Cost of Living in France: A Real Expat's Budget

When we moved from the United States to France, just outside Paris, we thought we had a pretty good idea of what life would cost. We’d read the blogs, checked the averages, and built a budget that looked solid on paper.

Some things tracked…but there were some surprises, too.

If you’re considering a move, this guide breaks down what it actually costs to live in France as an expat, based on our real monthly expenses, not just national averages.

From rent and groceries to healthcare and the little surprise costs no one talks about, here’s everything you need to know.

Prefer to watch? We broke it all down on our YouTube channel:

Key Factors That Affect Cost of Living in France

Before we get into our exact numbers, just know that the cost of living in France can vary a lot depending on a few things.

Location is a big one. Living near Paris, as we do, is going to be more expensive than in a smaller town or rural area. Even north vs. south can make a difference.

Housing matters, too. Whether you’re in a small apartment, a larger house, or sharing a place with others will completely change your monthly costs. We’ll share our costs for our place, a two-bedroom apartment in the city center of a Parisian suburb.

Then there’s lifestyle. If you’re eating out, traveling, and buying little treats all the time like us, you’re going to spend more. Family size or whether you’re a single person also plays a role, and seasonal costs like winter heating can bump things up.

We’ll break down what this all looks like for us, but there’s no one-size-fits-all number here. Here’s a snapshot of what we spend each month:

Category	Monthly Cost
Rent	€1,900
Utilities	~€150
Groceries	~€500
Transportation	~€50
Insurance/Guarantor	~€165
Total	~€2,780

Housing Costs in France

We’ll be using our apartment in the suburbs of Paris as an example, so your research may vary a little if you aren’t looking in our specific area.

Rent

€1 900/month

Rental prices will vary quite a bit depending on your area, whether you’re in the city center, whether it is furnished or unfurnished, and what utilities cost. We wanted to be close to Paris, and rentals are above average in our suburb.

Our apartment is furnished, about 65 square meters (700 square feet), in the city center with two bedrooms. It’s also furnished.

While that means we didn’t have to buy beds and ovens, it does mean we ended up with some curious things in there, too:

Note: We also had to pay a security deposit (ours was two months’ rent), but as that’s a one-time fee, we’re not including that in our monthly totals.

Utilities

~€150/month

Water and trash removal are included in our rent. We pay for the electric bill, which covers any other appliances we run in the apartment. That washing machine is small, y’all.

In summer, our utilities cost between €50-70. In winter, that jumps to between €100-150. My calculator says this averages to about €80 per month.

Our internet (€50/month) and cell phone (€13.99/phone) bills are with the same provider. You can find cheaper plans than what we pay, but I like fancy things.

Healthcare and Insurance Expenses

€165/month

Our visa requires us to have private health insurance, so I pick the cheapest I can find each year for this.

We are also by law allowed to be on the French healthcare system, which is free for residents. It covers 70% of your healthcare costs.

Most people also buy plans that cover the other 30%, called mutuelles. They are also known as top-up insurance. We don’t purchase one of these, so we would pay out of pocket for the other 30%.

Even so, healthcare costs in general are less than what we were used to in the U.S.

Fun fact: Eye care and dental are also considered part of the body in France, so their health care system covers these as well.

We also pay for renters’ insurance, just like we would in the U.S. It’s inexpensive and required by most places.

Finally, we pay for a guarantor, which essentially is landlord insurance during your lease term. This will pay the landlord any missing rent should you go rogue and decide not to pay them anymore.

It makes me angry that I must pay for essentially their own insurance, but if you are a self-employed expat, like we are, many are going to require a guarantor.

Grocery and Food Costs

€500/month

Trust circle time folks.

How can you say no to food when you are within a 10-minute walk of 159 groceries, boulangeries, patisseries, fromageries, and 30 minutes away from PARIS.

We have a farmers market three times per week, there is a surprising amount of diverse cuisines, and we like to get take-away once a week.

A plate of goat cheese and fresh tomatoes in France

Somehow, we are at the grocery store every single day, too. It’s only a problem if you admit it.

Fun fact: French laws do not allow for grocery stores to throw away food, so they put items that are close to expiration on severe discount in their “anti-gaspi” sections.

Transportation Costs

€50/month

We don’t own a car since our area is so well-connected to Paris. Our Navigo cards give us a 20% discount on rides, and we just pay at the end of the month based on how many rides we took.

We debate getting an e-bike sometimes, or maybe that is just me, but we can walk to anything else we need.

Lifestyle and Entertainment Costs

A man gives a thumbs up to a beer in France.

We’re not including a total here, as this would really vary by person depending on your hobbies.

I think we have a gym in our city? They aren’t as popular here as you’ll see everyone getting their exercise outside in our forests and our château park.

