Cost of living comparison

compared to

United States vs. France Cost of Living Summary

United States is 28.2% more expensive than France overall.

Restaurants
pay 0.9% more in United States
Groceries
pay 16.9% more in United States
Transportation
pay 17.6% less in United States
Housing
pay 89.7% more in United States
Childcare
pay 74.2% more in United States
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.6% more in United States
Clothing
pay 19.9% less in United States

The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in United States are more expensive than in France. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in United States. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in United States.

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United States vs. France Cost Breakdown

If you lived in United States instead of France, you would:

pay 0.9% more for restaurants

 
France
United States
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.55
€15.92
$19.86
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $12.68
€11.50
$11.42
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.10
€2.81
$2.67
 
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pay 16.9% more for groceries

 
France
United States
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.96
€1.77
$3.63
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.38
€8.51
$6.52
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.01
€4.54
$3.98
 
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pay 17.6% less for transportation

 
France
United States
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.00
€7.26
$4.01
 
Monthly public transit pass $53.34
€48.39
$66.70
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,426.60
€30,322.94
$34,164.82
 
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pay 89.7% more for housing

 
France
United States
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $31.99
€29.02
$70.22
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $816.57
€740.75
$1,681.01
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $649.54
€589.23
$1,404.28
 
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pay 74.2% more for childcare

 
France
United States
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $901.10
€817.44
$1,450.99
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,924.68
€11,724.62
$24,361.50
 
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pay 11.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
France
United States
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.05
€6.40
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.64
€3.30
$5.31
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $13.52
€12.26
$10.42
 
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pay 19.9% less for clothing

 
France
United States
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $93.79
€85.08
$53.15
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $44.21
€40.10
$41.88
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $102.75
€93.21
$89.76
 
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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: France vs. United States

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4,650 people moved from France to United States.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
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