Cost of living in France

As a Western European country, France tends to be rather expensive. But in reality, what could be considered an expensive country depends on the cost of living in your home country.

For example, while France has a higher cost of living than countries like Italy, South Korea, Portugal or Spain, it is much less expensive than countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland or Australia.

France has lower purchasing power than countries such as Qatar, Singapore or the United States, but higher than the United Kingdom, South Korea, Canada, Spain or Japan.

Whether a country is expensive or not also depends on your lifestyle, as prices between countries can be higher or lower depending on the goods or services. For example, if you compare France with the UK, you will find that food is on average 46% more expensive in France (with large variations from one type of product to another). On the other hand, transport is cheaper in France (-5.5%) and housing even more so (-24.8%).

Finally, it is important to note that France is a large and contrasted country. While Paris is known for being very expensive, especially when it comes to real estate, the prices can drop dramatically as you move away from the big cities or the coast. Now, you may not want to settle in the middle of nowhere. Don’t worry: big cities have a lot of opportunities to offer and are still much less expensive than the capital.

Is it your dream to live in France? By choosing carefully where to live, you can achieve your goal!

Are you planning on studying in France? Then you may be wondering what the cost of living in France can be for a student.

This is one of the main advantages of studying in France. In the United Kingdom or the United States, higher education can be very expensive (several thousand dollars or pounds per year).

But in France, public universities are funded by the state. As a result, the cost of a year’s tuition is much lower, while still providing a high quality education. A year at a public university costs less than €1000 for students from a member state of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Students from other countries will have to pay a little more, but the cost is still competitive. Depending on your situation, you may also be able to get a grant to help with your daily expenses.

Note that there are also private institutions that offer high quality education but are not funded by the state. Prices are therefore more in line with what you would expect to pay in the United States or the United Kingdom.

As for the cost of living in France for a student, it varies greatly depending on where you live. In Paris, it can go up to €1800 per month. It is the most expensive city in the country. The south tends to be expensive as well, with Nice, for example, costing between €900 and €1400 per month. Other major cities tend to be more affordable, with a monthly budget of around €1000.

As far as accommodation is concerned, you can rent an apartment at the usual cost for the city you choose, but the cheapest option is to live in a student residence. The costs are much lower and they offer many services (wifi, shared kitchen, etc.), so this is a good option to reduce your cost of living.

In France, your student card will give you access to cheaper public transport, cultural activities, sports facilities, stationery or computer equipment, as well as access to university restaurants (with very cheap meals).

One of France’s main assets is its affordable healthcare system. In fact, there is a universal system called “sécurité sociale”, which includes national health insurance for all residents, including foreigners in regular situations. The system is financed by contributions deducted from employees’ salaries.

Since 2016, companies have also been obliged to offer their employees supplementary health insurance.

All this makes healthcare in France very affordable.

To live and work in France, Lyon is one of the best choices. As mentioned before, Paris is very expensive. And while you may want to opt for a more affordable cost of living, you probably also want to enjoy all the advantages of a large city.

Prices in Lyon are approximately:

• €698.40 per month to rent an apartment in the city centre,
• €149.44 per month for water, electricity and heating bills for an 85m² apartment,
• €31.14 per month for internet connection,
• €50.00 for a meal for two in an average restaurant,
• €9.00 for a menu in a fast food restaurant,
• €69.40 for a standard monthly public transport ticket (€25 for students, €23.30 for 11-17 year olds and €9.30 for children aged 4-10).

On average, it is cheaper than many major cities in the world:

• 8 % cheaper than Vancouver,
• 12% cheaper than Sydney,
• 15% cheaper than Tokyo,
• 22% cheaper than Shanghai,
• 24% cheaper than Seoul,
• 30% cheaper than Copenhagen,
• 38% cheaper than Oslo,
• 41% cheaper than New York,
• 41% cheaper than Zurich,
• 42% cheaper than London,
• 43% cheaper than San Francisco,
• 64% cheaper than Singapore.

The cost of living in Lyon is also comparable to cities such as Madrid, Berlin or Lisbon.

Lyon is actually more expensive than the French average, but as the 3rd most populated city in the country, it offers a high quality of life that makes it worth it.

As you will soon discover, Lyon is one of the best cities in France. Its cost of living is not the cheapest, but it makes up for it with an excellent quality of life, nightlife, cultural dynamism and professional opportunities.

Its proximity to many major European cities and its accessibility make it a great place for expats looking to start a new life in France or for students looking for an enriching environment.