Overall score
Use the Bilbao profile to compare cost framing, mobility, and regeneration signals alongside Barcelona, Madrid, and other compact European metros.
Overall79/100
Affordability72/100
Air quality78/100
Energy74/100
Spain / Western Europe
Bilbao City Intelligence
Bilbao is the largest Basque-region metro, with a regenerated post-industrial waterfront and compact transit network useful for cross-region Spanish and European comparison. Bilbao is a western europe city of about ~1.0M metro in Spain. On the composite city-intelligence score, Bilbao sits around the indexed median (79/100).
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Population
- ~1.0M metro
Image credit: Image: Tommie Hansen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Overall city intelligence
Good79/100
Composite directional score across affordability, air quality, clean energy, and resilience.
Data confidence
Directional
Directional indicators pending integration of verified city-level data.
Verified utility layers
See country hub
Emergency, healthcare, and transport verification status appears on the country hub.
Bilbao data table
The table is part of the initial server-rendered HTML and mirrors the key city score cards.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 79/100 | Composite score across major city intelligence modules. |
| Cost of Living | 72/100 | Bilbao's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Air Quality | 78/100 | Bilbao's air-quality profile is a directional indicator framed against WHO and regional benchmarks; verified city-level measurements appear in the dedicated air-quality dataset section once integrated. |
| Energy | 74/100 | Bilbao's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Safety | 77/100 | Bilbao's safety profile is a directional indicator; verified country-level emergency profiles attach via the country hub where available. |
| Internet Speed | 77/100 | Bilbao's connectivity profile is a directional indicator combining national digital-readiness context with widely cited speed-test references. |
| Climate Risk | 74/100 | Bilbao's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Resilience | 74/100 | Climate adaptation and infrastructure continuity context. |
Safety
Deterministic safety estimates from our index — planning signals derived from country priors and city data, not official crime statistics.
Safety
Overall safety81/100
Low crime84/100
Personal safety82/100
Night safety75/100
Road safety78/100
Bilbao ranks in the upper tier of our safety index (81/100), with strong personal-safety and low night-time indicators.
Quality of Life
A composite quality-of-life estimate and its component indicators.
Quality of Life
Quality of life86/100
Healthcare87/100
Education88/100
Green space89/100
Cleanliness87/100
Infrastructure91/100
Mobility74/100
Bilbao has a very high quality-of-life estimate (86/100), with notable strengths in healthcare, public transport, green space, cleanliness and infrastructure.
Family Friendliness
How the city scores for raising a family, with the indicators that drive it.
Family Friendliness
Family friendliness84/100
Education88/100
Green space89/100
Overall safety81/100
Bilbao scores very high for family living (84/100), helped by education access, safety, parks and green space and healthcare.
Digital Nomad Suitability
Suitability for remote workers, based on connectivity, mobility, and livability.
Digital Nomad Suitability
Digital nomad suitability81/100
Walkability89/100
Cycling62/100
Infrastructure91/100
Bilbao is very high for remote workers (81/100), based on connectivity, affordability, walkability, safety and overall livability and day-to-day amenities.
Retirement Suitability
Suitability for retirement, weighing healthcare, affordability, climate, and environment.
Retirement Suitability
Retirement suitability84/100
Healthcare87/100
Cleanliness87/100
Outdoor lifestyle70/100
Bilbao is very high for retirement (84/100), appealing for healthcare access, affordability, a comfortable climate and a clean environment.
Emergency and public safety in Bilbao
Local public safety guidance for Bilbao, with the country-level emergency contacts that apply when calling for police, fire, or ambulance.
| Service | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| European emergency | 11224/7 | 112 reaches police, fire, and ambulance dispatch across the European Union from any phone, free of charge. |
For the universal emergency contacts that apply in Bilbao, including police, fire, and ambulance, see the Spain emergency profile.
Public safety sources
Each emergency contact above is attributed to an official emergency service or government publisher. Confirm current numbers directly with these sources.
- European Commission: 112 — The European emergency number
Used as the primary attribution for the EU-wide 112 universal emergency number on European country profiles.
Last verified: 2026-05-16
Methodology and the wider source registry are documented on the scoring methodology and data sources pages.
