Bilbao vs Castellón de la Plana
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Bilbao edges it, 71 to 70, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Basque food and design in a compact city
Full Bilbao profile →Plan a trip to Bilbao →Valencian coast city of tile makers, an hour from Valencia by train
Full Castellón de la Plana profile →Plan a trip to Castellón de la Plana →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Bilbao leads on getting there & around, 51 to 41, against Castellón de la Plana. Non-stop airport destinations: 73 vs 110.
- Internet. Castellón de la Plana leads on internet, 87 to 81, against Bilbao. Measured download: 62.5 Mbps vs 79.9 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Bilbao if you want
- no clear edge over Castellón de la Plana in the data
Pick Castellón de la Plana if you want
- faster internet (79.9 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 36 | 36 |
| Safety | 76 | 76 |
| Healthcare | 90 | 90 |
| Internet | 81 | 87 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 80 | 80 |
| Getting there & around | 51 ✓ | 41 |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 93 | 93 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.73 | 0.73 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.7 | 68.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 |
| Life expectancy | 83.3 yrs | 83.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 62.5 Mbps | 79.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 48.2 Mbps | 71.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,741/mo | $2,741/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 73 | 110 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bilbao | Castellón de la Plana |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.3 µg/m³ | 8.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bilbao or Castellón de la Plana?
- Bilbao and Castellón de la Plana cost about the same: roughly $2,200 per month for one person.
- Is Bilbao or Castellón de la Plana safer?
- Bilbao and Castellón de la Plana score the same on safety (76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bilbao or Castellón de la Plana?
- Castellón de la Plana: a measured median of 79.9 Mbps versus 62.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Bilbao vs Toledo
- Bilbao vs Alicante
- Castellón de la Plana vs Badajoz
- Castellón de la Plana vs Alicante
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.