Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bordeaux and Barcelona

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.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
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Bordeaux Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,079

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bordeaux and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Bordeaux $2,079
Barcelona $2,399

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

Bordeaux $3,202
Barcelona $3,410

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

Bordeaux $4,324
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Bordeaux costs roughly 13% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €18.21

$17.94 €15.96

14.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.1

$68.1 €60.5

15.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 €12.59

$13.28 €11.81

6.55%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$3.25 €2.89

23.69%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$3.01 €2.67

-3.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.87 €1.66

-22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 €6.90

$3.85 €3.42

101.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$4.48 €3.98

50.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.29 €1.15

-8.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.04 €1.81

-5.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.72 €1.53

77.91%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.09

$4.77 €4.24

-27.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 €12.37

$16.77 €14.92

-17.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 €14.47

$8.93 €7.94

82.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.22 €17.99

$19.88 €17.68

1.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$2.98 €2.65

8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.03 €1.80

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.73 €2.43

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 €3.93

$2.68 €2.38

64.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.10 €1.87

8.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.08 €1.85

39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.45 €1.29

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$0.89 €0.79

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.10 €11.65

$6.94 €6.17

88.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 €8.84

$7.78 €6.92

27.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.05 €3.60

$1.45 €1.29

179.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 €3.69

$2.57 €2.29

61.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.99 €2.66

-27.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.01 €41.81

$25.20 €22.41

86.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$3.12 €2.77

-26.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.44 €1.28

26.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.26 €33.14

$33.50 €29.80

11.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.79 €1.59

17.88%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.30%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

16.00%

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

$257 €229

$178 €158

44.64%

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

$15.66 €13.93

$13.32 €11.85

17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.26

$34.88 €31.03

-12.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.36 €29.67

$53.3 €47.37

-37.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.15 €25.04

$16.01 €14.24

75.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.73 €10.44

$11.06 €9.84

6.06%

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

$801 €713

$957 €851

-16.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

-17.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 €106

$88.2 €78.4

35.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.31 €40.30

$39.49 €35.12

14.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.4

$103 €91.5

4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$121 €108

18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €812

$1,653 €1,470

-44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 €677

$1,302 €1,158

-41.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,747 €1,554

$2,557 €2,275

-31.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 €1,228

$1,915 €1,703

-27.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 €6,054

$7,286 €6,481

-6.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,667 €4,151

$5,080 €4,519

-8.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,893 €2,573

$2,281 €2,029

26.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.28

19.51%

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

Last update for Bordeaux: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bordeaux

$761 36.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 71.1% $541

Groceries & Markets

Bordeaux

$379 18.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 15.6% $59

Eating Out

Bordeaux

$324 15.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 16.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bordeaux

$304 14.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 25.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Bordeaux

$188 9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 15.5% $29

Getting Around

Bordeaux

$67 3.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 29.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bordeaux

$57 2.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 32.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $913 in Bordeaux and $1,653 in Barcelona. 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: $79.0 in Bordeaux vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Bordeaux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,804

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 27% 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: $913 in Bordeaux versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $801 in Bordeaux versus $957 in Barcelona. 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, Bordeaux and Barcelona 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.