Side by side
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 País VascoChange a place
Data as of
City · País Vasco
A food city that reinvented itself around the Guggenheim, with green hills, cool summers and serious pintxos.
5th of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000
Region
An industrious, food-obsessed region with its own language, its own tax system and some of Spain's best public services.
5th of 34 European metro regions
Bilbao is a city and País Vasco a region. Each figure is that place’s own; scores compare each with its own peers (regions with regions, cities with cities), so read them side by side rather than as a contest.
Watch out: Rain on many days of the year; Hills that shape where and how the city can grow.
Watch out: Rents and house prices among the highest in Spain especially in San Sebastián; Grey wet weather and a culture where Basque is part of schools and public life.
Of 12 figures both publish in the same unit, Bilbao is better on 1 and País Vasco on 7; the rest are close or have no better direction.
| Figure | Bilbao | País Vasco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent per m² | €11.5 a month2024 | €10.1 a month2024 | Bilbao 14% higher |
| Rent for a 70 m² flat | €806 a month2024 | €706 a month2024 | Bilbao 14% higher |
| Typical rent, existing lease | €800 a month2024 | €729 a month2024 | Bilbao 10% higher |
| Buying price per m² | €3,529Q2 2026 | €3,102Q2 2026 | Bilbao 14% higher |
| Price of an 80 m² flat | €282,344Q2 2026 | €248,184Q2 2026 | Bilbao 14% higher |
| House prices, change in a year | 8.0%Q2 2026 | 10.0%Q2 2026 | Bilbao 2.0 pts lower |
| Money & work | |||
| Unemployment | 9.0%2025 | 7.3%2025 | Bilbao 1.7 pts higher |
| Safety | |||
| Recorded crime | 68.1 per 1,000 people2024 | 48.9 per 1,000 people2025 | Bilbao 39% higher |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 83.9 years2023 | 84.7 years2024 | about the same |
| Education | |||
| Adults with a university degree | 58%2024 | 58%2025 | about the same |
| People | |||
| Population | 351,1242025 | 2,242,3432025 | País Vasco 6.4× |
| Who lives here | |||
| Residents born abroad | 17.6%2025 | 14.3%2025 | Bilbao 3.3 pts higher |
Data through Dec 2025 (Bilbao) and Jun 2026 (País Vasco). 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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Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.