Healthcare and hospitals in Bilbao
Healthcare context for Bilbao, with national-level information from Spain where city-specific data is not yet verified. This is informational only and does not provide medical advice.
For the national healthcare and public-health context that applies in Bilbao, see the Spain healthcare profile, which currently lists no verified national healthcare information.
Related sections: emergency and public safety, scoring methodology, and data sources.
Transport and mobility in Bilbao
Local mobility context for Bilbao, with national-level context from Spain where city-specific data is not yet verified. This is informational only.
For national transport authorities and operators that apply in Bilbao, see the Spain transport profile, which currently lists no verified national transport information.
Related sections: emergency and public safety, healthcare and hospitals, cities directory, countries directory, scoring methodology, data sources.
Air quality dataset
Source-attributed air-quality dataset for Bilbao. Verified measurements are surfaced when published from accepted official datasets; transparent fallback is shown otherwise.
Air quality dataset for Bilbao
Verified data unavailableLast updated 2026-05-16 / data year 2025
Verified air-quality measurements are not yet published for this location
Source-attributed values for Bilbao will appear here after the platform integrates verified measurements from accepted official publishers. Until then, structured air-quality module context remains available on the dedicated module page.
| Metric | Value | Data year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air quality | Verified air-quality measurements are not yet published for this location. | ||
Data provenance
Source attributionGlobal City Intelligence — air-quality dataset
Verified data unavailable- Publisher
- Global City Intelligence
- Last verified
- 2026-05-16
The air-quality dataset begins empty by design. Verified city-level measurements appear here only after they are sourced from accepted publishers (WHO, EEA, US EPA, OpenAQ, OECD, or official national/city environmental agencies).
Methodology and context
Numeric measurements appear in this section only after they are sourced from accepted official publishers. The dataset is independently validated at build time; malformed records cannot ship to production.
- Scoring methodology — how indicators across the platform are constructed.
- Data sources registry — the official sources cited by verified datasets.
- Open the Bilbao air-quality module
- Browse the clean-air city collection
Explore Bilbao modules
City pages link to module and ranking pages so crawlers can move through the topic cluster naturally.
Cost of Living in Bilbao
Bilbao's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies.
Air Quality in Bilbao
Bilbao's air-quality profile is a directional indicator framed against WHO and regional benchmarks; verified city-level measurements appear in the dedicated air-quality dataset section once integrated.
Energy in Bilbao
Bilbao's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context.
Safety in Bilbao
Bilbao's safety profile is a directional indicator; verified country-level emergency profiles attach via the country hub where available.
Internet Speed in Bilbao
Bilbao's connectivity profile is a directional indicator combining national digital-readiness context with widely cited speed-test references.
Climate Risk in Bilbao
Bilbao's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity.
City rankings
Compare this city against other indexed cities in crawlable ranking tables.
Cost of living in Bilbao
Cost of living estimates for Bilbao — monthly budgets, rent, food, and transport in the local currency, plus an affordability score for comparison. Planning estimates derived from country baselines, not live prices.
Climate in Bilbao
Climate profile for Bilbao — Mediterranean climate, annual average 15°C, comfort score 88/100. Month-by-month temperatures, rainfall, sunshine, and the best months to visit. Deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast.
Economy and jobs in Bilbao
Economy and jobs profile for Bilbao — tourism economy, economy score 68/100, key industries including tourism, hospitality, manufacturing. Employment, salary, startup, remote-work, and career indicators. Deterministic planning estimates.
Universities and education in Bilbao
Education profile for Bilbao — student city, education score 69/100, 6 representative universities, plus research, student life, and international-student indicators. Deterministic dataset, not institutional rankings.
Healthcare and retirement in Bilbao
Healthcare and retirement profile for Bilbao — major healthcare center, healthcare score 73/100, retirement score 79/100. Medical access, specialist and emergency care, affordability, and retirement suitability. Deterministic planning estimates.
Arrival planning guide for Bilbao
Practical arrival planning context for Bilbao — links into transport, public-safety, healthcare, budgeting tools, and methodology. Not an official airport or travel instruction service.
