Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stirling and Bilbao

For one person, living costs are similar in Stirling and in Bilbao: $2,088 and $2,129 a month, rent and utilities included.

102

Cost of Living Index in Stirling
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Stirling Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Stirling

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,088

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Stirling versus $2,129 in Bilbao.

Stirling $2,088
Bilbao $2,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,217 in Stirling versus $3,159 in Bilbao.

Stirling $3,217
Bilbao $3,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,347 in Stirling versus $4,190 in Bilbao.

Stirling $4,347
Bilbao $4,190

Living in Stirling costs roughly 2% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stirling 55% above, Bilbao 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 £14.86

$22.39 €19.92

-11.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.8 £70.4

$71.3 €63.4

31.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.91

$12.25 €10.90

-13.96%

Cappuccino

$4.66 £3.50

$2.55 €2.27

82.75%

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

$2.45 £1.83

$3.03 €2.70

-19.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.89 €1.68

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 £4.47

$3.33 €2.96

78.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 £3.40

$3.41 €3.04

32.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.29 €1.15

5.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.58 €1.41

-13.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.48 €1.32

29.05%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.64

$3.31 €2.95

6.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 £6.64

$15.51 €13.80

-42.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 £5.72

$7.99 €7.11

-4.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 £5.06

$14.47 €12.87

-53.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$2.80 €2.49

5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$2.16 €1.93

-37.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.61 €2.32

3.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 £1.93

$2.55 €2.27

1.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.63 €1.45

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$2.50 €2.22

-42.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.77

$1.27 €1.13

-18.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.90 €0.80

58.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.77 £16.33

$6.60 €5.88

229.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 £8.18

$8.00 €7.12

36.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.07

$1.48 €1.31

86.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$2.50 €2.23

19.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.17 £4.63

$1.76 €1.57

250.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.6 £56.7

$50.4 €44.87

49.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 £2.96

$5.54 €4.93

-28.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$1.03 €0.91

136.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.54 £17.66

$32.65 €29.04

-27.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.81 €1.61

10.50%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$34.7K €30.9K

9.91%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$30.7K €27.3K

29.88%

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

$274 £206

$142 €127

92.83%

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

$15.17 £11.38

$20.57 €18.29

-26.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.10 £29.33

$30.26 €26.92

29.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 £23.90

$55.0 €48.96

-42.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.57 £12.43

$15.24 €13.55

8.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.96 £6.72

$9.97 €8.87

-10.13%

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

$1,729 £1,297

$521 €463

231.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K £17.3K

$11.4K €10.1K

102.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 £71.6

$105 €93.4

-9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.37 £27.28

$37.72 €33.55

-3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 £70.7

$75.7 €67.3

24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 £39.73

$146 €130

-63.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 £782

$1,261 €1,121

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 £686

$1,057 €940

-13.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 £1,785

$2,392 €2,127

-0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 £1,286

$1,689 €1,503

1.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 €3,281

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,411 £2,559

$2,394 €2,129

42.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

2.98

71.48%

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

Last update for Stirling: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stirling

$914 43.8%

Bilbao

$1.1K 49.7% 15.7% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stirling

$329 15.8%

Bilbao

$193 9.1% 41.2% $136

Eating Out

Stirling

$302 14.5%

Bilbao

$290 13.6% 4.2% $13

Groceries & Markets

Stirling

$251 12%

Bilbao

$282 13.3% 12.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Stirling

$126 6%

Bilbao

$164 7.7% 30.5% $38

Getting Around

Stirling

$116 5.6%

Bilbao

$68 3.2% 41.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Stirling

$50 2.4%

Bilbao

$75 3.5% 50.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Stirling and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stirling pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $94.0 in Stirling vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $282, with Stirling cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Stirling

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h ahead of Stirling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,800

346,096

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stirling Bilbao 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stirling
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

Stirling vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stirling and Bilbao differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,088 vs $2,129 including rent). Stirling is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Stirling, 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: $1,042 in Stirling versus $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,729 in Stirling versus $521 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,088 in Stirling versus $2,129 in Bilbao, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Stirling but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Stirling 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, Stirling 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 Stirling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.