Budget Features
Taking into account the current ratio of exchange rates, today living in France costs almost twice as much as in Russia. Nevertheless, the charm of France and the unique lifestyle of its citizens suggest that it does not take a lot of money to enjoy life. This is especially true for towns in the south of the country and its charming provincial villages.
However, metropolitan life, as always, requires an appropriate financial status. So, if we compare the total cost of living in Moscow and in Paris, then the French capital will cost its resident 92% more expensive than Moscow (taking into account rental housing in both megacities). But if we proceed from the average salary levels, then, after paying for housing and buying basic necessities, the average Frenchman will have more free funds compared to Russians. And he will probably spend them on visiting restaurants and a glass of burgundy for lunch. And it will also remain for theater, exhibitions and cinema.
Traditionally, the five most expensive cities in France include Paris, Nice, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse, and if in the last four cities the cost of living differs from each other quite slightly, then the capital is ahead of them in prices by about 30%, and the cost of real estate may differ by two or three times. Seasonally, only a few months a year, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Antibes, Megeve and Courchevel break out into the leaders in the high cost of living. At the same time, the salaries of foreign employees in France are not as attractive as, for example, the incomes of expats who left for tax-free salaries and prestigious positions in the Middle East or Asia.
Cost of products
As the residents of France themselves note, shopping here is a whole art, and it takes some time for an expat to get used to the extraordinary variety and learn how to make the right gastronomic choice in a variety of shops, benches, private bakeries and cafes, dairy and butcher shops, seasonal markets and pop-up markets, trendy hipster eateries and, of course, pretentious restaurants. It requires only curiosity and a small amount of free time.
The most popular chain supermarkets are Monoprix, Prisunic, Potin, Felix. This is the choice of those who need to buy everything at once, discounted products or something standard, because outside of supermarkets, the choice of places where you can buy is unusually high, and for each type of food there is its own special store.
As in any country, the exact cost of essential goods varies depending on the city, season and outlet, but as a guideline, you can take the average cost of the most popular products.
- Milk (1 l) – €0,94
- A loaf of fresh white bread – €1,29
- Rice (1 kg) – €1,7
- Eggs (12 pcs.) – €2.73
- Local cheese (1 kg) – €13.28
- Chicken fillet (1 kg) – €10.5
- Fish/seafood – €14,5-20 per 1 kg
- Fruits (apples, oranges, bananas) – €1,9-2,3 per 1 kg
- Vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, onions) – €1.5-2.4 per 1 kg
- Drinking bottled water (1.5 liters) – €0.7
- Bottle of wine – from €5
- Local beer (0.5 l) – €1,6
- Imported beer (0.33 l) – €1,6
- Pack of cigarettes(Marlboro) €7
Trips to restaurants
France is the trendsetter of high gastronomy, the birthplace of the Michelin guide, the country of unique gastronomic traditions. Multinational Marseille is famous for restaurants of different cuisines of the world, and cosmopolitan Paris gives you the opportunity to make a choice, ranging from small family cafes to gourmet restaurants marked with coveted stars. Walking through the old part of Lyon, you can go to one of the most famous cafes Terre Adélice and choose ice cream among 150 flavors. In addition to the traditional ones, there is an ice cream with the taste of basil, lavender, beetroot, geranium, with fennel seeds, caramelized spices, candied chestnuts and many other seemingly incongruous and non-dessert components. Since the cafe is located along the main tourist routes, the prices here are quite high: one ball of unique ice cream costs €2.6, two balls – €4.7, etc.
Restaurants in Paris deserve a separate article, because the food here is elevated to the rank of religion, gastronomy is a cult for the French. Being in Paris and eating in establishments a la McDonald's, Burger King or KFC is a blatant crime. Here you have to go to bistros and bakeries, cozy little coffee shops and family taverns, tea salons and elite expensive restaurants. One of the most prestigious, unusual and expensive restaurants in Paris is Le Jules Verne, located in the heart of the French capital, right on the Eiffel Tower. A private elevator leads to the restaurant, and the pricing policy of the institution allows you not to be afraid of queues. A dinner of 5-6 dishes will cost 190-230 euros, and an experienced sommelier will accurately select one of the 430 wines presented in the restaurant's wine list for the selected dishes. But it is definitely a tourist attraction. And about where to go for a particular dish, taste or impression, ask a native Frenchman or the same Michelin guide. Of course, anywhere in France, whether it's a modern and bustling metropolis or a provincial town, you can find quiet cozy restaurants with fresh and homemade cuisine, where lunch or dinner with a glass of local wine will cost €35-50 for two.
