Summary: The cost of living in France varies based upon where you are living. This article provides an overview of cost of living in Paris.
On Wikipedia's List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees (2009), note that New York is 8, Paris is 13 and London is 16. (Mercer survey)
According to Mercer's Worldwide Cost of Living survey (2010 City rankings - Top 50 cities), using New York as the Base City, Paris and London tied at 17.
Cost of Living Indexes Difference - Paris vs. New York and London (From Numbeo.com)
Paris vs. New York
Consumer Prices in Paris are 7.51% higher than in New York, NY Consumer Prices Including Rent in Paris are 15.04% lower than in New York, NY Rent Prices in Paris are 37.75% lower than in New York, NY Restaurant Prices in Paris are 5.90% higher than in New York, NY Groceries Prices in Paris are 4.64% lower than in New York, NY Local Purchasing Power in Paris is 33.59% lower than in New York, NY
Paris vs. London
Consumer Prices in Paris are 9.40% higher than in London Consumer Prices Including Rent in Paris are 15.31% lower than in London Rent Prices in Paris are 39.19% lower than in London Restaurant Prices in Paris are 15.58% higher than in London Groceries Prices in Paris are 12.16% higher than in London Local Purchasing Power in Paris is 12.48% lower than in London
Restaurants
Paris
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 12.86 $
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant 74.09 $
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar 10.02 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 6.86 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 6.10 $
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 3.92 $
Water (0.33 liter bottle) 3.22 $
New York City
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant 61.67 $
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar 6.05 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 5.33 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 7.00 $
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 2.33 $
Water (0.33 liter bottle) 2.00 $
London
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 15.98 $
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant 67.76 $
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar 7.65 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 5.13 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 5.09 $
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 1.76 $
Water (0.33 liter bottle) 1.61 $
Markets
Paris
Milk (regular), 1 liter 1.18 $
Loaf of Fresh Bread 3.14 $
Eggs (12) 3.53 $
Fresh Cheese (1kg) 14.77 $
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 15.69 $
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.50 $
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 8.50 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 0.78 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 1.31 $
New York City
Milk (regular), 1 liter 1.69 $
Loaf of Fresh Bread 2.08 $
Eggs (12) 2.13 $
Fresh Cheese (1kg) 10.00 $
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 9.12 $
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.67 $
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 10.50 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.53 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 3.50 $
London
Milk (regular), 1 liter 1.41 $
Loaf of Fresh Bread 1.57 $
Eggs (12) 3.32 $
Fresh Cheese (1kg) 8.79 $
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 10.22 $
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.41 $
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 10.99 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.80 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 2.20 $
Transportation
Paris
One-way Ticket (local transport) 2.18 $
Monthly Pass 75.03 $
Taxi (5km within center) 24.84 $
Gasoline (1 liter) 1.64 $
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,455.40 $
New York City
One-way Ticket (local transport) 2.29 $
Monthly Pass 92.00 $
Taxi (5km within center) 13.17 $
Gasoline (1 liter) 0.84 $
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 21,200.00 $
London
One-way Ticket (local transport) 3.91 $
Monthly Pass 144.71 $
Taxi (5km within center) 17.16 $
Gasoline (1 liter) 1.81 $
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 28,730.56 $
Utilities (Monthly)
Paris
Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) 196.11 $
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff (no discounts or plans) 0.26 $
Internet (2 Mbps ADSL flat) 39.22 $
New York City
Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) 183.33 $
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff (no discounts or plans) 0.34 $
Internet (2 Mbps ADSL flat) 43.74 $
London
Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) 149.08 $
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff (no discounts or plans) 0.17 $
Internet (2 Mbps ADSL flat) 20.91 $
Sports And Leisure
Paris
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 91.52 $
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) ?
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 13.40 $
New York City
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 73.33 $
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 60.00 $
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 12.83 $
London
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 97.43 $
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 19.82 $
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.15 $
Clothing And Shoes
Paris
1 Pair of Levis 501 108.51 $
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 45.76 $
1 Pair of Nike Shoes 103.28 $
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 155.58 $
New York
1 Pair of Levis 501 54.00 $
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 38.00 $
1 Pair of Nike Shoes 79.00 $
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 119.00 $
London
1 Pair of Levis 501 98.44 $
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 49.22 $
1 Pair of Nike Shoes 111.15 $
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 127.02 $
Rent Per Month
Paris
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,056.82 $
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 882.49 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,644.22 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,991.61 $
New York
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,323.29 $
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,425.00 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,467.30 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,346.67 $
London
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,019.00 $
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,548.48 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,740.30 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,505.50 $
Buy Apartment Price
New York
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 9,881.96 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 5,500.00 $
London
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 14,477.00 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 8,686.20 $
Paris
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 10,241.30 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 7,408.60 $
Salaries And Financing
Paris
Median Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) 2,426.27 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentanges (%), Yearly 5.00
New York
Median Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) 4,300.00 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentanges (%), Yearly 5.02
London
Median Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) 3,273.49 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentanges (%), Yearly 5.00
This cost of living data retrieved on September 21, 2010 by http://www.numbeo.com/ per the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA) and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL).
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Just a comment about the cost of living in France. There is a big difference between prices in Paris and prices in other departments. So if you relocate to Nantes or Bordeaux, cost of living will certainly be lower and you'll get more for your money in terms of housing. To find out you can browse through this property website specialized in South West France http://www.seymour-james.com Living outside Paris, you can find many properties with acres of land for less than 300,000$ and only 20 m drive to the town center.
First Published: Oct 10, 2010
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