Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bordeaux

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.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
Learn more

Bordeaux Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne 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 Melbourne and in Bordeaux actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Melbourne $2,821
Bordeaux $2,079

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

Melbourne $4,235
Bordeaux $3,202

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

Melbourne $5,650
Bordeaux $4,324

Melbourne costs about 36% more than Bordeaux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$20.47 €18.21

-14.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$78.8 €70.1

7.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$14.15 €12.59

-11.94%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.02 €3.57

2.24%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.89 €2.57

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.44 €1.28

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$7.75 €6.90

26.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.75 €6.00

26.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.18 €1.05

25.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.93 €1.72

52.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.06 €2.72

-13.07%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.48 €3.09

59.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.91 €12.37

-24.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$16.27 €14.47

-40.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$20.22 €17.99

-24.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.23 €2.87

23.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.17 €1.93

39.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.51 €3.12

-11.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.42 €3.93

9.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.27 €2.02

33.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.90 €2.58

-15.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.32 €1.17

86.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.56 €0.50

191.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$13.10 €11.65

236.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.94 €8.84

27.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.05 €3.60

36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.15 €3.69

26.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$2.18 €1.94

71.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$47.01 €41.81

192.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.29 €2.04

96.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.82 €1.62

-25.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$37.26 €33.14

-18.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$2.11 €1.88

-30.33%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$34.7K €30.9K

-16.51%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.9K €31.0K

-24.10%

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

$234 A$336

$257 €229

-9.16%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.66 €13.93

78.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.64 €27.26

81.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.36 €29.67

48.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$28.15 €25.04

-23.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.73 €10.44

28.64%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$801 €713

195.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$13.6K €12.1K

122.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$120 €106

-33.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$45.31 €40.30

11.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$107 €95.4

12.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$144 €128

-9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$913 €812

92.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$761 €677

82.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,747 €1,554

99.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,381 €1,228

80.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$6,806 €6,054

1.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,667 €4,151

38.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,893 €2,573

51.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.92

50.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bordeaux: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Bordeaux

$761 36.6% 45.3% $629

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Bordeaux

$379 18.2% 1.2% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Bordeaux

$304 14.6% 4.3% $14

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Bordeaux

$324 15.6% 3% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Bordeaux

$188 9% 9.2% $16

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Bordeaux

$67 3.2% 59% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Bordeaux

$57 2.7% 28.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $913 in Bordeaux. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $79.0 in Bordeaux. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $379 – making Bordeaux the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

06:15 6:15 AM

9 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

261,804

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Bordeaux 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Bordeaux

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

Melbourne vs Bordeaux: 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 $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $3,119 in Bordeaux. 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 $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $801 in Bordeaux. 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.