Cost of Living: Bilbao vs Madrid (2026)

Spain vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Bilbao

Madrid

$1,259/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,498/mo

$4k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$9k/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

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

Freelance setup

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRBilbao is 16% cheaper on rent ($1,259/mo vs $1,498/mo). Madrid summers average 88°F vs 77°F. Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

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

How the livability score breaks down

Bilbao

Madrid

16.7/25

💰 Affordability

14.4/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.4/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.1/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

7.1/15

12.2/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.2/15

6.3/10

🗣️ English

6.3/10

9.9/10

☀️ Climate

6.8/10

7.2/10

📊 Stability

7.2/10

9.7/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.7/10

7.7/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.7/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇪🇸 Bilbao

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇪🇸 Madrid

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Barcelona vs Madrid

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bilbao

Metric

Madrid

✓$578/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$627/mo

✓$6,395

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,448

84 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.6 / 100k✓

3.5 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.5 / 100k

51 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

71 / 100✓

77°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

88°F

43°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

—

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

94 Mbps

10.1 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.1 μg/m³✓

87 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

86 / 100

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

7.4 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

7.4 / 9

76 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

76 / 100

38/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100

$58k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$58k

2.8% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.8% · Boringly steady

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

70/100 — Mostly stable

90/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100

A median Software Engineer in Bilbao takes home $3,350/mo under Standard employee. In Madrid: $4,068/mo under Standard employee.

$718/mo more in Madrid

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

🎯 Madrid's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $4,280/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

$73k

−$16k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$20k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

$40k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$49k/yr✓

$4k/mo

−$36k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

$4k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$9k/yr✓

Swap the local medians for your actual number

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

💰

Cost of Living

Bilbao

$239/mo cheaper on rent alone

☀️

Weather

—

77°F vs 88°F summers

Sun

How much sky you actually get

34% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

62% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.0h

Shortest day

Dec

9.3h

15.3h

Longest day

Jun

15.1h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

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

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

—

Industries

financeconsultingtechmedia

—

Startup ecosystem

hub

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

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

—

Retiree visa

€2,400/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

14 wk

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting 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 Madrid — Common Questions

Is Bilbao cheaper than Madrid?▾

Bilbao is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1259/month there vs $1498/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bilbao or Madrid?▾

Madrid is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Bilbao has a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 and Madrid has 0.61 per 100,000.

Should I move to Bilbao or Madrid?▾

Bilbao and Madrid 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 Madrid?▾

Bilbao: no specific remote work visa. Madrid: Spain Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable to 5)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Bilbao or Madrid?▾

Madrid is warmer in summer (88°F vs 77°F). Bilbao has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

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

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1259/month in Bilbao, $1498/month in Madrid (Numbeo). That's 16% cheaper rent in Bilbao.