Cost of living in France

Summary of cost of living in France

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: €4,325
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: €2,238
  • 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 68% of countries in the World (22 out of 66)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district €19
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) €11
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast €7
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk €1.37
12 eggs, large €4.68
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes €3.40
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese €7
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples €2.76
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes €1.86
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket €2.50
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality €9
2 liters of coca-cola €2.31
Bread for 2 people for 1 day €1.30
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area €1,708
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area €1,334
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat €191
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area €1,032
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area €849
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio €135
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) €28
40” flat screen tv €457
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) €141
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) €11
Hourly rate for cleaning help €16
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) €96
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) €40
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) €100
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes €126
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new €29,525
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas €1.89
Monthly ticket public transport €61
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) €3.03
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) €8
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) €32
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) €3.65
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) €3.90
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) €3.83
4 rolls of toilet paper €2.58
Tube of toothpaste €2.81
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city €21
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub €48
2 tickets to the movies €24
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) €103
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert €75
1 cocktail drink in downtown club €12
Cappuccino in expat area of the city €5.04
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) €7
Ipad wi-fi 128gb €623
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) €0.24
1 month of gym membership in business district €36
1 package of marlboro cigarettes €11

Moving to France with your children?

International Schools in France

Map of Cost of Living in France

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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 158
2nd Nice 121
3rd Lyon 118
4th Marseille 116
5th Bordeaux 111
6th Grenoble 110
7th Toulouse 110
8th Montpellier 109
9th Lille 107
10th Nantes 107
11th Strasbourg 104
12th Rennes 99

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.

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Prices recently added

  • Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Toulouse costs €26,000 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Men’s leather business shoes in Toulouse costs €125 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Toulouse costs €70 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) in Toulouse costs €60 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Jeans (levis 501 or similar) in Toulouse costs €60 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Toulouse costs €30 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Hourly rate for domestic cleaning help in Toulouse costs €20 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Laundry detergent, 3 liters in Toulouse costs €15 (about 5 hours ago)
  • Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) in Toulouse costs €350 (about 5 hours ago)
  • 40′ flat screen tv in Toulouse costs €850 (about 5 hours ago)

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