Cost of living comparison
Bilbao is 8.9% cheaper than Madrid.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.0% less in Bilbao
- Groceries
-
pay 4.9% less in Bilbao
- Transportation
-
pay 11.5% less in Bilbao
- Housing
-
pay 15.3% less in Bilbao
- Childcare
-
pay 13.9% less in Bilbao
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.4% less in Bilbao
- Clothing
-
pay 7.2% less in Bilbao
Expenses including housing, childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries are lower in Bilbao.
If you lived in Bilbao instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 2.0% less for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.08
€14.14
|
$16.08
€14.14
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
€9.43
|
$10.18
€8.96
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
€2.45
|
$2.59
€2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.80
€1.59
|
$1.92
€1.69
|
|
pay 4.9% less for groceries
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.50
€1.32
|
$1.35
€1.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.92
€6.09
|
$7.31
€6.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.41
€3.88
|
$4.43
€3.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.05
€2.68
|
$2.88
€2.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.78
€3.33
|
$3.89
€3.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.13
€0.99
|
$0.98
€0.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.77
|
$0.89
€0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.01
€0.88
|
$0.85
€0.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.92
|
$1.14
€1.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.83
€0.73
|
$0.62
€0.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.72
|
$0.78
€0.68
|
|
pay 11.5% less for transportation
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.79
€5.97
|
$6.53
€5.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.87
€37.71
|
$42.87
€37.71
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,759.38
€31,451.19
|
$30,009.37
€26,393.93
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.90
€13.10
|
$12.73
€11.19
|
|
pay 15.3% less for housing
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.85
€28.01
|
$35.98
€31.65
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,468.90
€1,291.93
|
$991.38
€871.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,074.71
€945.23
|
$825.26
€725.83
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$130.03
€114.37
|
$105.81
€93.06
|
|
pay 13.9% less for childcare
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$567.57
€499.19
|
$509.09
€447.75
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,069.47
€8,856.33
|
$8,306.16
€7,305.46
|
|
pay 7.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.75
€3.30
|
$3.22
€2.83
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
€2.27
|
$1.99
€1.75
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.43
€5.66
|
$6.03
€5.30
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.11
€37.92
|
$53.59
€47.13
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
€9.43
|
$8.84
€7.78
|
|
pay 7.2% less for clothing
|
Madrid
|
Bilbao
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$90.50
€79.60
|
$93.78
€82.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.21
€32.73
|
$31.51
€27.71
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.88
€86.09
|
$77.70
€68.34
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$121.40
€106.77
|
$125.93
€110.76
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bilbao or Madrid. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.