Cost of living in France
Summary of cost of living in France
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: €4,140
- Single person estimated monthly costs: €2,244
- Cost of living in France is cheaper than in 61% of countries in Western Europe (11 out of 18)
- Cost of living in France is more expensive than in 73% of countries in the World (21 out of 75)
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| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | €18 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | €11 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | €6 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | €1.30 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | €4.58 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | €3.52 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | €8 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | €2.74 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | €1.78 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | €1.81 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | €9 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | €2.24 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | €1.21 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | €1,652 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | €1,522 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | €147 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | €989 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | €816 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | €108 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | €23 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | €333 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | €106 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | €6 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | €15 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | €75 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | €33 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | €82 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | €104 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | €26,302 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | €1.87 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | €59 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | €5.85 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | €5.60 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | €28 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | €4.23 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | €4.74 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | €3.33 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | €2.69 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | €2.33 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | €20 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | €43 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | €23 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | €81 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | €59 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | €10 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | €3.94 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | €7 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | €362 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | €0.28 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | €32 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | €10 | ||
Moving to France with your children?
International Schools in France
Map of Cost of Living in France
This map shows only the top cities in France. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in France
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paris | 141 |
| 2nd | Nice | 117 |
| 3rd | Lyon | 110 |
| 4th | Grenoble | 105 |
| 5th | Bordeaux | 105 |
| 6th | Marseille | 104 |
| 7th | Nantes | 101 |
| 8th | Toulouse | 101 |
| 9th | Montpellier | 100 |
| 10th | Lille | 100 |
| 11th | Strasbourg | 96 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to France? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in France of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in France
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Paris is 21% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Paris is 75% more expensive than in São Paulo
- Cost of living in Paris is 36% more expensive than in Barcelona, Spain
- Cost of living in Paris is 37% more expensive than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Paris is 11% more expensive than in Detroit, Michigan
- Cost of living in Paris is 34% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Paris is 5% cheaper than in Amsterdam
- Cost of living in Paris is 76% more expensive than in Moscow
- Cost of living in Paris is 16% more expensive than in Richmond, Virginia
- Cost of living in Paris is 110% more expensive than in Maringá
- Cost of living in Paris is 11% more expensive than in Munich
- Cost of living in Narbonne is 32% cheaper than in Vancouver
- Cost of living in Marseille is about the same as in Madrid
- Cost of living in Paris is 23% more expensive than in Milan
- Cost of living in Paris is 227% more expensive than in Delhi
- Cost of living in Lyon is 8% more expensive than in Bordeaux
- Cost of living in Paris is about the same as in Berlin
- Cost of living in Toulouse is 37% cheaper than in Dublin
- Cost of living in Marseille is about the same as in Toulouse
- Cost of living in Paris is 23% more expensive than in Brussels
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- Cocktail drink in downtown club in Lyon costs €10 (4 days ago)
- Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Lyon costs €30 (4 days ago)
- Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Lyon costs €20 (4 days ago)
- 75 ml tube of toothpaste in Lyon costs €4.00 (4 days ago)
- One-way ticket in public transport in Lyon costs €2.00 (4 days ago)
- Public transport in Lyon costs €25 (4 days ago)
- Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Lyon costs €60 (4 days ago)
- Summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) in Lyon costs €30 (4 days ago)
- Jeans (levis 501 or similar) in Lyon costs €25 (4 days ago)
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Lyon costs €19 (4 days ago)