There’s a pool that we sometimes threaten to pay €6 at when the days are hot, a movie theatre, and live music when they feel like it on nice Saturdays.

If that isn’t enough, we can spend about €2 each and get to Paris in 30 minutes.

Practical Tips to Reduce Your Cost of Living in France

We already do a few things that keep our costs reasonable, and we’re not even trying that hard. That said, some things we could do better if we were trying to be more budget-savvy.

Shop local and cook at home.

Markets are cheaper than supermarkets for fresh produce, and France makes it easy. We have one three times a week. The anti-gaspi sections in grocery stores are also OK for picking up discounted items close to their sell-by date.

Cooking French food at home is also just not that expensive. Wine is three euros. Eggs are a dollar. You’re fine.

Use public transportation.

A single ride in Paris costs €2.55. Our Navigo cards give us a 20% discount on top of that. We don’t own a car, but that would change things quite a bit for our budget. Gas in France runs about €7-8 per gallon, plus insurance, plus tolls if you’re on the autoroutes.

Think seasonally about heating.

Our electric bill nearly doubles in winter. If you have the flexibility to travel during the coldest months, which, as remote workers, we sometimes do, you’re not heating an empty apartment. It’s accidental smart budgeting.

Consider living outside major cities.

We’re in a Parisian suburb and pay a premium for it. Smaller cities and rural areas can be significantly cheaper, though you’ll likely need a car, which eats into those savings. You’ll need to consider the tradeoffs of each.

Is France cheaper than the U.S.?

Generally, yes, but it depends on what you’re comparing.

It can vary significantly by city, but even popular cities like Paris, Nice, and Lyon are much more reasonable when compared to peers like New York City and San Francisco. Overall, the cost of living in France is about 30% cheaper than in the U.S.

Food might be a little bit more expensive, but that’s more than offset by the average cost of rent being 50% less than in the States. That’s much more room in the budget for more French pastries, I say.

Where France really pulls ahead is in healthcare, as 70% of your healthcare is covered by the universal healthcare system.

The other 30% usually costs €15-30/month on the low end to €100-200/month on the high end for good mutuelle insurance.

Here are a few other places where we’ve noticed France is meaningfully cheaper in our day-to-day life:

Food: Eggs, wine, cheese, and bread are all inexpensive local staples. A decent bottle of wine for €3 also isn’t an anomaly.
Transportation: A single train ride into Paris costs €2.55. We don’t own a car. That just wouldn’t be possible in a lot of the U.S.
Entertainment: You may have heard that Paris has some possibilities here. The opera is only 10 stops away from our house at the stunning Palais Garnier. Disneyland Paris is at the other end of the line.

Does the U.S. do anything right? When we fill up on road trips here, I’m glad that the prices are displayed per liter because €1.99 per liter sounds so much better than €7.53 per gallon. Good thing most cars get over 40 mpg.

Note: France is also well connected via trains if you want to skip the car altogether.

The honest take overall? For the quality of life we have here, considering the food, access to Paris, and the healthcare system, we spend less than we would for a comparable life in a major U.S. city.

Do Americans pay U.S. taxes while living in France?

Yes, the U.S. is one of two countries that taxes based on citizenship, not your location. Americans living abroad are still required to file a federal tax return.

How can Americans manage money in France?

We use a combination of both French and American systems. We have an online French bank account through Revolut, which is convenient to have, as we use it to pay our rent and for things like a random concert I want to see in Paris.

For transferring money from the U.S., since everything here is in euros, we recommend Wise or Revolut.

We also kept our U.S. bank account and credit cards active, as I just can’t quit the credit card points game. Check out our guide to the best banks for digital nomads for more on this topic.

How much do you need saved before moving to France?

This will really depend, as each type of visa in France will have different financial requirements. Ours, for example, wanted you to have income or assets that would equate to the French Minimum wage (SMIC) for the previous year.

Check the current requirements for whichever visa applies to your situation before applying.

Is living in France worth the cost?

For us, yes. But “worth it” is personal, so let’s be honest about what you’re actually signing up for.

We spend about €2,780 a month to live in a furnished two-bedroom apartment outside Paris. We eat well, take the train into one of the greatest cities in the world whenever we feel like it, and have access to a solid healthcare system should we need it.

By major U.S. city standards, that’s a reasonable number for a genuinely good quality of life.

There are tradeoffs, of course. The bureaucracy is real. The language learning curve is real. Being far from family and friends is real. And if you’re used to American conveniences, some of that adjustment takes time.

But here’s our honest take: the cost of living in France is manageable, and the quality of life is high.

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Cost of Living in France: A Real Expat’s Budget