Cost of Living: Bilbao vs Seville (2026)

Spain vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Bilbao

Seville

$1,259/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$980/mo

$4k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$11k/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;DRSeville is 22% cheaper on rent ($980/mo vs $1,259/mo). Seville summers average 93°F vs 77°F. Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

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

How the livability score breaks down

Bilbao

Seville

16.7/25

💰 Affordability

19.4/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.4/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

6.3/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

5.3/15

12.2/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.2/15

6.3/10

🗣️ English

6.3/10

9.9/10

☀️ Climate

5.5/10

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

🇪🇸 Seville

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Madrid vs Seville

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bilbao

Metric

Seville

$578/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$491/mo✓

$6,395

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$4,952✓

84 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

85 / 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

63 / 100✓

77°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

93°F

43°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

45°F

10.1 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.4 μg/m³✓

87 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

88 / 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

90/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100

A median Software Engineer in Bilbao takes home $3,350/mo under Standard employee. In Seville: $3,336/mo under Standard employee.

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

🎯 Seville'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

$60k

−$16k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$16k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

✓$40k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$40k/yr

$3k/mo

−$36k

🏠

Cost of living

−$30k

$4k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$11k/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

Seville

$279/mo cheaper on rent alone

☀️

Weather

—

77°F vs 93°F summers

Sun

How much sky you actually get

34% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

67% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.0h

Shortest day

Dec

9.6h

15.3h

Longest day

Jun

14.7h

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 ↑

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

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 Seville — Common Questions

Is Bilbao cheaper than Seville?▾

Seville is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $980/month there vs $1259/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bilbao or Seville?▾

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

Should I move to Bilbao or Seville?▾

Bilbao and Seville 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.

Which has better weather, Bilbao or Seville?▾

Seville is warmer in summer (93°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 Seville?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $980/month in Seville, $1259/month in Bilbao (Numbeo). That's 22% cheaper rent in Seville.