Paris at a glance
- Paris is the most expensive of France's 10 priced cities: $2,195 a month in essentials, 50% above Nantes at $1,468.
- The average net salary of $3,565 covers that 1.6×.
- 89 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at département level.
- PM2.5 averages 11.2 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 France cities we track, so every row says whether Paris is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $2,195 | $1,649 | 1.33× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,196 | $744 | 1.61× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,634 | $929 | 1.76× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $200 | $199 | $1 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $399 | $381 | $18 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $295 | $267 | $28 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $105 | $66 | 1.60× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $3,565 | $2,978 | $587 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $2,246 | $1,284 | 1.75× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $3,439 | $1,753 | 1.96× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Paris, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $18.49 | $18.20 | $0.29 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $80.87 | $77.98 | $2.89 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $13.86 | $13.86 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $5.06 | $4.05 | $1.00 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $8.09 | $8.09 | same |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $6.93 | $6.64 | $0.29 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $4.79 | $3.21 | 1.49× as much |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $2.95 | $2.09 | 1.41× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.55 | $1.39 | $0.16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.43 | $2.10 | $0.33 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.84 | $2.88 | $0.04 |
| Eggs, 12 | $4.79 | $4.41 | $0.38 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $23.50 | $22.77 | $0.73 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $15.00 | $14.76 | $0.24 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.39 | $3.39 | same |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.27 | $2.38 | $0.11 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.97 | $3.70 | $0.27 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.94 | $2.30 | $0.36 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.57 | $2.70 | $0.13 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.91 | $0.77 | $0.14 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $2.89 | $2.23 | 1.30× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $104.90 | $64.41 | 1.63× as much |
| Taxi start | $9.24 | $4.33 | 2.13× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.50 | $2.17 | 1.45× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $2.23 | $2.17 | $0.06 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $263.55 | $232.39 | $31.16 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $31.67 | $33.37 | $1.70 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $17.34 | $16.10 | $1.24 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $43.18 | $35.51 | $7.67 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $15.02 | $14.44 | $0.58 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Paris has 89 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (département level). That is the lowest of the 10 France cities we track. France's national figure is 100.9, so Paris runs 12 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Paris ranks against every city we track
Paris sits ahead of 93% of the 892 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On local salary it is ahead of 85% of 545. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 13% of 553.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Paris sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Need the full France model?
Open the gated deep-dive for city shortlist, cost detail, weather, visa, tax, dating-market signals, and subregion rankings.
Unlock France deep-dive
Photo: Yann Caradec from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0.
