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: $2,325 in Southend-on-Sea versus $2,181 in Bilbao.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,659 in Southend-on-Sea versus $3,178 in Bilbao.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,992 in Southend-on-Sea versus $4,175 in Bilbao.

Living in Southend-on-Sea is roughly 7% more expensive than in Bilbao, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Southend-on-Sea 69% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 £14.85

$20.67 €17.77

-2.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 £62.3

$71.5 €61.5

17.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 £6.97

$12.89 €11.08

-26.84%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.29

$2.66 €2.29

67.29%

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

$2.72 £2.01

$3.15 €2.70

-13.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.38

$1.86 €1.60

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 £5.08

$3.58 €3.08

91.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 £3.52

$3.46 €2.97

37.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 £1.13

$1.40 €1.20

9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.66 €1.42

-16.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.55 €1.34

-10.97%

Eggs

$3.76 £2.78

$3.37 €2.89

11.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 £6.09

$15.10 €12.98

-45.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 £4.93

$8.09 €6.96

-17.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 £11.56

$13.61 €11.70

14.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.31

$2.77 €2.38

13.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 £1.03

$2.14 €1.84

-35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 £1.54

$2.68 €2.30

-22.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 £2.04

$2.43 €2.09

13.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 £1.38

$1.51 €1.30

23.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$2.56 €2.20

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 £0.72

$1.27 €1.09

-23.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.17

$0.86 €0.74

84.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.86 £16.90

$6.83 €5.87

234.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 £7.42

$8.15 €7.00

23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.42

$1.60 €1.38

104.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.55

$2.63 €2.26

30.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 £2.03

$1.89 €1.63

45.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.95 £34.71

$53.0 €45.52

-11.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 £4.34

$5.83 €5.01

0.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 £2.01

$1.07 €0.92

154.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.59 £36.66

$34.10 €29.31

45.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.48

$1.71 €1.47

16.96%

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

$39.6K £29.3K

$36.4K €31.3K

8.69%

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

$41.1K £30.4K

$31.6K €27.2K

30.00%

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

$181 £134

$149 €128

21.29%

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

$18.30 £13.52

$20.81 €17.89

-12.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.11 £33.35

$31.51 €27.09

43.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 €49.49

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 €13.92

Cinema Ticket

$4.15 £3.07

$10.57 €9.09

-60.74%

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

$2,001 £1,479

$555 €477

260.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K £15.1K

$11.7K €10.1K

74.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 £64.2

$93.5 €80.4

-7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.40 £35.78

$35.95 €30.91

34.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 £70.0

$71.6 €61.5

32.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 £79.7

$135 €116

-20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 £1,058

$1,302 €1,119

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £937

$1,099 €945

15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 £1,749

$2,563 €2,203

-7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,451 £1,812

$1,807 €1,554

35.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,838 £3,576

$6,083 €5,230

-20.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,009 £2,963

$3,833 €3,295

4.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,894 £2,878

$2,439 €2,097

59.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

2.98

69.13%

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

Last update for Southend-on-Sea: August 29, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,431 in Southend-on-Sea and $1,302 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southend-on-Sea pays 60% 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: $84.0 in Southend-on-Sea vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $276 vs $281, 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 7% in total monthly costs ($2,325 vs $2,181 including rent). Bilbao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Southend-on-Sea, 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: $1,431 in Southend-on-Sea versus $1,302 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,001 in Southend-on-Sea versus $555 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 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,181 in Bilbao versus $2,325 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 7% less than in Southend-on-Sea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.