Cost of Living Comparison Between Southend-on-Sea and Bilbao Cost of Living Comparison Between Southend-on-Sea and Bilbao

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,079 in Southend-on-Sea versus $1,988 in Bilbao.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,471 in Southend-on-Sea versus $2,817 in Bilbao.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,863 in Southend-on-Sea versus $3,646 in Bilbao.

Living in Southend-on-Sea is roughly 5% more expensive than Bilbao, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Southend-on-Sea 54% above, Bilbao 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.54 £15.22

$17.17 €14.61

19.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 £60.8

$70.3 €59.8

16.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 £6.87

$11.59 €9.86

-19.93%

Cappuccino

$4.44 £3.29

$2.41 €2.05

84.23%

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

$1.50 £1.11

$2.96 €2.52

-49.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.80

$2.07 €1.76

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 £4.13

$3.69 €3.14

50.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.29

$3.80 €3.23

17.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 £1.03

$1.22 €1.04

13.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.47 €1.25

-1.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.70 €1.45

-18.82%

Eggs

$3.72 £2.76

$2.88 €2.45

29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 £6.19

$15.64 €13.31

-46.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.09 £5.25

$9.08 €7.73

-21.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.04 £9.66

$13.22 €11.25

-1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 £2.40

$2.69 €2.29

20.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £0.99

$2.43 €2.07

-45.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 £1.71

$2.41 €2.05

-4.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 £1.97

$2.48 €2.11

6.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.67 €1.42

4.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.12

$2.21 €1.88

-31.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 £0.58

$1.46 €1.25

-46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 £1.03

$1.11 €0.94

25.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.73 £13.88

$7.14 €6.08

162.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.51 £7.05

$8.46 €7.20

12.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.02

$1.39 €1.19

96.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 £1.86

$2.58 €2.20

-2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 £1.97

$1.94 €1.66

37.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 £35.02

$48.60 €41.36

-2.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 £4.40

$5.57 €4.74

6.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 £0.95

$0.94 €0.80

36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 £37.73

$34.16 €29.07

49.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.45

$1.74 €1.48

12.64%

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

$38.9K £28.8K

$39.0K €33.2K

-0.27%

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

$40.7K £30.2K

$31.6K €26.9K

28.96%

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

$173 £128

$156 €133

10.91%

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

$14.29 £10.59

$21.83 €18.57

-34.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.11 £26.02

$34.77 €29.59

0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.83 £31.74

$56.8 €48.30

-24.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 €8.66

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 £6.07

$10.30 €8.76

-20.49%

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

$1,938 £1,436

$559 €476

246.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K £15.4K

$8,940 €7,608

132.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 £65.0

$84.3 €71.8

4.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.96 £30.35

$34.72 €29.55

17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 £65.3

$82.0 €69.8

7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £75.9

$111 €94.6

-7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 £1,058

$1,097 €933

30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 £725

$935 €796

4.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,389 £1,770

$1,834 €1,561

30.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 £1,830

$1,330 €1,132

85.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,659 £3,452

$5,862 €4,988

-20.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,048 £3,000

$3,783 €3,219

7.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,757 £2,784

$2,416 €2,056

55.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

3.38

61.24%

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

Last update for Southend-on-Sea: April 12, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,428 in Southend-on-Sea and $1,097 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southend-on-Sea pays 56% 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: $82 in Southend-on-Sea vs $70 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $285, with Southend-on-Sea cheaper for home cooking.

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

Southend-on-Sea vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Southend-on-Sea and Bilbao differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,079 vs $1,988 including rent). Bilbao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Southend-on-Sea pays 56% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,428 in Southend-on-Sea versus $1,097 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,938 in Southend-on-Sea versus $559 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Southend-on-Sea pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,988 in Bilbao versus $2,079 in Southend-on-Sea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bilbao but tight or insufficient in Southend-on-Sea. The gap between the two cities makes Bilbao 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, Southend-on-Sea 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 Bilbao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Southend-on-Sea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.