Bizkaia · País Vasco
Bilbao
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country.
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Living in Bilbao
Bilbao is the Basque Country's big city — 351,000 people along the Nervión, remade from a declining steel-and-shipbuilding town into a cultural draw ever since the Guggenheim opened in 1997. It is a rewarding city to live in, with a celebrated food scene, a Norman Foster metro and a walkable old town, but the weather asks something of you: it is properly wet and often grey, with rain on around 124 days a year, cool summers near 26°C and mild winters around 10°C. Most residents are Basque and Spanish-born, with Colombian, Moroccan and Venezuelan communities. Services are everywhere — hospitals in the city and an airport fifteen minutes out.
Bilbao's Spainability Scores — by who's moving
Not our opinion: we ran the same scoring engine behind the quiz for six settler profiles across all 8,132 municipalities. Each score is Bilbao's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.
Higher than 86% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 11 km from the sea and mild 25.9°C summer highs.
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 25.9°C
- Rainy days a year 124 days
- Summer water stress (WEI+) 6
- Winter average temp 10.5°C
Higher than 79% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country. A strong pick for American retirees — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 10.5°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- U.S.-born residents 1.26 per 1,000
- Registered long-let rent €11.5/m²·mo
Higher than 64% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — 11 km from the sea and a hospital in town.
- Schools in town 155
- PISA maths (region) 482
- Registered long-let rent €11.5/m²·mo
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
Higher than 61% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 350,975 people and 11 km from the sea.
- 100 Mbps+ coverage 100%
- Drive to nearest airport 15 min
- Registered long-let rent €11.5/m²·mo
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 25.9°C
Higher than 51% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country. A strong pick for a retiring couple — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 10.5°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- Surgical wait (region) 64 days
- Registered long-let rent €11.5/m²·mo
Higher than 37% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.
A city with character — once defined by steelworks and shipbuilding, polluted and in decline by the 1980s, transformed since the 1990s into the most exciting urban centre in the Basque Country. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — 11 km from the sea and a hospital in town.
- Registered long-let rent €11.5/m²·mo
- Net income per person €19,478
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 25.9°C
What is the climate like in Bilbao?
Bilbao's reported winter average is 10.5°C, while July–August highs reach 25.9°C.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 10.5°C top 18% of 8,131 towns 2.7°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 25.9°C top 9% of 8,131 towns 4.3°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 124 days bottom 6% of 8,088 towns 81% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- 4.5 h/day bottom 1% of 3,829 towns 38% less than the Spanish average (7.2 h/day)
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 6 top 6% of 8,033 towns 50 below the Spanish average (56)
- River-flood depth (T=100, town centre) estimated
- 0 m top 1% of 8,129 towns 0.04 m below the Spanish average (0.04 m)
- River-flood risk score estimated
- 0 top 1% of 8,129 towns about the Spanish average (0)
- Wildfire burn rate (2010–23)
- 0.42 ha/km² bottom 27% of 8,132 towns 1.89 ha/km² below the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
- Forest fires (2010–23)
- 4 bottom 25% of 8,132 towns 2 below the Spanish average (6)
- High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
- 21.7% top 37% of 8,130 towns 1.2% below the Spanish average (22.9%)
The year, month by month
AEMET 30-year climate normals — what a January or an August actually feels like, not the annual average.
How good is healthcare in Bilbao?
Bilbao's nearest health centre is 0 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 0 min.
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min top 1% of 8,132 towns
- Nearest health centre
- 0 km top 1% of 8,132 towns
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 64 days #2 of 17 regions, −39 days vs national 41% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
What are schools like in Bilbao?
Bilbao has 155 schools in town; the nearest international school is 2 km away.
Schools
- Schools in town
- 155 top 1% of 7,042 towns
- Nearest international school
- 2 km top 1% of 8,132 towns
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 482 #9 of 17 regions, +3 vs national 1 above the Spanish average (481)
How much does it cost to live in Bilbao?
Bilbao's reported home price is €3,402/m², while registered long-let rent is €11.5/m²·mo.
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €3,402/m² appraisal (valor tasado) bottom 11% of 306 towns 54% more than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Asking price
- no local data
- Registered long-let rent
- €11.5/m²·mo
- Registered rent p25
- €9.89/m²·mo
- Registered rent p75
- €13.5/m²·mo
- Registered-rent yield
- 4.06% bottom 42% of 306 towns
- Net income per person
- €19,478 top 4% of 8,059 towns 34% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 24.4% bottom 40% of 6,605 towns
Which languages are used in schools in Bilbao?
the Basque Country has a co-official regional language, and public schools commonly use regional-language immersion or bilingual models rather than Spanish-only teaching. The exact classroom language depends on the school and programme, so confirm the current model before enrolling. See the the Basque Country region guide for the wider regional context.
What is the community like in Bilbao?
Bilbao's reported population is 350,975.
Who lives here
- Population
- 350,975
- Born in Spain
- 82.4% 6.4% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 1.5% 2.3% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 1.26 per 1,000
How easy is it to get around Bilbao?
Bilbao is a reported 15 min drive from the nearest airport, with 99% fibre-to-home coverage.
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 15 min top 1% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 99% top 6% of 8,132 towns 20% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 100% top 8% of 8,132 towns 17% above the Spanish average (83%)
Numbers: Spainability town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma and the Catastro. Registered long-let rent is SERPAVI declared-contract data; its p25–p75 values show the observed band. Registered-rent yield is gross, excludes costs and is never imputed. Percentile chips count only the municipalities that report the figure — the "of n" says how many. Region-ranked figures (PISA, surgical waits) compare Spain's 17 comunidades autónomas. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
How does Bilbao fit you?
These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Bilbao against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 20 min from Barakaldo, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Bilbao for you →Questions to verify locally
- Ask whether current long-let rents match the registered-contract figure.
- Request recent comparable sales before relying on the appraisal figure.
- Test fibre speed at the exact address, not the town average.
- Visit local schools and confirm places for incoming families.
- Confirm health-centre registration and opening hours in person.
- Ask an insurer how the mapped flood or wildfire exposure affects cover.
Nearby towns
Other places we profile within easy reach.