Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rethymno and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,358 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,358 in Rethymno versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Rethymno $1,358
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Rethymno versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Rethymno $2,031
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Rethymno versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Rethymno $2,703
Bilbao $4,069

Living in Rethymno costs roughly 37% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.69 €11.40

$22.64 €20.33

-43.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.4

$73.0 €65.5

-23.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.21

$12.47 €11.20

-17.80%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.18

$2.67 €2.40

32.58%

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

$1.67 €1.50

$3.12 €2.80

-46.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.91 €1.72

-69.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.08

$3.30 €2.97

37.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.71

$3.30 €2.97

59.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.31 €1.18

20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.65 €1.48

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.54 €1.39

46.75%

Eggs

$4.48 €4.02

$3.31 €2.98

35.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.63

$15.55 €13.97

-2.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 €8.69

$7.97 €7.16

21.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 €13.86

$14.56 €13.08

5.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.76 €2.48

-27.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.09 €1.88

-4.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.54 €2.28

-51.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.65 €2.38

-35.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.64 €1.47

-41.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 €0.90

$2.43 €2.18

-58.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.28 €1.15

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.93 €0.83

-20.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 €3.94

$6.57 €5.90

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.19

$7.59 €6.82

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.51 €1.35

19.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.59 €2.32

-29.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.95 €1.75

-7.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.11

$5.37 €4.83

-14.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.03 €0.92

10.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.38 €10.22

$32.32 €29.03

-64.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.83 €1.64

20.77%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$33.3K €29.9K

-32.70%

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

$24.5K €22.0K

$32.3K €29.0K

-24.01%

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

$191 €171

$145 €130

31.64%

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

$18.37 €16.50

$19.91 €17.88

-7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.03 €27.88

$29.47 €26.48

5.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 €54.9

$50.8 €45.65

20.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.66

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 €7.60

$10.18 €9.14

-16.90%

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

$366 €329

$534 €480

-31.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,964 €3,561

$11.7K €10.5K

-66.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €79.2

$105 €94.0

-15.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.04 €9.91

$36.56 €32.84

-69.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.52 €39.99

$76.0 €68.3

-41.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.41 €39.90

$143 €129

-68.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 €492

$1,366 €1,227

-59.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €401

$1,093 €982

-59.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €820

$2,008 €1,804

-54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 €629

$1,559 €1,401

-55.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 €3,748

$5,880 €5,282

-29.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,963 €2,662

$3,707 €3,330

-20.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,201 €1,079

$2,346 €2,108

-48.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

2.98

44.30%

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

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rethymno

$447 32.9%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 145% $646

Groceries & Markets

Rethymno

$273 20.1%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 3.4% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rethymno

$240 17.7%

Bilbao

$194 9% 19.1% $46

Eating Out

Rethymno

$217 16%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 35.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Rethymno

$85 6.2%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 91.5% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Rethymno

$78 5.8%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 8.8% $6.9

Getting Around

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 294% $52

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 $548 in Rethymno and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 95% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Rethymno vs $73 in Bilbao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $283 per month, with Rethymno cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

23:13 11:13 PM

1 h behind Rethymno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,763

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rethymno Bilbao 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rethymno
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

Rethymno vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,358 in Rethymno and $2,166 in Bilbao, so Rethymno is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Rethymno. 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: $548 in Rethymno versus $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,358 per month in Rethymno versus $2,166 in Bilbao – Rethymno is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,358 in Rethymno versus $2,166 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rethymno but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Rethymno 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, Rethymno and Bilbao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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