✦ Compare
Berlin vs
Bordeaux
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Berlin, DE vs Bordeaux, FR at a glance — Bordeaux, FR is 10% cheaper than Berlin, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $850/mo versus $1,400/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Bordeaux, FR, you'd need
$67,756 / year
Bordeaux, FR is 10% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Bordeaux, FR vs Berlin, DE)
- Housing-18%
- Food & groceries-2%
- Transport-11%
- Utilities-17%
- Healthcare-14%
- Goods & services0%
◎ How Berlin, DE and Bordeaux, FR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Berlin, DE | Bordeaux, FR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 110 | 99 |
| Housing | 122 | 100 |
| Food | 108 | 106 |
| Transport | 85 | 76 |
| Utilities | 132 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 82 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,000/mo | $660/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,800/mo | $1,700/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $5,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $910 | $1,008 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $16 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 20% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | 22% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 25% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 30% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,200/mo | $1,600/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496 | $48,986 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2% | 0.9% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 120 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 60 | 63 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 160 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 82 |
| Public transport | 90 | 76 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 83 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +1 °C | +7 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +22 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 60 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 570 mm | 950 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs France. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Berlin
Germany's creative and startup magnet — still the cheapest major Western-European capital, though rents are climbing fast.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 19°C · 60 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreuzberg · Mitte · Neukölln
Good to know before you move to Bordeaux
An elegant, honey-stone city on the Garonne at the heart of France's greatest wine region — just two hours from Paris by TGV and a short hop to the Atlantic beaches. Milder and cheaper than Paris, it's become a magnet for remote workers and Parisians heading south.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- French
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 160 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 63/100
- Climate
- ❄ 7°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- E · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Chartrons · Saint-Pierre · Saint-Michel · La Bastide
Plan your move to Berlin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Bordeaux
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Berlin to Bordeaux: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Berlin to Bordeaux, your cost of living will be roughly 10% cheaper. Bordeaux’s cost-of-living index is 99 versus 110 for Berlin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Berlin cheaper than Bordeaux?
Bordeaux is about 10% cheaper than Berlin overall — its cost-of-living index is 99 versus 110 for Berlin.
How much do you need to earn in Bordeaux to live like in Berlin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Berlin is worth about $67,756 in Bordeaux. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Berlin or Bordeaux?
Germany has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in France.
◷ More comparisons from Berlin
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.