

$245 16.5%

Bilbao

$292 13.9% 19.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novara

$217 14.6%

Bilbao

$192 9.1% 11.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Novara

$158 10.7%

Bilbao

$161 7.7% 1.9% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Novara

$101 6.8%

Bilbao

$76 3.6% 24.9% $25

Getting Around

Novara

$55 3.7%

Bilbao

$69 3.3% 25% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Novara and $1,267 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 16% 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: $57.0 in Novara vs $74.0 in Bilbao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $285 per month, with Novara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Novara

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

Same time as Novara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,910

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Novara Bilbao 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Novara
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

Novara vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novara and Bilbao differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,483 vs $2,101 including rent). Novara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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: $644 in Novara versus $1,267 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $517 in Novara versus $526 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.

At $1,483 in Novara versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novara but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Novara 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, Novara 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 Novara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.