Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bordeaux

For one person, living is cheaper in Bordeaux: $2,079 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
Learn more

Bordeaux Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bordeaux

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Bordeaux actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,079 in Bordeaux.

Barcelona $2,399
Bordeaux $2,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,202 in Bordeaux.

Barcelona $3,410
Bordeaux $3,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,324 in Bordeaux.

Barcelona $4,421
Bordeaux $4,324

Living in Barcelona is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bordeaux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Bordeaux 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$20.47 €18.21

-12.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$78.8 €70.1

-13.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$14.15 €12.59

-6.15%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.02 €3.57

-19.15%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.67

$2.89 €2.57

4.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.44 €1.28

29.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.75 €6.90

-50.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.75 €6.00

-33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.18 €1.05

9.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.93 €1.72

5.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.06 €2.72

-43.79%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.48 €3.09

37.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.91 €12.37

20.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$16.27 €14.47

-45.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$20.22 €17.99

-1.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.23 €2.87

-7.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.17 €1.93

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.51 €3.12

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.42 €3.93

-39.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.27 €2.02

-7.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.90 €2.58

-28.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 €1.17

9.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.56 €0.50

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$13.10 €11.65

-47.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.94 €8.84

-21.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$4.05 €3.60

-64.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.15 €3.69

-38.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.18 €1.94

37.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$47.01 €41.81

-46.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.29 €2.04

36.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.82 €1.62

-20.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$37.26 €33.14

-10.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.11 €1.88

-15.17%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.7K €30.9K

-0.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.1K €26.7K

$34.9K €31.0K

-13.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$178 €158

$257 €229

-30.86%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.32 €11.85

$15.66 €13.93

-14.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$30.64 €27.26

13.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$33.36 €29.67

59.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$28.15 €25.04

-43.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.73 €10.44

-5.71%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$957 €851

$801 €713

19.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$13.6K €12.1K

21.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$120 €106

-26.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$45.31 €40.30

-12.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$107 €95.4

-4.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$144 €128

-15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$913 €812

80.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$761 €677

71.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,747 €1,554

46.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,381 €1,228

38.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$6,806 €6,054

7.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,667 €4,151

8.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,893 €2,573

-21.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.92

-16.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bordeaux: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Bordeaux

$761 36.6% 41.6% $541

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Bordeaux

$379 18.2% 18.5% $59

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Bordeaux

$324 15.6% 20% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Bordeaux

$304 14.6% 34.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Bordeaux

$188 9% 18.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Bordeaux

$57 2.7% 24.6% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Bordeaux

$67 3.2% 41.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $913 in Bordeaux. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bordeaux pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $79.0 in Bordeaux for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $379 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

261,804

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Bordeaux 440 km

From you

Barcelona
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Bordeaux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bordeaux differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,079 including rent). Bordeaux is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Bordeaux. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $913 in Bordeaux. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $801 in Bordeaux. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,079 in Bordeaux versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bordeaux but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bordeaux the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Bordeaux are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bordeaux gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.