Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bordeaux and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bordeaux: $2,079 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
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Bordeaux Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,079

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bordeaux and in Melbourne

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

A single person spends $2,079 per month in Bordeaux vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bordeaux $2,079
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $3,202 per month in Bordeaux vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bordeaux $3,202
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $4,324 per month in Bordeaux vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bordeaux $4,324
Melbourne $5,650

Bordeaux is about 26% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bordeaux and Melbourne sit above the global median – Bordeaux by 54%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €18.21

$17.43 A$25.08

17.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.1

$84.6 A$122

-6.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 €12.59

$12.46 A$17.92

13.56%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$4.11 A$5.91

-2.19%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$3.06 A$4.40

-5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.52 A$3.62

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 €6.90

$9.80 A$14.10

-20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$8.57 A$12.33

-21.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.48 A$2.14

-20.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.94 A$4.23

-34.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.66 A$3.82

15.04%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.09

$5.54 A$7.97

-37.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 €12.37

$10.51 A$15.13

32.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 €14.47

$9.65 A$13.89

68.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.22 €17.99

$15.22 A$21.91

32.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$3.99 A$5.75

-19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.02 A$4.34

-28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.10 A$4.46

13.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.82 A$6.93

-8.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.03 A$4.36

-25.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.44 A$3.52

18.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.46 A$3.54

-46.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$1.63 A$2.34

-65.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.10 €11.65

$44.07 A$63.4

-70.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 €8.84

$12.70 A$18.28

-21.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.05 €3.60

$5.54 A$7.97

-26.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 €3.69

$5.23 A$7.52

-20.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.74 A$5.38

-41.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.01 €41.81

$138 A$198

-65.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$4.51 A$6.50

-49.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.36 A$1.96

33.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.26 €33.14

$30.45 A$43.81

22.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.47 A$2.12

43.54%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$29.0K A$41.7K

19.77%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$26.5K A$38.1K

31.74%

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

$257 €229

$234 A$336

10.09%

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

$15.66 €13.93

$27.93 A$40.19

-43.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.26

$55.7 A$80.2

-45.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.36 €29.67

$49.40 A$71.1

-32.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.15 €25.04

$21.48 A$30.91

31.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.73 €10.44

$15.09 A$21.72

-22.27%

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

$801 €713

$2,371 A$3,412

-66.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-54.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 €106

$80.0 A$115

49.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.31 €40.30

$50.7 A$73.0

-10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.4

$121 A$174

-11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$130 A$188

10.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €812

$1,759 A$2,531

-48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 €677

$1,390 A$2,000

-45.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,747 €1,554

$3,494 A$5,027

-49.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 €1,228

$2,493 A$3,588

-44.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 €6,054

$6,926 A$9,967

-1.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,667 €4,151

$6,445 A$9,274

-27.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,893 €2,573

$4,383 A$6,307

-33.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

5.9

-33.56%

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

Last update for Bordeaux: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bordeaux

$761 36.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 82.7% $629

Groceries & Markets

Bordeaux

$379 18.2%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 1.2% $4.7

Eating Out

Bordeaux

$324 15.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 2.9% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bordeaux

$304 14.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 4.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Bordeaux

$188 9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 8.4% $16

Getting Around

Bordeaux

$67 3.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 144% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Bordeaux

$57 2.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 40.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $913 in Bordeaux versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Bordeaux versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $384 – making Bordeaux the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

9 h ahead of Bordeaux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,804

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bordeaux Melbourne 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bordeaux
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 36% more than Bordeaux, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,119 per month in Bordeaux and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bordeaux, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 193% less in Bordeaux. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $801 per month in Bordeaux and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bordeaux, where all-in costs run around $2,079, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Bordeaux it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bordeaux costs $2,079 versus $2,821 in Melbourne. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bordeaux. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.