Childcare Costs and Options in Bordeaux: A Freelance Photographer’s Wild Goose Chase
bordeaux isn’t just about merlot and mokro’s. it’s also about the 40mph stink of realizing your kid’s daycare costs more than your studio rent. i’m a freelance photographer here, which sounds artsy and glam but mostly means i spend 3am editing shots for remote clients in time zones that hate me. meanwhile, my kiddo’s at crèche eating stale croissants and plotting my demise. let’s dive into where the hell that dinero’s going.
*the numbers you’ll probably puke into a loo
so here’s the tea: a 1BR apartment in the centre? €800-1,000/month. congrats. now add childcare:
- crèche publique (state-run): €500-€800/month. just kidding, it’s way less fun than it sounds. my kid throws food at a guy who yells ‘bonjour!’ like he’s auditioning for a noël ad.
- maison d’ Families (private daycare): €300-€500/month. but wait-most are packed tighter than sardines in a canoe, and the food bank-quality meals include a suspicious amount of processed cheese.
- babysitting: €10-€15/hour for a high school student who’d rather be gaming. pro tip: they’ll ‘accidentally’ knock over wine by midnight. dieser Scheisse.
overheard at café de la paix
"oh, your kid’s in école maternelle? congrats on funding a francophile’s dream. hope you like surprise field trips to a compost heap-it’s ‘nature education.’"
france’s secret agenda: eating your budget
costs blur here. atriés are tricky. midnight feedings? better cough up for a baby carrier (€150). toddler tantrums? splurge on a stroller that doubles as art (€300+). and don’t get me started on the ecological tax for “green energy” that arrives like a vampire-vampire-documented-by-this-godforsaken-nation.
pro-tips from the trenches
- coworking clinics: join a space with built-in childcare. la fonderie on quai voltaire does it (their Yelp reviews are basically paid therapy).
- expats, unite!: join Facebook groups where others like you btch about daycare naps and export crèpes. (P.S. they also do food swaps. it’s brutal.)
- *government Grins: check out family aid for tax breaks. (obviously, if you can navigate french bureaucracy without lethal shock).
neighbors that make you question life choices
the Médoc coasts are a 30min drive away for a beach day. but honestly? your kid’s pediatrician will judge you for driving anywhere. and if you’re thinking ‘maybe spend summer in Bordeaux’s sister city, not-boring (aka bermuda) to avoid costs,’… no. come rethink that.
random data points to keep you up at night
- rent/housing: 1BR = €800-1,000. 3BR? same. hope you like closet space as a sleeping nook."
- childcare subsidies: max out at €350/month. take that from the department of guys who think ‘subsidy’ means ‘free nachos.’"
final rant
bordeaux wants your money. it wants us all. but hey, at least we can wine about it while chugging rosé brut in park cafés. dejavato.fr reports 78% of parents feel ‘betrayed by crèpes - they’re good but ’cost me aMonth of wine’"
links that won’t save your sanity
- TripAdvisor Bordeaux Restaurants (for when you bribe the kids with crepes)
- Reddit r/Bordeaux (ask them. they hate you already)
- Yelp Le Station (co-working space with daycare)
- Happy Expat France Blog
tagline*: Bordeaux is a mood. childcare is a nightmare. make peace. (or move to bretagne. maybe.)
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