Visual guide to Bilbao
Source-attributed visual context for Bilbao using verified Wikimedia imagery from the existing media catalog, alongside structured city intelligence and planning links. Not a tourism guide or attractions ranking.
Weekend trip planning guide for Bilbao
Weekend trip planning checklist for Bilbao — links into arrival planning, Summer 2026 travel context, visual orientation, budget tools, transport, public safety, and healthcare context. Not an itinerary, events calendar, hotel-price guide, restaurant guide, or tourism ranking.
Nearby weekend places from Bilbao
Source-backed nearby place records for local-first weekend planning, with verification status, official source links, Wikidata identity, and visual context.
Estimate a monthly budget for Bilbao
Estimate a monthly budget for Bilbao using your own housing, food, transport, healthcare, and lifestyle inputs. Planning estimator only — not an official cost-of-living measurement.
Plan a trip budget for Bilbao
Plan a trip budget for Bilbao using your own accommodation, food, local transport, activities, travel, healthcare buffer, and emergency buffer inputs. Planning estimator only — not an official travel cost estimate.
Nearby cities from Bilbao
Where else nearby you could spend a day or a weekend from Bilbao. Links are derived from geographic proximity, shared region, shared natural-recreation areas, transport corridors, and country borders — not popularity or tourism rankings.
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Nearby city · about 51 km from Bilbao. Explore Vitoria-Gasteiz's city intelligence profile.
Santander, Spain
Nearby city · about 73 km from Bilbao. Explore Santander's city intelligence profile.
San Sebastián, Spain
Coastal cluster · about 78 km from Bilbao. Explore San Sebastián's city intelligence profile.
Logroño, Spain
Coastal cluster · about 97 km from Bilbao. Explore Logroño's city intelligence profile.
Biarritz, France
Cross-border · about 114 km from Bilbao. Explore Biarritz's city intelligence profile.
Pamplona, Spain
Same corridor · about 116 km from Bilbao. Explore Pamplona's city intelligence profile.
Burgos, Spain
Mountain cluster · about 120 km from Bilbao. Explore Burgos's city intelligence profile.
Bayonne, France
Cross-border · about 121 km from Bilbao. Explore Bayonne's city intelligence profile.
Pau, France
Cross-border · about 208 km from Bilbao. Explore Pau's city intelligence profile.
Jaca, Spain
Same corridor · about 210 km from Bilbao. Explore Jaca's city intelligence profile.
Related collections
Regional discovery collections that include Bilbao — named natural regions grouping nearby nature, parks, lakes, coasts, and mountains for local-first day and weekend planning.
European Islands
Island region · 30 places across 15 cities.
France–Spain Borderlands
Cross-border region · 30 places across 10 cities.
Spain Mountains
Mountain region · 30 places across 15 cities.
Spain Protected Landscapes
Protected landscape · 30 places across 15 cities.
Weekend Escapes near Bilbao
Weekend escapes · 30 places across 9 cities.
Themed collections
Theme-first discovery collections that include Bilbao — grouped by outdoor interest (mountains, lakes, coasts, forests, national parks) rather than geography.
Atlantic Coast Nature
Atlantic Coast Nature · 17 places across 40 cities.
European Wildlife Areas
Wildlife Areas · 25 places across 25 cities.
Spain Coastal Landscapes
Coastal Landscapes · 14 places across 17 cities.
Spain Cycling Friendly Areas
Cycling Friendly Areas · 50 places across 33 cities.
Spain Hiking Areas
Hiking Areas · 50 places across 41 cities.
Spain Mountain Escapes
Mountain Escapes · 50 places across 37 cities.
Interpretation
Use the Bilbao profile to compare cost framing, mobility, and regeneration signals alongside Barcelona, Madrid, and other compact European metros. Its standout dimensions are air quality (78/100) and safety (77/100). The area most worth watching is cost of living (72/100), where the model registers practical gaps. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 4 institutional references.
Country context is available on the Spain country page. Related rankings include Overall Intelligence, Quality of Life, Remote Work. See where Bilbao appears in global rankings or read the scoring methodology.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
4 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
- European Environment Agency: Air Quality Status Report
Used where European city comparisons need monitored air-quality context.
- NASA: NASA POWER
Used as an energy-resource and weather-normalization reference.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.