Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palermo and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,566 a month against $2,129 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,566

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,566 in Palermo versus $2,129 in Bilbao.

Palermo $1,566
Bilbao $2,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Palermo versus $3,159 in Bilbao.

Palermo $2,314
Bilbao $3,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,061 in Palermo versus $4,190 in Bilbao.

Palermo $3,061
Bilbao $4,190

Living in Palermo 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: Palermo 16% above, Bilbao 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 €13.36

$22.39 €19.92

-32.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.51

$71.3 €63.4

-21.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$12.25 €10.90

-8.16%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.81

$2.55 €2.27

-20.00%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$3.03 €2.70

-22.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.89 €1.68

-32.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.33 €2.96

72.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$3.41 €3.04

17.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.29 €1.15

-2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.58 €1.41

12.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.48 €1.32

85.14%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.66

$3.31 €2.95

-9.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.93 €13.28

$15.51 €13.80

-3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 €10.67

$7.99 €7.11

50.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.18

$14.47 €12.87

17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.80 €2.49

3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.16 €1.93

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.61 €2.32

12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.55 €2.27

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.63 €1.45

4.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.50 €2.22

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.27 €1.13

40.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.35

$0.90 €0.80

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$6.60 €5.88

3.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 €6.50

$8.00 €7.12

-8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.48 €1.31

46.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.50 €2.23

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.76 €1.57

-10.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.13 €32.14

$50.4 €44.87

-28.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 €2.92

$5.54 €4.93

-40.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.03 €0.91

10.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.46 €34.21

$32.65 €29.04

17.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.81 €1.61

14.36%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$34.7K €30.9K

3.71%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$30.7K €27.3K

14.26%

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

$228 €203

$142 €127

60.02%

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

$9.87 €8.78

$20.57 €18.29

-52.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.63 €23.68

$30.26 €26.92

-12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 €41.54

$55.0 €48.96

-15.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.87 €28.35

$15.24 €13.55

109.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 €7.84

$9.97 €8.87

-11.63%

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

$439 €391

$521 €463

-15.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,629 €5,007

$11.4K €10.1K

-50.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 €63.8

$105 €93.4

-31.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.89 €27.47

$37.72 €33.55

-18.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 €77.2

$75.7 €67.3

14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$146 €130

-14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 €650

$1,261 €1,121

-42.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 €445

$1,057 €940

-52.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 €971

$2,392 €2,127

-54.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 €649

$1,689 €1,503

-56.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 €2,349

$5,657 €5,032

-53.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 €1,124

$3,688 €3,281

-65.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,635 €1,455

$2,394 €2,129

-31.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.98

13.76%

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

Last update for Palermo: 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

Palermo

$500 31.9%

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7% 111% $557

Groceries & Markets

Palermo

$315 20.1%

Bilbao

$282 13.3% 10.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palermo

$264 16.9%

Bilbao

$193 9.1% 26.9% $71

Eating Out

Palermo

$230 14.7%

Bilbao

$290 13.6% 26.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Palermo

$142 9%

Bilbao

$164 7.7% 15.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Palermo

$64 4.1%

Bilbao

$75 3.5% 16.6% $11

Getting Around

Palermo

$51 3.3%

Bilbao

$68 3.2% 32.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Palermo and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 46% 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: $56.0 in Palermo vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $282, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Palermo

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

Same time as Palermo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,165

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Palermo Bilbao 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Palermo
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

Palermo vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palermo and Bilbao differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,566 vs $2,129 including rent). Palermo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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: $731 in Palermo versus $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $439 in Palermo versus $521 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,566 in Palermo versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palermo but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Palermo 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, Palermo 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 Palermo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.