Is Paris expensive? Your guide to the cost of living in Paris

Paris is generally considered an expensive city to live in. This is the natural result of being both a major economic center and one of the most-visited cities in the world for tourists. 

It’s home to world-famous monuments, extraordinary architecture, luxury fashion, and endless fine dining. The city is no stranger to the wealthy elite. 

But Paris is also home to students, artists, young families, refugees, and a diverse mix of backgrounds and resources. There are more affordable neighborhoods, cheap and cheerful restaurants, and ways to keep the cost of living in check, no matter your budget. 

This article looks at key factors contributing to the cost of living in Paris, and what you can expect if and when you arrive here. 

Cost of living in Paris: Overview

According to a 2023 report by the Economist, Paris has the seventh-highest cost of living in the world:

1. Singapore
2. Zurich
3. New York
4. Geneva
5. Hong Kong
6. Los Angeles
7. Paris
8. Copenhagen
9. Tel Aviv
10. San Francisco

So objectively, the cost of living in Paris is high. This list is based on the price of goods like groceries, entertainment, fuel, rent, and more. We’ll explore each of these in more detail shortly. 

The most expensive city in France

Paris is also the most expensive place to live in France (excluding a few luxury towns and resorts.) Parisians spend 7% more on average than the rest of France to live. So if you’re comparing Paris with other French cities, you can expect to pay more for rent, utilities, meals and entertainment.

Subsidies for employees

While costs can be high, most French companies provide assistance for certain costs. This helps to counterbalance the elevated costs of living in Paris. 

Common subsidies include: 

• Tickets restaurants: companies with more than 25 employees are obliged to provide a discounted canteen. Alternatively (as is very common) they can offer employees “tickets resto,” vouchers to use at restaurants and grocery stores which are typically 50-60% covered by the employer.
• Public transportation: Many French companies will pay half the price of your monthly transport pass. 
• Healthcare: Companies contribute to your cotisations (public health-related charges), and many offer private insurance as an extra. 

Similar support also exists for students, families, pensioners, and those on welfare programs. So while prices can be high at first blush, you may not pay them in full from your own pocket.

Cost of rent and housing in the French Capital

Choosing a location

Paris rent and property prices vary significantly depending on the arrondissement (district) and the type of accommodation. The closer to the city center — and the more affluent the neighborhood — the higher the price. You’re also more likely to find a garden and more square meters further from the center.

For this reason, some families choose to live in suburbs like Levallois, Boulogne, Montreuil, or Asnières. These are not cheap places to live, but you may enjoy more space and access to green spaces.

Budget for rent in Paris

The standard recommendation is to allocate about 30% of your earnings to rent in Paris. Landlords will ask for proof of income, and will expect you to earn at least three times the rent per month.

Some quick math: 

• Average wage in Paris: €54,000/year
• Average wage per month: €4,500
• 30% of €4,500 = €1,350

A person living alone and making the average wage is most likely in a studio (or very small) apartment. Some choose to live in shared housing, or move further out of the city. 

Average cost of rent in Paris (by arrondissement)

Statista provides a helpful chart of rates for apartments across the arrondissements (as of December 2023): 

For example, for a 30m² apartment in the 1st arrondissement, the average rent would be €1,020 (34x30).

Food and dining expenses

Food Budget

Eating out in Paris can be expensive, particularly at mid-range and high-end restaurants. The average French person reportedly sets aside €300 per month for food, and this figure is sure to be higher in Paris. 

Just as for rent, you can expect to pay more for dining the closer you are to the city center and tourist zones. A restaurant on the Champs Élysée or near the Eiffel Tower will almost always cost more than one of a similar caliber in the 13th, 19th, or 20th arrondissements. 

Some potential good news for American expats: tipping is not expected, and taxes are always included in the listed price on menus. Which means what you see is what you pay. 

Price of groceries

Groceries also tend to cost more compared with many European cities, although there are budget options available, such as local farmers markets and discount supermarkets. Like in much of the European Union, prices of some items are also regulated, and staple foods can be relatively inexpensive. 

In 2023, the government raised the number of price capped foods to 5,000 after food price increases far outpaced inflation. Free market enthusiasts might find this troubling, but it’s good news for the Parisian consumer.  

Here are the average prices of common groceries in Paris: 

Transport costs in Paris

Public transportation

Metro and bus transportation in Paris is cheaper than London, New York, and Los Angeles. A single metro or bus ticket costs €2.10, and lets you ride anywhere in the city.

Monthly passes are also available. Most locals use a Navigo card, providing unlimited travel on the metro, bus, and RER services. At the time of writing, a Navigo pass for all zones (including airports) costs €84.10 per month. But most employers subsidize public transport costs, usually splitting the cost 50/50.

Taxis and ridesharing

Paris taxis previously had a reputation for being untrustworthy for foreigners. Stories of tourists paying hundreds of euros for a 30-minute ride from Charles de Gaulle airport were common. But this has changed significantly. 

Airports now have fixed taxi charges to bring passengers into the city: 

• Charles de Gaulle: €56 (right bank); €65 (left bank)
• Orly: €44 (right bank); €36 (left bank)

Around the city, most taxis are metered and prices are in line with other large cities.  The base rate is €2.60, plus €1.65 per km. But Paris congestion can easily turn a 20-minute trip across town into an hour or more. Which of course drives the price up. 

Ridesharing is also available, and Uber is ubiquitous. An Uber trip to Charles de Gaulle commonly costs between €25-50, depending on your arrondissement, traffic, and the number of rides available. 