For those who want to touch the high French cuisine, there are a lot of master classes and food tours, which visit cheese factories and butchers, grocery stores, bakeries and wine tastings. Under the supervision of the chef, you can prepare crispy croissants or baguettes, macaroons or traditional French crepes, national sauces, or, if your skills allow it, even haute cuisine dishes. Four-hour gastronomic tours cost an average of 160 euros, and a two- or three-hour culinary master class costs about 70-100 euros.
Clothing, accessories, gifts
The 20% sales tax makes France a slightly more expensive country compared to other European countries. But the clothes here are already expensive, and mass-market goods often cannot boast of high quality. This means that customers have to choose between boutiques, specialty stores or upscale department stores and cheap goods, but of poor quality. A simple T-shirt can cost 50 euros in France. Branded jeans will cost an average of 83 euros, a summer dress from a chain store costs about 40 euros, and men's shoes (sneakers or shoes) cost 85-110 euros. For haute couture clothes or luxury goods, you can pay several thousand and tens of thousands of euros.
France is full of original things. Souvenirs can be found on every corner of the French capital – for this, you don't even need to turn into secluded alleys and look for souvenir shops. But it is much more romantic to find a small shop with vintage clothes, cutlery, home decor elements, clocks and vases, paintings and frames, jewelry, costume jewelry and accessories that are made with your own hands. So, a clutch with a floral print, stylized as vintage, is in one of these Parisian stores €39, and the original scissors in the form of the same Eiffel Tower can be purchased for €8. A color alarm clock made of bright silicone for €15 can become a spectacular detail of the interior, and in a pair with it you can buy its mini-analog in the form of a ring – a miniature clock mechanism that can be worn on your finger (€12).
Communications and technology
Unlimited Internet costs the French about €27 per month. Telecommunications companies offer a subscription to a home phone, TV (200 channels) and the Internet, while from the home line you can call landline and mobile numbers on the territory without restrictionsFrance, as well as hundreds of other countries around the world, all for euro 35 per month.
An unlimited mobile tariff with prepaid Internet traffic will cost about 18 euros.
The budget for buying new gadgets directly depends on individual preferences and commitment to certain brands. For example, a new Samsung Galaxy S4 phone or an Ipad Air tablet computer cost 530-580.
Entertainment
Both permanent residents and visitors of France face a difficult choice among thousands of interesting activities, attractions, natural beauties and cultural events. Nightclubs and restaurants, shopping and sports centers, museums and galleries, spas, swimming pools, beauty salons, cinemas, as well as numerous festivals, concerts, film screenings, most of which are held directly in the open air.
Active recreation enthusiasts in almost any city can visit the swimming pool (2 euros), fitness club (40 euros for a monthly subscription) or tennis court (14 euros for one hour of classes). But sports and entertainment activities are not limited to towns and villages. France, the country with the sparkling, handsome Mont Blanc, has the most extensive ski area in the world. "Three valleys" is almost 600 km of ideal trails, on which any skater will find slopes to his liking. It is quite difficult to calculate the total number of ski resorts in the country, because the generous Alps have awarded this privilege to a great many mountain villages and large regional centers. The cost of a holiday at a ski resort will cost an average of 1,000 euros per person per week for fairly modest requests. Skipass costs on average 280 euros, accommodation in apartments is about 250-300 euros, plus the cost of food and equipment rental. Although, you can save a lot by purchasing a package tour, which can even cost 300 euros per week per person.
In addition to a vibrant ski holiday, families with children are sure to visit Disneyland Paris in France. It's a whole fabulous city where, in addition to your favorite Disney cartoon characters, visitors will find castles and mazes, waterfalls and attractions. An entrance ticket per adult to any of the parks (Disneyland or Walt Disney Studios) costs from euro 47, an entrance ticket to both parks costs from euro59. Children's tickets (up to 12 years old) are sold at euro 40 and euro52, respectively.
You should also not forget about the seaside resorts, the romance of the province, the highly polished Cote d'Azur and all the relevant entertainment, from relaxing under a beach umbrella to visiting a prestigious marine regatta, from eco-tourism with its gastronomic delights and lavender fields of Provence to extreme sports in the air, in the mountains and on the water.
