Bilbao vs Lleida
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 71. 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 →Inland Catalan city of orchards and snails, an hour from Barcelona by AVE
Full Lleida profile →Plan a trip to Lleida →Where they differ
- Internet. Lleida leads on internet, 89 to 81, against Bilbao. Measured download: 62.5 Mbps vs 93.5 Mbps.
- Air quality. Bilbao leads on air quality, 93 to 88, against Lleida. PM2.5: 8.3 µg/m³ vs 10.6 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Bilbao if you want
- no clear edge over Lleida in the data
Pick Lleida if you want
- faster internet (93.5 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bilbao | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 36 | 36 |
| Safety | 76 | 76 |
| Healthcare | 90 | 90 |
| Internet | 81 | 89 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 80 | 80 |
| Getting there & around | 51 | 53 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 93 ✓ | 88 |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Bilbao | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 62.5 Mbps | 93.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 48.2 Mbps | 83.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Bilbao | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 73 | 233 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bilbao | Lleida |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 10.6 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bilbao or Lleida?
- Bilbao and Lleida cost about the same: roughly $2,200 per month for one person.
- Is Bilbao or Lleida safer?
- Bilbao and Lleida score the same on safety (76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bilbao or Lleida?
- Lleida: a measured median of 93.5 Mbps versus 62.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More 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.