Other common options include Bolt, Freenow, and local business Heetch. All are seen as safe and will pick up and drop off at airports. 

Bike-sharing programs

Like many major cities, shared personal transport is available. Until recently this included motorized electric scooters, but these were banned following a public vote in 2023. But you will still find Jump, Bird, and Lime electric bikes to rent from. 

Many locals also use the popular Vélib program, which operates like Citibikes in the US or Santander bikes in the UK. There are hundreds of Vélibs stations around the city to pick up or deposit your bike. 

A monthly Vélib subscription can cost as little as €3.10, which gives you unlimited 30-minute trips on “classic” (non-electric) bikes. For €9.30 per month, you get unlimited 60-minute trips on classic bikes, and 45-minute trips on electric bikes. 

For those living and working inside Paris, 30-45 minutes is plenty for the commute to work. And with kilometers of cycle lanes in place, Vélibs can be a very cost-effective and convenient way of traveling around. 

Cost of gas, electricity, & utilities in the City of Light

Energy prices

Whether you find electricity and gas prices in France expensive will depend on what you’re used to. French gas prices are typically two-to-three times higher than in the US, for example. So American expats may initially find French prices for petrol and natural gas hard to stomach. 

The same is true for household electricity, although not to quite the same degree. 

But French households consume far less electricity and gas than their counterparts in the US. In Paris, most people live in apartments, which require less heating and cooling. Air conditioning is uncommon in homes, and many apartments are heated with communal radiators which cost relatively little. 

Most people commute by metro, bike, or on foot, and it’s perfectly normal not to own a car in the capital.

Compared with the rest of Europe, France is closer to average. In 2023, electricity in France was roughly at the median price among European countries. Household electricity costs are much lower than in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy, and Ireland. They’re also considerably higher than in Norway, Portugal, Spain, Poland, and Finland.

So yes, energy prices may be higher than what you’re used to. But rather than compare utility prices with life elsewhere, look forward to living a life less reliant on fossil fuels.  

Internet and mobile phone plans

Internet is far cheaper in Europe than the US, as are mobile phone subscriptions. The average American reportedly pays $114 per month for their cell phone.

In France, you can expect to pay €10-20 per month for a phone plan with 100GB of data, unlimited calls and SMS, and free roaming throughout the EU. 

Broadband internet costs range from €15-50 per month. And to further reduce costs, many Parisians use the same mobile phone and internet providers. These often come with extras like digital television, and can be very affordable. 

Healthcare expenses

Compared with the United States and countries with private systems, healthcare in France is affordable and readily accessible. Every French citizen, resident, and employee has the right to a carte vitale, which covers the majority of doctor’s fees and the cost of prescribed medicines in pharmacies. 

To fund this, employees contribute 7% of their salaries towards healthcare, while employers contribute a further 13%.

Medical costs are set by the government and tend not to change much year over year.

As of June 2024, here’s the cost of standard healthcare services in Paris:

Reminder: many (if not all) of these costs are covered by your carte vitale - usually 70-100%. So these are the fees you might pay upfront, but you can expect reimbursement.

Many workplaces also offer private insurance, known as mutuelle. This supplements the state-subsidized services and usually includes extras like optomotrist’s visits (and prescription glasses), orthodontics, and private healthcare.

Private providers exist and offer specialist services or shorter waiting times. A key example is the American Hospital of Paris (which operates in English) or the numerous Catholic hospitals in the city. Some expats in Paris may use these providers for major events like childbirth, as they offer a more familiar experience.

Education and childcare costs

School is free for all children three years and older. It’s also compulsory from ages three to 16. And schools even provide lunch!

As always, there are private options available for those who want to pay. But if you have school-aged children, the expectation is that you will not pay for their education. 

Baby and childcare

Pre-school childcare (crèche) is normal for children as young as two months old. The government-operated services are affordable, and depend on the parents’ salaries, the level of competition, and the local resources. 

Crèche prices in France range from €0.15 per hour, to more than €3.50, with Paris at the high end (and among the most competitive). For public childcare, expect to pay €800-900 per month, versus €1,750-2,250 per month for private. 

Households that cannot (or choose not to) take places at a crèche may instead find a nounou or nanny. The stated minimum rate for nounous is €3.06 per hour, with further rules for overtime. 

Overall, the cost of pre-school childcare is slightly higher than the EU average, but slightly lower than the OECD average. And there are various tax benefits and relief offered to families to reduce some of these costs. 

Higher education

If you or your children attend a French university (as a resident), you can also expect very low costs. The average bachelor’s degree costs €170 per year. Foreign students pay considerably more than this, but still nothing like the fees at elite universities in the US and UK. 

There are more exclusive, more expensive grandes écoles which are specialized and sit outside the public system. These include some engineering, management, and business schools which can charge up to €30,000 per year. 

Students also receive additional support for housing, health insurance, and other living costs. So in the majority of cases, and particularly for EU residents and those studying in French, higher education in Paris is extremely affordable. 

Paris is expensive, but there’s more to the story

It’s hard to imagine a city as glamorous and desirable as Paris ever being cheap. There’s just too much culture, history, and money in such a small geographical area.

Rent is expensive, and the only real way to reduce this cost is to move further away. Dining out and entertainment costs also add up quickly.

But compared particularly with life in the US, there are a few clear fiscal advantages. Healthcare is inexpensive (and mostly subsidized), education is free, and even internet and phone plans are affordable. 

Millions of people from across the financial spectrum call Paris their home. Whatever your means and your budget, there’s a life for you here.

Looking for an apartment in Paris? Find Paris Attitude real estate listings!