A mandatory point of the program for opera and theater connoisseurs will certainly be a visit to the Paris Grand Opera, the famous Odeon Theater, the Theater de la Ville, and the Champs-Elysees Theater. Classical productions, tours by the most famous troupes - the program can be very special, the main thing is to catch the high season. For example, the average ticket price for a good seat at the Grand Opera is about 250 euros, which is an order of magnitude lower than the Big One.
Without visiting at least one museum in France, life and recreation here are simply impossible. For many, this is the great Louvre, which can take weeks to thoroughly inspect, because it is the largest and most visited museum in the world. Another very popular Parisian museum is the Rodin Museum. Elegant romance is evident in everything here: in a luxurious park, an elegant mansion and an interesting exposition. The d'orsay Museum houses the largest collection of Impressionists. And the Pompidou Cultural Center, located in the Beaubourg quarter, ranks third in popularity among tourists after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. This is a museum of modern art with an interesting exposition, exhibitions, film screenings, cultural events, etc. The listed museums are just the tip of the iceberg. In France, every lover of such a multifaceted culture will find something for themselves. The cost of a museum card for two days is 39 euros, and a one-time visit to the museum will cost 9.50 euros.Rental and maintenance of real estate
Renting real estate in France often becomes the most expensive item of expenditure and can consume from a third to half of monthly earnings, especially when it comes to housing in a prestigious area of a large city. Renting a one-bedroom apartment in Paris will cost at least 1,200 euros per month, easily rising to 4,500 euros for stylish apartments in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd arrondissements of Paris.
On average, foreigners spend 140-200 euros per month on utilities, about the amount required for the maintenance of a furnished and equipped two-bedroom apartment (this includes payments for electricity, water, Internet and landline).
Education
The education system in France may be more complex than most expats might expect, but overall the quality of education is at a high level. There are various types of schools in France, including public, private, bilingual, and international. Before deciding on the type of educational institution, parents should consider the language barrier, cost, and curriculum issues. Public schools, which are free and compulsory for both citizens of the state and those who can confirm their legal status in the country, will be a relief for the family budget.
It is also cheaper to get higher education in France at public universities. For example, the cost of an annual bachelor's degree is about 200 euros, a master's degree is about 300 euros, and upon receipt of a doctoral degree, fees will amount to about 400 euros per course of study. In the so-called Grandes Ecoles, private higher schools, the cost of annual tuition is about 5,000-10,000 euros. The reason for such a large difference in the pricing of public and private universities lies in budget subsidies to the former.
Transport
France boasts a highly developed public transport system, so expats living in large cities will understand that life here without a private car is real and simple. In addition, many employers in Paris are even willing to subsidize part of their employees' transportation costs, so foreign professionals can feel free to ask about this type of benefits when applying for a job. On the other hand, rural infrastructure is not as well developed, and it is possible that you will have to buy a car to get around the nearest suburbs, which may make life in the village a little more expensive than expected. Buying a new car, for example, of the Volkswagen Golf or Toyota Corolla brands will cost ˆ18,600-19,000. The national average for a liter of fuel is 1.27 euros. A one-way ticket on public transport costs ˆ1.9, and a monthly pass costs ˆ73. It is most profitable to buy 10 tickets (Carnet) at once for ˆ14.50, especially since tickets do not have an expiration date.Medical services
Internationally renowned and ranked first by the World Health Organization, France's healthcare system is a complex combination of public and private efforts, yielding generous and effective results.
The government system covers most of the medical bills, but most locals and foreigners use additional private insurance to pay the rest of the medical fees or receive an expanded list of services (the right to stay in a separate room, dental and ophthalmological care, etc.). According to the public health system in France, the more serious the disease, the less the patient will have to pay for its treatment. For those suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes or cancer, the government pays 100% of medical bills, including the cost of surgery, therapy and medicines.
In the absence of a medical policy, a guest of the country needs to be prepared for the fact that they will have to pay for every step: doctor's visits (30-50 euros), tests (from 40 euros), purchase of medicines, etc.
There are a lot of pharmacies throughout France, especially in large cities. Prescription medications can only be purchased at a pharmacy, so it is unlikely that painkillers or cold medications will be available on supermarket shelves.
Portal HomesOverseas.ru thanks for the help in preparing the article by Benjamin Mondu and Svetlana Metelkina (
Îëüãà Øîøèíà
