Cost of Living Comparison Between Stirling and Bilbao Cost of Living Comparison Between Stirling and Bilbao

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,141 in Stirling versus $2,181 in Bilbao.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,310 in Stirling versus $3,178 in Bilbao.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,478 in Stirling versus $4,175 in Bilbao.

Living in Stirling costs roughly 2% less than in Bilbao, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stirling 56% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.28 £14.99

$20.67 €17.77

-1.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 £71.5

$71.5 €61.5

35.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 £8.11

$12.89 €11.08

-14.82%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.62

$2.66 €2.29

83.83%

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

$2.46 £1.82

$3.15 €2.70

-21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.86 €1.60

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.55

$3.58 €3.08

72.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 £3.47

$3.46 €2.97

35.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.40 €1.20

-5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 £0.99

$1.66 €1.42

-19.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.43

$1.55 €1.34

24.52%

Eggs

$3.74 £2.76

$3.37 €2.89

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 £6.59

$15.10 €12.98

-40.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 £5.78

$8.09 €6.96

-3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.84 £5.06

$13.61 €11.70

-49.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 £2.19

$2.77 €2.38

6.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 £1.00

$2.14 €1.84

-36.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.08

$2.68 €2.30

5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 £2.03

$2.43 €2.09

13.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 £1.24

$1.51 €1.30

11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$2.56 €2.20

-37.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.76

$1.27 €1.09

-18.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$0.86 €0.74

74.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.55 £15.93

$6.83 €5.87

215.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 £8.47

$8.15 €7.00

40.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.00

$1.60 €1.38

69.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.27

$2.63 €2.26

17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.55 £4.84

$1.89 €1.63

246.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 £58.5

$53.0 €45.52

49.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 £2.95

$5.83 €5.01

-31.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 £1.83

$1.07 €0.92

130.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.28 £17.95

$34.10 €29.31

-28.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.43

$1.71 €1.47

13.45%

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

$39.1K £28.9K

$36.4K €31.3K

7.29%

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

$41.3K £30.5K

$31.6K €27.2K

30.60%

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

$288 £213

$149 €128

93.20%

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

$15.47 £11.44

$20.81 €17.89

-25.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.37 £30.58

$31.51 €27.09

31.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.42 £23.97

$57.6 €49.49

-43.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 £12.35

$16.20 €13.92

3.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 £7.04

$10.57 €9.09

-9.93%

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

$1,825 £1,349

$555 €477

229.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K £17.6K

$11.7K €10.1K

102.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 £74.5

$93.5 €80.4

7.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 £26.93

$35.95 €30.91

1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 £70.4

$71.6 €61.5

33.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 £39.88

$135 €116

-60.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 £785

$1,302 €1,119

-18.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 £701

$1,099 €945

-13.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 £1,784

$2,563 €2,203

-5.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,290

$1,807 €1,554

-3.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,083 €5,230

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,833 €3,295

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,502 £2,589

$2,439 €2,097

43.59%

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: August 29, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Stirling and $1,302 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stirling pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $97.0 in Stirling vs $71.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $281, with Stirling 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

Stirling vs Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stirling and Bilbao differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,141 vs $2,181 including rent). Stirling is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $1,062 in Stirling versus $1,302 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,825 in Stirling versus $555 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,141 in Stirling versus $2,181 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.