Cost of Living: Bilbao vs Funchal (2026)

Spain vs Portugal — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Bilbao

Funchal

$1,259/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,568/mo

$4k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

−$7k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

Beckham Law (Régimen Especial), Startups Law — Entrepreneur & Remote-Worker Route into Beckham (Limited)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

—

Freelance setup

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRBilbao is 20% cheaper on rent ($1,259/mo vs $1,568/mo). Funchal has milder winters (55°F vs 43°F lows). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Bilbao and Funchal are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

How the livability score breaks down

Bilbao

Funchal

16.7/25

💰 Affordability

13.8/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.3/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

8/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

5.3/15

12.2/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.1/15

6.3/10

🗣️ English

8.7/10

9.9/10

☀️ Climate

9.5/10

7.2/10

📊 Stability

7.6/10

9.7/10

🚗 Road Safety

7.5/10

7.7/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.5/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇪🇸 Bilbao

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇵🇹 Funchal

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Funchal

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bilbao

Metric

Funchal

$578/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$487/mo✓

✓$6,395

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,039

84 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

85 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k

✓3.5 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

7.2 / 100k

51 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

80 / 100✓

77°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

75°F

43°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

55°F

10.1 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

4.9 μg/m³✓

87 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

84 / 100

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

✓7.4 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.7 / 9

✓76 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100

38/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100✓

✓$58k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$52k

2.8% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady✓

90/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

96/100✓

A median Software Engineer in Bilbao takes home $3,350/mo under Standard employee. In Funchal: $2,624/mo under Standard employee.

$726/mo more in Bilbao

🎯 Bilbao's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,470/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$60k

💰

Gross income

$50k

−$16k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$13k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$6k

✓$40k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$31k/yr

$3k/mo

−$36k

🏠

Cost of living

−$39k

✓$4k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

−$7k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Bilbao

$309/mo cheaper on rent alone

🗣️

English

Funchal

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

34% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

45% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.0h

Shortest day

Dec

10.0h

15.3h

Longest day

Jun

14.3h

Sun clocks out early in Bilbao's winter. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend

improving ↑

Inflation trend

declining ↓

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

—

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

Partner pathway

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

—

Retiree visa

€920/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

14 wk

Gestational limit

10 wk

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting period.

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Bilbao vs Funchal — Common Questions

Is Bilbao cheaper than Funchal?▾

Bilbao is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1259/month there vs $1568/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bilbao or Funchal?▾

Bilbao is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Bilbao has a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 and Funchal has 0.72 per 100,000.

Should I move to Bilbao or Funchal?▾

Bilbao and Funchal are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Bilbao or Funchal?▾

Bilbao: no specific remote work visa. Funchal: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Can I live in Bilbao or Funchal without speaking the local language?▾

Funchal is easier for street-level English (72/100) than Bilbao (38/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in Bilbao vs Funchal?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1259/month in Bilbao, $1568/month in Funchal (Numbeo). That's 20% cheaper rent in Bilbao.