Bilbao at a glance
- Bilbao ranks 5th of 9 priced cities in Spain on cost: $1,830 a month in essentials, 42% above Seville, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $2,351 covers that 1.3×.
- 104.1 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at province level.
- PM2.5 averages 9.9 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 9 Spain cities we track, so every row says whether Bilbao is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,830 | $1,830 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,059 | $1,059 | same |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,280 | $1,445 | $165 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $136 | $138 | $2 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $409 | $367 | $42 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $175 | $192 | $17 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $51 | $40 | 1.27× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $2,351 | $2,069 | $282 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,737 | $1,737 | same |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,468 | $2,372 | $96 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Bilbao, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $20.47 | $18.20 | $2.27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $68.25 | $68.25 | same |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $12.51 | $12.51 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.45 | $2.76 | $0.31 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $3.41 | $3.41 | same |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.30 | $4.55 | 1.38× as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $3.02 | $2.71 | $0.31 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.80 | $2.04 | $0.24 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.35 | $1.27 | $0.08 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.58 | $1.58 | same |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.57 | $1.63 | $0.06 |
| Eggs, 12 | $3.32 | $3.51 | $0.19 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $14.64 | $15.19 | $0.55 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $7.96 | $8.73 | $0.77 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.77 | $2.61 | $0.16 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.06 | $2.07 | $0.01 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.39 | $2.60 | $0.21 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.52 | $1.86 | $0.34 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.43 | $2.16 | $0.27 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.83 | $0.79 | $0.04 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.82 | $1.82 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $51.19 | $39.81 | 1.29× as much |
| Taxi start | $5.57 | $3.81 | 1.46× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.02 | $1.34 | 1.31× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.71 | $1.72 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $144.78 | $157.95 | $13.17 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $30.33 | $35.01 | $4.68 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $20.66 | $18.37 | $2.29 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $56.38 | $48.52 | $7.86 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $10.24 | $10.24 | same |
Dating-age sex ratio
Bilbao has 104.1 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (province level). That is the 3rd-highest of 9 Spain cities we track. Spain's national figure is 103.2, so Bilbao runs 1 above the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Bilbao ranks against every city we track
Bilbao sits ahead of 69% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On clean air it is ahead of 58% of 898. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 22% of 553.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Bilbao sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Tommie Hansen, Ardfern, Tomas Fano, 0Igor González Martín, Jesús Ignacio Bravo Soler, Pedro J Pacheco, Irekia/Gobierno V, CC BY-SA 4.0.
