# Bilbao — relocation profile

Bilbao, Spain · Full democracy · livability 73/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Spain
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $3,036/month
- **Livability score:** 73 / 100 (rank 40 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 84 / 100 (rank 44 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 63% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Rising Stars, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Warm & Affordable Europe, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,259 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,079 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,425 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $2,447 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$3,036** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $6,535.

Reference point: 20% cheaper than Barcelona.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.1
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.7 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 10 years
- **English proficiency:** Moderate (EF EPI 540)
- **Main languages:** Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 16–25°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 6–14°C
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 87.3
- **Natural features:** sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $57,965 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.8% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 10.4% (2025)
- **Population:** 351,124

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cologne | Germany | $1,171 | $3,165 | /cities/cologne |
| Faro | Portugal | $1,077 | $2,568 | /cities/faro |
| Lisbon | Portugal | $1,616 | $3,363 | /cities/lisbon |
| Porto | Portugal | $1,297 | $2,862 | /cities/porto |
| Nice | France | $1,142 | $3,050 | /cities/nice |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/bilbao
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/bilbao/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/bilbao) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.