Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bordeaux and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,062 in Bordeaux, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
Learn more

Bordeaux Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,062

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bordeaux and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,062 in Bordeaux versus $1,806 in Athens.

Bordeaux $2,062
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,225 in Bordeaux versus $2,731 in Athens.

Bordeaux $3,225
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,388 in Bordeaux versus $3,656 in Athens.

Bordeaux $4,388
Athens $3,656

Living in Bordeaux is roughly 14% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bordeaux 54% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.41 €18.21

$16.66 €14.87

22.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.2

$66.2 €59.1

20.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.30 €12.76

$11.06 €9.87

29.29%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.58

$4.14 €3.69

-3.14%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$2.80 €2.50

1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.57 €0.51

138.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 €7.11

$5.64 €5.03

41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$5.46 €4.87

20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.96 €1.75

-37.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.41 €1.26

39.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.83 €2.53

7.07%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.28

$5.04 €4.50

-26.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 €12.17

$15.35 €13.70

-11.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 €14.52

$10.34 €9.23

57.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.80 €18.56

$18.97 €16.93

9.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 €2.94

$2.17 €1.93

51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.91 €1.70

16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 €3.21

$1.38 €1.23

160.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 €3.96

$2.20 €1.96

101.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.10 €0.98

107.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$1.13 €1.00

159.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.10 €0.99

24.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.83 €0.74

-31.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.98 €11.58

$5.60 €4.99

131.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 €9.10

$10.19 €9.09

0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.56

$2.18 €1.95

83.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 €3.67

$2.45 €2.19

68.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.38 €1.23

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.00 €42.84

$30.87 €27.55

55.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$4.37 €3.90

-49.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.04 €0.93

75.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.21 €34.10

$17.11 €15.27

123.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.31 €2.07

-7.36%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

23.54%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

24.05%

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

$254 €227

$210 €187

21.33%

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

$15.39 €13.74

$26.70 €23.83

-42.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.66 €27.36

$30.13 €26.89

1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.16 €29.59

$54.6 €48.72

-39.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 €24.91

$26.03 €23.23

7.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 €10.52

$10.78 €9.62

9.37%

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

$786 €701

$575 €513

36.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$13.1K €11.7K

4.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$93.2 €83.1

26.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.62 €39.82

$40.68 €36.30

9.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.6

$104 €92.9

4.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$128 €115

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 €823

$756 €674

21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 €673

$652 €582

15.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 €1,561

$1,294 €1,154

35.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,213

$1,163 €1,038

16.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,921 €6,177

$4,008 €3,577

72.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,739 €4,229

$3,452 €3,081

37.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,129 €2,792

$1,243 €1,110

151.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

4.48

-12.50%

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

Last update for Bordeaux: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bordeaux

$754 36.4%

Athens

$652 36.5% 13.5% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bordeaux

$383 18.5%

Athens

$315 17.6% 17.9% $69

Eating Out

Bordeaux

$324 15.6%

Athens

$269 15% 17.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bordeaux

$301 14.5%

Athens

$267 14.9% 11.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bordeaux

$187 9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 11.9% $22

Getting Around

Bordeaux

$68 3.3%

Athens

$46 2.6% 32.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bordeaux

$57 2.7%

Athens

$76 4.3% 34.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $922 in Bordeaux and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bordeaux pays 152% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Bordeaux vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h ahead of Bordeaux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,804

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bordeaux Athens 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bordeaux
Athens

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

Bordeaux vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Bordeaux. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 152% higher in Bordeaux, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $922 in Bordeaux versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $80.0 in Bordeaux. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,062 per month in Bordeaux versus $1,806 in Athens – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,062 in Bordeaux, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Bordeaux. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bordeaux and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bordeaux. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.