Paris, France

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The City Of Lights, Love, and Art: Paris, France

Reviewed by Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen is the Live and Invest Overseas Founding Publisher. She has more than 30 years of hands-on experience traveling, living, and buying property around the world.


Today, the Marais is one of Paris’ most trendy and desirable neighborhoods. The Marais is also home to many restaurants, cafes, and boutiques, many of which stay open on Sundays, an unusual practice in France.

The Marais still retains so much of the medieval character that was bulldozed in the 19th and 20th centuries for bigger and better structures in other parts of the City of Light—but thankfully not the medieval smell.

The most prevalent smell these days emanates from the numerous seductive boulangeries (bakeries) and pâtisseries (pastry shops).

To live in the Marais is to live in the heart—geographic, cultural, historical, architectural, and social—of this city that is considered by so many to be the ground zero of refined western culture. The Marais oozes culture and history. The neighborhood has an excess of historical sites and museums.

Cost Of Living In The Marais, Paris

Of course this could-be utopia is not without its drawbacks. Paris is an expensive city and the Marais is one of its most expensive neighborhoods. For access to the heart of Paris, there is no better location. The cost of living for this prime location amounts to 2,860 euros per month.

Apartment or HouseOwnershipBudget(fora couple)

ExpenseMonthly CostNotes
HOA FeesNAHOA fees are not typical in apartments in Paris.
Property Taxes0.25% of apartment valueThere are two property taxes: taxe d’habitation (like an occupancy tax; paid by renter if property is rented) and taxe foncière (the actual property tax). Taxe foncière works out to about 0.1% (0.001) of the estimated value of the apartment. Taxe d’habitation is about twice the amount of the taxe foncière. In total, assume about 0.25% of the value of an apartment.
Transportation503 euros for Vélib subscription, 33.80 euros for 20 metro/bus tickets, plus a couple car rides or allowing for some Vélib overages.
GasNASome apartments in Paris use gas for heating, but it’s not common.
Electricity70
Water10
Water10
Cell Phone20Basic plan with unlimited calls, texts, and 4G data.
Internet and Cable36Cheapest basic package with fiberoptic internet speed.
Household Help453 hours per week; 15 euros per hour.
Entertainment620A couple’s cost of eating out once a week at a mid-range, local restaurant: 40 per meal; drinks twice a week at a nearby watering hole: 8 euros per drink; movie theater trip twice a month: 11 euros per ticket.
Groceries400Basic items for a couple.
Gym membership37Basic gym membership.
Medical appointment25Basic clinic appointment; specialists usually charge 50 euros. Health care prices are regulated according to the public health care system and can range from 25 to 80 on the public side, but can be as high as 130 for a simple consultation on the private, non-regulated side.
TOTAL1,313

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Apartment or HouseRentalBudget(for a couple)

ExpenseMonthly CostNotes
Rent2,500A one- or two-bedroom apartment in Central Paris. With this budget, you’ll have plenty of options, but you can certainly spend less than this and still be very comfortable and centrally located.
Transportation503 euros for Vélib subscription, 33.80 euros for 20 metro/bus tickets, plus a couple car rides or allowing for some Vélib overages.
GasNASome apartments in Paris use gas for heating, but it’s not common.
Electricity70
WaterNAIncluded in rent.
Cell Phone20Basic plan with unlimited calls, texts, and 4G data.
Internet and Cable36Cheapest basic package with fiberoptic internet speed.
Household Help453 hours per week; 15 euros per hour.
Entertainment620A couple’s cost for eating out once a week at a mid-range, local restaurant: 40 per meal; drinks twice a week at a nearby watering hole: 8 euros per drink; movie theater trip twice a month: 11 euros per ticket.
Groceries400Basic items for a couple.
Gym membership37Basic gym membership.
Medical appointment25Basic clinic appointment; specialists usually charge 50 euros. Health care prices are regulated according to the public health care system and can range from 25 to 80 on the public side, but can be as high as 130 for a simple consultation on the private, non-regulated side.
TOTAL3,803

Penny-Pincher’s Budget (for a couple, bare minimum costs for all)

ExpenseMonthly CostNotes
Rent:1,300Slightly farther from the heart of Central Paris; basic one-bedroom rental.
Transportation15Sticking strictly to Vélibs and using bus or metro only occasionally; 3 euros for Vélib.
GasNASome apartments in Paris use gas for heating, but it’s not common.
Electricity35Because you’ll have a smaller apartment, it will cost less to power it.
WaterNAIncluded in rent.
Cell Phone20Basic plan with unlimited calls, texts, and 4G data.
Internet and CableNAUsing your phone plan, you can easily use the data to connect your home devices to internet instead of paying for Wi-Fi.
Entertainment75This would be for eating out minimally just once a week and always taking advantage of menu deals; visiting museums on free days and going to the movies during discounted hours.
Groceries300All local-brand items only, shopping markets and local vendors along with grocery stores.
TOTAL1,745

Click here for currency conversion at today’s exchange rate.

Real Estate In The Marais, Paris

The Marais is also a breeding ground for cafe culture, an epicenter of fine cuisine, and home to many a cozy bistro and open air market. Foodies will not be disappointed with the offerings within a stone’s throw of their front door.

Property prices, both for owning and renting, are sky high for very little space. With these heightened prices come more expensive groceries, boutiques, dry cleaners, restaurants—you name it—than in most other neighborhoods, with the notable exception of the other expat-invaded Parisian neighborhood, Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Expats In The Marais, Paris

Roughly a quarter of the Marais’ population was born outside Metropolitan France, so as an expat living in this neighborhood, you will certainly not be alone. For some, it’s actually a negative that so much English can be heard in the streets, cafes, and restaurants of the Marais. But aside from the sheer numbers, the organization of the expat community is impressive. Few foreign cities have as strong and as established an Anglophone expat community as Paris.

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