Cost of Living in the France

France has some of the top educational institutions globally, and students from across the globe seek admission to French universities. The cost of living is an essential component of your plan to pursue higher education in a foreign country. France is a developed nation that has a relatively higher cost of living than Asian countries. Even among European countries, the cost of living in France is a bit increased than in others. The cost of living in France for Indian students varies, and it depends on the city where you are living, your lifestyle choices, and your expense management. As a student planning to go to France for higher studies, you must consider all the facts that can impact your finances. Once you take admission at a university, it is an irreversible process. You must give due consideration to the city where you are planning to move. The living cost in France per month varies vastly from one city to another. Proper research of the living cost will help you in ascertaining the living expenses in France. As mentioned earlier, the costs will help you get a rough estimate of the average monthly cost of living in France. But there is one ground rule that stands correct for every country is that the capital city and metropoles always have a high cost of living. The monthly living expenses in France can be pretty high in Paris than in any of the Tier-2 or Tier-3 cities. Students take up part-time jobs to supplement their finances. If a decent lifestyle is maintained, then the cost of living will not take a toll on the finances. You will be able to complete your studies smoothly without having to care about any extra financial burden.

Nantes is one of the most affordable major cities in the country, with the lowest cost of living in France. Students prefer Nantes because of its most affordable living expenses in France. The city has a robust public transport system that helps students commute easily within the city, and the cost of public transport is also affordable for students. It also houses one of the oldest universities in Europe, the University of Nantes established in 1460. The monthly expense is around 1175 euros per month. Lille is another favored location for students wanting to pursue higher education in France. The place has a low average cost of living in France, but the location can be a significant factor for considering Lille for your higher studies. The place is the terminal point for train routes to major cities like London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels. The place has the University of Lille, one of the best public institutions in France. The average monthly expenses in France for students living in Lille is 1225 euros per month. Marseille is one of France’s most significant cities, and a great place is known for its world-class amenities and public infrastructure. The place is a replica of Paris in terms of services with lower monthly living expenses in France. The cost of living is 1275 euros per month, but it is somehow compensated with the qualitative education the place has to offer. The University of Aix-Marseille is one of the best French institutions, and it is placed at 171st rank among the top 200 universities of the world. Montpellier is an excellent place for students with three world-class institutions, and it helps students as the place is mainly filled with students. It is the best place for the global student community wanting to pursue higher education in France. Montpellier has a decent cost of living, and the average expenditure in France will be around 1250 euros per month.

Paris is undoubtedly one of the most expensive places not only in France but in the whole world. The cost of living in France can soar up to 1700 euros per month. Even well-heeled students might find it challenging to finance their studies in Paris, but if you are ready to make some lifestyle changes and take up a part-time job, you can afford to live in Paris. Paris Sciences et Lettres PSL Research University Paris is the best educational institution in France with a global rank of 46. Ecole Polytechnique, Sorbonne University, and the University of Paris are some of the best institutions of higher studies. Toulon is situated adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and one of the best coastal cities in France. The place is a bit pricey for sure, but the place has world-class facilities with better job prospects post completion of the degree. Several students from India and other parts of the world choose Toulon as their study destination. The University of Toulon has a great alumni base which includes sportsperson, politicians, businesspersons, etc. The average monthly cost of living in France will be around 1400 euros in Toulon. Nice is indeed a very costly place to live with one of the highest average expenses in France. The rents, but even the cost of living in France for Indian students, can also be pretty high due to the high standard of living and high per capita income of the city. University Nice Sophia Antipolis is an excellent institution with multi-disciplinary faculty. The cost of living is approximately 1350 euros per month. Lyon is also a costly city when it comes to the average cost of living in France. The cost of living is around 1325 euros per month. The place houses many international students wanting to pursue higher education. Lyon 2 University Berges du Rhone Campus is a great institution with world-class facilities for research and post-graduation.

French universities charge different fees for different sets of students. For students from the European Economic Area and Scandinavian countries, the fees in a public university are minimal. While for non-EU areas such as Asia, Africa, North America, etc., the fees are usually higher than EU students. The French Government also subsidizes the fees for Non-EU students. Almost 2/3rd fee is taken care of by the government at public universities. While there is no such waiver for a fee in private universities and it can cost anywhere from 3000-20,000 euros. The cost of living in France can be substantially affected if you are studying at a private university than a public university. The fee also varies depending on the degree which you are pursuing. For instance, usually, the cost of medicine and engineering is high than other courses. Courses like Journalism, MBA, and Accounting can also be high depending on whether you are taking a private or public university course. However, the prospect of certain courses like Fashion designing, fine arts, music have very bright options, and France has always been the breeding ground for the world’s most brilliant artists. There are other ways to ensure that you don’t have to pay hefty fees. The students coming to France in the student exchange program have no burden of paying the fees. There are scholarships, too, if you are a meritorious student and the French government feels that you can add value to their institutions. There are multiple ways to pay the reduced fare, but you will have to put in the extra effort for that. A reduced tuition fee helps students in managing their living expenses in France. So you should enquire beforehand with the universities about scholarships and fee exemption if applicable in your case.

