Cost of living in France - 2017

I live in Bordeaux so have to consider it's cheaper than Paris or Suburbs but more expensive than the countryside.  These are just general up to date examples:

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in France? 

In Bordeaux and suburbs (similar to most cities outside of Paris) a 2 bed appartement goes for about 750 € a month.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?

36€ monthly, or 12€ for 10 single trips (1.50 individually)

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?

>What is your monthly grocery budget?

As a couple, in between 200-300 €

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in France ? 

A GP is 23€ specialists are usually around 50€ but all a reimbursable with health insurance (20-50 €/ month depending on cover. Vet bills are around 80€ a visit.

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?

NA for me for the moment.

> How much does it cost to fill up your car's fuel tank?

I drive a petrol car, unleaded e-10 is around 1.30, Diesel is a little cheaper in France. At the moment, so I spend around 70€ to fill up.

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?

I pay around 8€ a month in water, 20€ for Electricity.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?

55€ a month for Fibre optique broadband, TV, landline, and unlimited mobile contract. One plus point, with the land line you can make phone calls to international destitnations for free.

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

Conservatively I manage to stay within the 3-4€ mark.

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?

1.20€

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?

10.50€

> How much does a gym membership cost in France?

I have a membership at 19.99€ pcm howether you have to be signed up for a minimum of a year, some memberships are without long term engagements but they're natural more expensive.

I live next to Perpignan, on the seaside. It's a tourist-town, but only in summer, meaning that the rest of the year there's not much going on, and it's definately not chique or fancy, so prices are generally lower than in big cities, not to mention Paris :-)

Here's what we spend approximately:

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in France? 
We don't rent, but you can rent 2-bed appts for around 500-600 euros, depending on the size of the appt.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
Well again we don't use public transport, but there is a regional bus going round for 1 euro per trip, it will take you most anywhere in the area around Perpignan.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
We shop at discount supermarkets (once or twice a week) and at the local market (once or twice), and then some other expenses like the local bakery. Our groceries amount to approx 100 euros per week all-in for 2 persons.

For the questions regarding the cost of doctors, schooling, petrol, electricity I agree 100% with the answers above.

Regarding Internet : we dont live in a big city so there's no Fibre available, and the quality of the connection is not as good as in the cities, but still acceptable. I can easily watch youtube vids and download large files, most of the time. I pay around 45 p month for a broadband connection plus phone over internet. But I pay extra for my mobile contract.
Mobile contracts can be had from 0,- all the way up to expensive per month, depending on th eoperator and your data-plan wishes. I pay around 20 per month for unlimited calls and data.

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

I dont pay for lunch, I eat at home :-)

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
"Petit Café" costs anywhere between 1 and 1.75

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
Not sure, I believe there are special deals on certain days of the week, but I don't watch too many movies though

> How much does a gym membership cost in France?
Well we're lucky in our small town, there's this association that manages a small but ample gym with all the machines and free weights you could wish for. We only pay 80 euros per year...but the catch is they only accept a limites number of new members, and only once a year...


Hope this helps :-)

I live and study in Lyon. Live in Lyon is cheaper than Paris, and I think people in here are nicer.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in France? 
550€ included water, electricity, and gas.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
TCL 33€/ month for students
       8€ /day (unlimited)
      1.80€/ ticket (1 way)

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
1 baguette is around 0,75-1,50€. I just bought 2-3 times a week.

>What is your monthly grocery budget? -

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in France? 
Without insurance will take more than 50€ for an emergency

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget? -

> How much does it cost to fill up your car's fuel tank? -

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription? 16€ / month for phone included the internet 40 Gb

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays? I eat at home

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee? 0,50 - 1€ /glass at canteen of my Univ

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket? 8€ for student

> How much does a gym membership cost in France?  around 50€ /month.

I live in the countryside Department 24. Our nearest town is Brantome. Our nearest big town is Perigueaux

How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in France?
We rented a 3 bedroom apartment last year in Brantome. It had  little garden with a slide, trampoline and enough space for a vegetable patch.

How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
You really do need  car if you live in the countryside. There is  bus from Brantome to Perigueaux every day for 1 Euro but you are bound to the few times the it runs a day. We live 6km from Brantome. Bit far to walk every day and there is only a school bus.

Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Cheese, cheese, lots of cheese. The French in the countryside eat a lot of fresh food but their diet is very rich. Cheese, butter and duck fat is very much part of the diet but everyone has a vegetable patch. Everyone grows food and the neighbours share between each other.

We also buy from the local supermarkets and hunt for the cheapest prices we can find. These are non organic nothing special prices

1l of full cream milk             1.01 Euro
Baguette/french loaf              Supermarket 35c Bakery 90c
Box of spaghetti                          1.25 Euro
1kg Pasta                1.35 Euro
1kg Rice basmati            1.29 Euro
1kg cake flour                1.48 Euro
10 fresh eggs                               1.02 Euro
16 plain yoghurt tubs            1.72 Euro
Bottle of Red wine            1.56 Euro This of course varies considerably
Butter                     1.52 Euro
500g Brie cheese            2.81 Euro

What is your monthly grocery budget?
About 900 Euro

How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in France ?
General Practitioner     25 Euro
Dentist for a filing       42 Euro
We fall under the government health plan and only pay a portion


What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
Public schools are free but you pay extra for lunch and transport. My children eat at home and I take them to school. I don't think it is very expensive.

Private schooling is very cheap compared to other places I have lived.

How much does it cost to fill up your car's fuel tank?
Diesel on average costs 1.24 Euro

How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
January and February 2017 (Coldest months)
Natural gas         270 Euro
Water
Electricity        81 Euro


How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
Phone, internet and 1 mobile package (Landline calls to 100 countries free, free mobile to mobile calls in France)    57 Euro
Mobile with internet     19 Euro


How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
We work from home and have lunch t home

How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
1.20 Euro

Entry to public, heated, indoor pool (we don't have a gym)
1 adult and 1 child     5 Euro