your average expenses in france
The cost of living for a foreign student in France depends on many factors such as the type of accommodation, the city where you live, if you prefer to cook or eat out and of course, there are budgets for all pockets.
The cost of living for a foreign student in France depends on many factors such as the type of accommodation, the city where you live, if you prefer to cook or eat out and of course, there are budgets for all pockets.
average expenses
The average expense for a student in Paris will be approximately 500-700 € depending from person to person. The following are some mandatory expenses for a month.
–
House Rent: 300 – 700 € (depending on the locality and living style)
Transportation Navigo Pass in Paris – Ile-de-France: 75 €
(37.5 per month, for students who are less than 26 years of age)
Food, Grocery: 70 € onwards
Mobile Recharge: 5 to 30 €
(Please note the expense can vary from person to person)
Although it is very difficult to give an exact figure, the main components of a student’s budget in France are the following :
Housing
The cost of your rental will depend on the city you live in, it can vary a lot if you live in Paris or if you live in the Province. The average rent for a studio in the province is € 424, in Paris and its surroundings the average is € 731.
For a one-bedroom apartment, the average cost is € 574 and € 1068 respectively. This cost can be reduced by 25 – 30% thanks to the assistance provided by CAF. Also, Cite Universitaire in Paris is popular among students for affordable housing.
Food
This cost can also vary a lot and will depend on whether you always decide to cook at home or eat at your university or school. The food expenses for a student at € 150 per month can be quite comfortable. This amount will also depend a lot on where you do your shopping, because if you go to Monoprix (a popular shopping outlet) the products will be much more expensive than in other supermarkets such as LIDL, for example, which is an excellent option for students.
transportation
The cost of transportation also depends on the city where you live and your age, since in France there are special discounts for youngsters under 26 in various items, including transportation. To have a global idea, here is an example of the cost of transportation in some of the main cities in France:
– Paris: In Paris there is the imagineR Etudiant subscription for students under 26 residing in France. This payment has an annual cost of € 350 (Approximately € 30 per month).
– Marseille: The permanent XL pass costs € 18.3 per month.
– Lyon: The CAMPUS subscription costs € 318 per year (€ 26.5 per month)
– Bordeaux: The pass jeune annuel, for people under 28, has a cost of € 19 per month.
– Toulouse: €10.2 per month or €102 for the annual pass.
Cell Phone, Internet, TV
If you live in a student residence, the internet will be included in your rent. If you live in a private studio or apartment, you will have to pay it separately. Having a cell phone subscription is also essential and most companies offer subscriptions which include all three services. There are different offers in the market, but on average you will find a mobile subscription with 20GB of internet for € 5 a month, if you want to add internet, landline and TV on average you can cost € 25 per month, with no minimum stay.
insurance
It is mandatory to insure your place of residence, which covers you in case of damage or theft. The MEP, specialized in insurance for students, offers this insurance for an amount of € 64 per year for a study (€ 5.3 per month).
Electricity (if not included in the rent)
If you live in a residence, this will already be included in your rent. In some private apartments, electricity is also included, but in most cases, you will have to sign for an electricity contract under your name. The average monthly cost, considering that in winter this cost increases due to heating, is around € 50 for a studio of about 20 square meters.
outings and leisure
Obviously not everything is studying and there must be place for fun. Also, as a good student you should take advantage of your stay to discover the French nightlife. This amount will also depend on your outings per month. To have an idea, a pint of beer in a pub or bar costs on average about € 6 – € 7, a glass of wine is about the same price, a movie ticket has an average price of € 7 – € 8 for students. Among students, house parties are very popular, everyone brings their drinks and it is much cheaper since a six-pack in a supermarket costs around € 6. Assuming a couple of nights out a month to a bar, some parties at home and a couple of cinema outings, we can estimate these expenses at around € 70- € 80 per month.
Healthcare (called Mutuelle)
France has a public health system of excellent quality and the government reimburses most of the price of medical consultations.
It is called social security and it is mandatory.
However, if you need to have access to specialists during your stay or if you want to be covered in case of any eventuality, having a Mutuelle as a complement is something that is recommended since specialists’ consultations are more expensive and in some cases are not reimbursed by social security.
The MEP also offers several options for students, the most popular costs € 25 per month and includes the civil liability insurance which covers you in case of causing damages to third parties.
taxes
As a student, you will surely not have to pay income tax, unless you have a job which generates enough income to have to do so. However, you must pay the Taxe d’habitation if you occupied an apartment on January 1 of the current year.
This tax varies from one city to another, but on average is the equivalent of a month’s rent. It is recommended to save 10% of the value of your lease each month so that this tax does not catch you off guard.
Travel (if budget allows)
One of the advantages of studying in Europe is the possibility of visiting several countries and cities for a reasonable price, thanks to low cost airlines and hostels.
Just to give an example, a round trip “Paris – Rome” with Ryanair (low-budget airline) costs around € 40 for a 3-day stay, if you add € 20 per night in a hostel in a shared room and € 100 for meals and expenses, the trip would cost € 200. Like this, you can put together many trips to different cities in Europe.