The monthly cost of living has several components, and lifestyle choices are the most significant determinant of France’s overall cost. The average expenditure in France varies vastly from one city to another. As a student, you should always consider these factors before proceeding with admission to French University. The rents, grocery bills, transport charges will always be higher in tier-1 cities with advanced level amenities. While in small towns, the cost is low. However, in cities like Paris, students have now switched to bicycles, and they use them for local commute than any other means of transport. The cost of food is also a big constraint, and if you are a regular restaurant-goer, you may end up increasing your monthly living expenses in France. If you are ready to take a part-time job, you can easily pay for your monthly payments even if you are living in a costly city like Paris.

The accommodation cost in France depends on the city where you are living and also on the locality. In Paris, you can get studio apartments for 600 euros, but that might not be suitable for you as a student. The cost of living is overly affected by the rents, and it is the reason why most of the students choose public transport for commute and rent apartments on the outskirts because of low rents. The accommodation cost is obliviously high in Cities like Paris and Toulon while it is low at places like Nantes and Lille. The host family is a very suitable accommodation mode for those who are ready to help older people in their household works and pay less rent. In some cases, the host even waives off the entire rent, and you may end up paying nothing as rent.

French food is a delight, and people tend to spend a lot on food. The cost of food varies from one individual to another. The typical cost of food is around 250-300 euros per month if you have to limit outing and usually cook more. The cost of food increases multifold if you are regular on an outing and frequently visit a restaurant. There are bistros, brasseries, and crepe stands which are relatively more cost-effective methods of food consumption and will not affect your average monthly cost of living in France. The cost of food also depends on the lifestyle and the extent to which you are ready to adjust. If you are ready to have homemade food, it will make a considerable difference in your monthly living expenses in France. Most international students rely on homemade food as it is not only healthy, it’s cost-effective too. The cost of living in France for Indian students can be balanced if food expenses are under a certain threshold. The cost of food expense in metro cities is obviously high, and in smaller towns, it is less, but the overall expenses can be controlled by spending more on grocery items than restaurant meals.

The cost of transportation is quite reasonable in France and in fact, the cost of transportation is free in Paris. With new regulations in force, the cost of transportation has come down to zero. Most of the mode of transport for intra-city and intercity transport is bus and trams. People use this mode of transport as they are not only affordable but also efficient. Transport companies have offices on college campuses which helps students in getting easy access to passes. The students are eligible for discounts, and you must claim one to get low fares on metros and trams. However, for intracity travels, most of the students in cities like Paris rely on bicycles as they are cost-effective and less time-consuming. They also help in managing your living expenses in France. So the use of public transport is always encouraged owing to the multiple benefits it has to offer.

The ambit of other expenses can be broadened or shrined, and it solely depends on an individual. There are some one-time expenses such as health insurance and textbooks while there are phone bills and internet bills which have to be paid every month. The average expenditure in France can be kept to a limit when you take care of your extravagant expenses. There are many ways to take care of your extra expenses in France. The provision of CAF (Caisse des Allocations Familiales is available for students, and you can claim it if you have a lease on your name. The CAF helps students financially, and if you want to supplement your income further, taking a part-time job will definitely help. The allowed part-time working hours is 20/week. The part-time salary is pegged around the minimum wages of 7.65 euros per hour. You can comfortably earn around 8000 euros per annum, which will significantly help you take care of the average monthly cost of living in France. So on average, a student can comfortably limit its miscellaneous expenses to less than 100 euros per week. The monthly living expenses in France are seen to be considerably low for students spending less on extravagant costs.

You can live a comfortable life if you are ready to spend around 1000 euros (for living in city centers). It may cost you about 800 euros if you are living in a tier-2 or tier-3 city in France.

The French government subsidizes education in a differential way for EU and Non-EU students. For EU students, the subsidy is high, and for non-EU students, the French government takes care of 66% of the fee amount in public universities.

For getting a PR, you must have completed a master’s degree from a French university. After that, you have to live there for two years, and then you can apply for a job under the CDI contract. This will help you in numerous ways if you are planning to study more in France with a reduced cost of living in France.