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Side by side

Bilbao or L'Hospitalet de Llobregat?

Each place uses its own local data. National rules (economy, geopolitical stability, governance, tax & finance) are the same for both, so they cannot separate them. Neither wins everywhere; the tradeoffs below are what matter.

All about BilbaoAll about L'Hospitalet de LlobregatChange a place

Data as of

City · País Vasco

Bilbao

A food city that reinvented itself around the Guggenheim, with green hills, cool summers and serious pintxos.

Quality of life66above average
Momentum68above average
Outlook–Spain-wide only
Regional capitalFormer industrial portGreen and rainyFood cityCo-official BasqueFast internetPricey rentLive without a car

5th of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000

City · Cataluña

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

A dense, working-class, multicultural city next door to Barcelona, on the same metro and with its own trade-fair district.

Quality of life61above average
Momentum–not enough data
Outlook–Spain-wide only
Barcelona suburbDense cityMulticulturalTrade-fair districtMetro cityFast internetPricey rent

31st of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000

Why Bilbao

  • Stronger on prosperity (93 vs 21)
  • Frost days: 0 a year vs 4 a year
  • Days above 35 °C: 0 a year vs 3 a year
  • Vehicle thefts: 24 per 100k people vs 96 per 100k people
  • Robberies with violence: 217 per 100k people vs 826 per 100k people
  • A mid-sized city with a metro and tram and a strong Basque identity
  • A serious food culture and a bar life built around the pintxo

Watch out: Rain on many days of the year; Hills that shape where and how the city can grow.

Why L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

  • Stronger on digital (94 vs 58)
  • Stronger on connectivity (81 vs 56)
  • Hospital beds: 7.1 per 1,000 people vs 4.0 per 1,000 people
  • Rainy days (≥1 mm): 86 a year vs 153 a year
  • Homicides: 0.69 per 100k people vs 0.85 per 100k people
  • Thefts without violence: 2,537 per 100k people vs 2,993 per 100k people
  • A metro ride from central Barcelona and the airport
  • Fast fibre and trains across the whole city

Watch out: Street robbery and phone snatching near busy metro stations; Rents that are not cheap for such small flats.

Of 27 figures both publish in the same unit, Bilbao is better on 11 and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat on 9; the rest are close or have no better direction.

Life domains

93 · strongProsperity21 · weak
76 · strongTransport–
74 · above averageHealthcare–
70 · above averageJobs–
67 · above averageClimate57 · average
58 · averageDigital94 · strong
56 · averageConnectivity81 · strong
27 · below averageSafety34 · below average
–Housing52 · average

Side by side, figure by figure

FigureBilbaoL'Hospitalet de LlobregatDifference
Housing
Rent per m²€11.5 a month2024€13.0 a month2024Bilbao 11% lower
Rent for a 70 m² flat€806 a month2024€910 a month2024Bilbao 11% lower
Typical rent, existing lease€800 a month2024€726 a month2024Bilbao 10% higher
Buying price per m²€3,529Q2 2026€3,094Q2 2026Bilbao 14% higher
Price of an 80 m² flat€282,344Q2 2026€247,528Q2 2026Bilbao 14% higher
House prices, change in a year8.0%Q2 202611.6%Q2 2026Bilbao 3.6 pts lower
Money & work
Household income per person€20,598 a year2024€13,794 a year2024Bilbao 49% higher
Net income per household€47,550 a year2024€38,778 a year2024Bilbao 23% higher
Safety
Homicides0.85 per 100k people20250.69 per 100k people2025Bilbao 24% higher
Robberies with violence217 per 100k people2025826 per 100k people2025L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 3.8×
Home burglaries122 per 100k people2025120 per 100k people2025about the same
Thefts without violence2,993 per 100k people20252,537 per 100k people2025Bilbao 18% higher
Vehicle thefts24 per 100k people202596 per 100k people2025L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 4.0×
Health
Hospital beds4.0 per 1,000 people20257.1 per 1,000 people2025Bilbao 44% lower
Climate
Days above 35 °C0 a year2015–20243 a year2015–2024L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 32.0×
Days above 30 °C4 a year2015–202450 a year2015–2024L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 14.3×
Nights above 20 °C23 a year2015–202453 a year2015–2024L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 2.3×
Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry)107 a year2015–2024111 a year2015–2024about the same
Rainfall1,146 mm a year2015–2024566 mm a year2015–2024Bilbao 2.0×
Rainy days (≥1 mm)153 a year2015–202486 a year2015–2024Bilbao 77% higher
Frost days0 a year2015–20244 a year2015–2024L'Hospitalet de Llobregat Infinity×
Getting around
Distance to the main airport5 km20267 km2026Bilbao 35% lower
Internet
Homes that can get gigabit internet99%2025100%2025Bilbao 0.7 pts lower
Homes with fibre to the door99%2025100%2025Bilbao 0.7 pts lower
People
Population351,1242025289,5102025Bilbao 21% higher
Who lives here
Residents with a foreign nationality11.7%202426.6%2024Bilbao 14.9 pts lower
Foreign residents, change in 5 years2.0 points20243.8 points2024Bilbao 1.8 pts lower

Who each suits, 0–100

69Beach, mountains and the outdoors45
66Retirees48
63Founders and self-employed67
63High earners and investors53
60Remote workers67
56Young professionals–
54Culture, food and nightlife–
51Students–
48Families with children41
33Budget-conscious movers36

Weather through the year

0°18°35°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid: average daily high · dashed: average nightly low, °C.

Our read of each

Bilbao

  • Plan on Spanish from day one
  • Basque is co-official here
  • You can live without a car
  • Keep an eye on your phone
  • Line up work before you come
  • Ready for remote work
  • An older, quieter population

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

  • Some English, but learn Spanish early
  • Catalan is co-official here
  • Air-conditioning is not a luxury
  • Keep an eye on your phone
  • Line up work before you come
  • Ready for remote work
  • Public waiting lists are long

Data through Dec 2025 (Bilbao) and Jun 2026 (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat). Figures are compared only when both places publish them in the same unit; a dot marks the better value where better is clear.

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