Published on 5 October 2026 · by Julien Lartigue · 7 min
Studying in Bordeaux: what a realistic budget looks like
Housing, transport, groceries, nights out: the real figures behind a first-year budget.
Bordeaux is an attractive student city, but its budget is not improvised. Here are the figures we use to build a first-year budget with families.
Housing, the main variable
A room in university halls typically runs between €250 and €400 per month, depending on the type of hall and the housing benefit obtained. In a shared private flat, count €350 to €500, usually with charges included. The student portion of French housing benefit (CAF) can reduce these amounts noticeably — provided the application is filed early, which many families forget.
The rest of the budget
Groceries: €180 to €250 a month for one person who cooks. Transport: around €30 with the student fare on Bordeaux's network. Phone and internet: €20 to €35. Social life: the adjustment variable, but budgeting €80 to €120 avoids hard months.
Add an annual budget for supplies, possible equipment and one return trip home: €500 to €1,000 depending on distance.
The honest total
For one year, excluding tuition, a prudent estimate sits between €8,000 and €12,000 in Bordeaux. These are not misleading averages: they are the ranges we see in the budgets we build with families, year after year.
A tight budget is not an impossible project. It is a project prepared six months ahead — which is exactly what the 2027 pathway is for.