Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. France Cost of Living Summary
United States is 25.0% more expensive than France overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 1.5% less in United States
- Groceries
- pay 20.6% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 15.5% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 81.8% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 2.0 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 6.4% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 18.3% less in United States
United States vs. France Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of France, you would:
pay 1.5% less for restaurants
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.40 €15.27 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.58 €11.05 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.85 €2.51 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.92 €1.69 | $2.00 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.6% more for groceries
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.00 €1.75 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $9.90 €8.69 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.07 €4.45 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.06 €3.56 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.32 €5.55 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.38 €1.21 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.04 €0.91 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.32 €1.16 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.53 €1.34 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.96 €0.84 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.09 €0.96 | $1.38 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 15.5% less for transportation
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.83 €6.88 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $55.31 €48.56 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $35,101.00 €30,818.75 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.22 €18.64 | $17.61 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 81.8% more for housing
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.49 €28.52 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $812.51 €713.38 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $661.67 €580.95 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $156.40 €137.32 | $150.19 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $772.72 €678.45 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,376.63 €9,110.70 | $23,196.46 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 6.4% more for entertainment and sports
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 €6.15 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.57 €3.13 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.51 €11.86 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $39.74 €34.89 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.44 €11.80 | $13.64 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.3% less for clothing
France | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $95.54 €83.88 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.45 €36.39 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $99.85 €87.67 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $132.46 €116.30 | $112.04 | |
France vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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