Cost of Living in France
As always, major cities in France will cost more to live in than the rural towns. The transport infrastructure in the rural areas is not as comprehensive as in the cities, and having to purchase a car might make the rural lifestyle a little less cost effective.
Paris and Lyon are both expensive to live in, with Paris taking the top spot as the most expensive in France. Clothes are notoriously expensive in France. There are very few producers of high-quality mass production clothing. This means that the choice is often between high quality boutique items which fetch high prices, or low priced and poor quality goods. A plain T-shirt can cost as much as €40.
Utilities bills are comparable to those in the rest of Europe, but because of the monopoly held by the national telecoms provider, calls and broadband costs in France remain high. Electricity and gas are fairly cheap but air conditioning can be a very expensive proposition, especially in the south where even the most fastidious household accountants will be tempted by the heat.
There is a 20 percent sales tax in France, which makes everything slightly more expensive than many other countries in Europe. Property taxes are lower than in the UK. This means that a sale of property in the UK can provide funds both for a new home in France as well as cash with which to renovate that property.
Some typical prices include: newspaper €1, movie ticket €8, pack of cigarettes €5.50, loaf of bread €1, night in small hotel €70, beer in a bar €4, small family car €10,000, litre of petrol €1.
Paris and Lyon are both expensive to live in, with Paris taking the top spot as the most expensive in France. Clothes are notoriously expensive in France. There are very few producers of high-quality mass production clothing. This means that the choice is often between high quality boutique items which fetch high prices, or low priced and poor quality goods. A plain T-shirt can cost as much as €40.
Utilities bills are comparable to those in the rest of Europe, but because of the monopoly held by the national telecoms provider, calls and broadband costs in France remain high. Electricity and gas are fairly cheap but air conditioning can be a very expensive proposition, especially in the south where even the most fastidious household accountants will be tempted by the heat.
There is a 20 percent sales tax in France, which makes everything slightly more expensive than many other countries in Europe. Property taxes are lower than in the UK. This means that a sale of property in the UK can provide funds both for a new home in France as well as cash with which to renovate that property.
Some typical prices include: newspaper €1, movie ticket €8, pack of cigarettes €5.50, loaf of bread €1, night in small hotel €70, beer in a bar €4, small family car €10,000, litre of petrol €1.
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