Cost of living in France in 2021

This article will focus on Paris, and prices in larger cities across France should generally be similar or lower than those listed here.

For the purposes of this article, we shall compare prices to those in New York City (NYC), United States as New York is a global financial and cultural capital, which naturally gives it very high numbers in almost all categories. You could also use London or Tokyo as a baseline if you prefer. We have used NYC because that is where our company is based, and we are most familiar with it.

The following categories will be considered: *Rent (we looked at one-bedroom apartments in popular neighborhoods) *Food (groceries and dining out), *Utilities (electricity, gas & water), *Transportation (utility costs for a small car that would get 20 mpg), *Health Insurance (assuming a healthy individual that does not smoke, and has no serious pre-existing conditions)

*Phone & Internet

Rent: Rental prices in Paris can vary greatly depending on the area. We have taken an average of rent in some of the most popular neighborhoods.

Paris : $3,400/month (for a one bedroom) New York : $3,000/month

*Note: You may be able to find cheaper rent in Paris than we have listed. We looked at areas that are popular with expats , and were looking for a relatively safe area where you can walk outside day or night. We found that average rent for a one bedroom apartment in the expat-friendly area of Paris was around $3,400/month .

Food: Groceries & Dining Out

Paris : $467/month ($5.26 per person) New York : $300-$500/month

As you can see, dining out is much cheaper in France. At the same time, the food at supermarkets in France is generally of a much higher quality and arguably more healthy than that found in American grocery stores. We have also included some staples which are not always found in fridges or cupboards within Paris, such as butter, soy sauce and basic condiments (mustard, ketchup etc).

In NYC, you could easily spend twice the amount if you had a larger grocery bill and ate out every night.

Utilities:

Paris : $250/month ($2.67 per person) New York : $150/month *Note: If you are renting in Paris , some utility costs (gas and water) will be covered by your landlord. Depending on the size of your apartment, this could make up a sizeable portion of your utilities costs in NYC

Transportation:

Paris : $449/month New York : $200-$600/month

Transportation is almost twice as expensive in Paris than it is in NYC. This includes the cost of insurance for a small, compact car that gets 20 mpg.

The French highway system is excellent and we would generally advise anyone to purchase a secondhand motorbike in France instead of paying for expensive insurance on a vehicle with poor gas mileage (compared to American cars).