Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Bourges

For one person, living is cheaper in Bourges: $1,937 a month against $2,613 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
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Bourges Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,613

/mo nomad

Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paris and in Bourges

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,613 in Paris versus $1,937 in Bourges.

Paris $2,613
Bourges $1,937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,026 in Paris versus $3,009 in Bourges.

Paris $4,026
Bourges $3,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,440 in Paris versus $4,081 in Bourges.

Paris $5,440
Bourges $4,081

Living in Paris is roughly 35% more expensive than in Bourges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 94% above, Bourges 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 €16.11

$16.67 €14.83

8.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.5

$80.1 €71.2

-3.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.08

$13.27 €11.81

2.34%

Cappuccino

$4.99 €4.44

$5.09 €4.52

-1.96%

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

$4.41 €3.92

$4.60 €4.09

-4.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.82 €2.51

-5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.88 €7.01

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.01

$6.90 €6.13

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.14 €1.01

35.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.47 €2.20

2.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$2.20 €1.95

20.91%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.84

$4.39 €3.91

-1.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.04 €19.61

$22.00 €19.57

0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.97 €12.43

$13.69 €12.17

2.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.31 €19.84

$22.35 €19.88

-0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$3.32 €2.95

-4.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.22 €1.98

-1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.89 €2.57

-0.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.72

$4.31 €3.83

-3.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.99 €1.77

-10.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.91 €1.69

-4.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.88 €0.79

7.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.73 €13.10

$14.52 €12.92

1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 €8.07

$8.83 €7.85

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.67 €2.38

1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$3.50 €3.11

3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.87 €1.66

53.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 €89.9

$48.81 €43.41

107.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 €7.80

$9.23 €8.21

-5.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.50 €1.33

-5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.47 €41.33

$45.30 €40.30

2.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.25 €2.01

2.22%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$34.1K €30.4K

2.07%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$34.5K €30.7K

1.93%

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

$247 €219

$243 €216

1.60%

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

$16.01 €14.24

$7.81 €6.95

104.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.34 €26.09

$30.20 €26.86

-2.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 €34.54

$35.97 €32.00

7.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.47 €16.43

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 €12.66

$14.57 €12.96

-2.33%

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

$1,773 €1,577

$1,795 €1,597

-1.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K €23.1K

$10.1K €9,018

155.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.5

$108 €96.4

1.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 €46.82

$51.7 €46.03

1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$119 €106

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €142

0.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$627 €558

151.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 €1,068

$609 €542

96.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,406 €3,030

$1,186 €1,055

187.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,304 €2,049

$1,121 €997

105.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K €12.8K

$3,900 €3,469

268.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,759 €8,681

$3,026 €2,691

222.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,452 €3,071

$2,821 €2,510

22.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

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

Last update for Paris: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bourges: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.2K 45.9%

Bourges

$609 31.5% 49.2% $591

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$401 15.3%

Bourges

$394 20.4% 1.7% $6.8

Eating Out

Paris

$326 12.5%

Bourges

$317 16.4% 2.9% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$292 11.2%

Bourges

$281 14.5% 3.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$198 7.6%

Bourges

$198 10.2% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Paris

$128 4.9%

Bourges

$73 3.8% 43.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$67 2.6%

Bourges

$65 3.4% 3.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,580 in Paris and $627 in Bourges. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 22% 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: $77.0 in Paris vs $80.0 in Bourges. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $394, with Bourges cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇫🇷 Bourges

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

63,702

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Paris vs Bourges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bourges wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Paris. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bourges the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Paris, 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: $1,580 in Paris versus $627 in Bourges. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bourges – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $77.0 in Paris. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,613 per month in Paris versus $1,937 in Bourges – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,937 in Bourges versus $2,613 in Paris, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bourges but tight or insufficient in Paris. The gap between the two cities makes Bourges the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bourges delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,937 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bourges hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Paris and Bourges 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 Bourges gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.