The cost of living
According to your salary, you will have a modest or lavish lifestyle. Here are some indicators of the cost of your major forms of expenditure.
The different forms of expenditure
In France, rent is very variable depending on the location, size and the state of the flat, as well as heating. You should allow at 400 per month for a studio of 30 m2 in Paris. For staple products, on average a French loaf costs 0.75, a kilo of beef more than 10, a kilo of apples from 2.50 to 5.50 and a whole chicken from 6 to 10. You should allow at least 15 for a full meal in a restaurant (starter, main course and dessert). With regard to moving around, if you live in Paris or in a big city, you are advised to use public transport. A ticket for the Parisian underground costs 1.40. A litre of unleaded 95 petrol costs more than 1.20 and is cheaper at supermarkets than from service stations. Therefore travelling by train can be an advantage. You should allow 76 for a Paris- Marseille round trip ticket, with a departure during the week. In June 2007, the Smics (statutory national minimum wage, the salary underneath which it is forbidden to pay an employee) gross hourly rate was increased to 8.27, that is to say 1254.28 gross per month for 151.67 hours worked.The cost of going out
To a see a film will cost between 8 and 10. There are reduced rates one day per week, generally on Wednesdays or Mondays and students get discounts. For nightclubs, you should allow at least 10 for the entrance fee without drinks. Numerous sites (www.soonnight.com, www.djclubber.com ) will allow you to obtain free entries. Please note, in many establishments, you will need to do more than simply paying the cost of the entrance fee to the nightclub: You must have the « look » which has been predefined by the club. To attend a concert of a well known artist, you should allow 40 on average and 20 for less well known groups. Numerous concerts take place in bars, with the entrance price costing less than 10 and drinks at the regular price, or free entry with more expensive drinks.If you live in Paris, a ticket to visit the Louvre costs 8.50. To go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower by lift will cost 11.50.
My first form of accommodation was a hotel room
Sami Ben Jeddou, a 29 year old Tunisian, came to France in 2000. Today he is an Engineering Project Manager at Cap Gemini.
In France, in terms of accommodation, everything is dreadfully disproportionate. The price is excessive in relation to the surface area which is allocated. In addition, to rent accommodation, the tenant must have a salary which is three or four times superior than the amount of the rent. When I signed my open-ended work contract, I had neither a guarantor, nor a family who could act as a guarantor, or even a deposit. Result: when you are still on a trial period, going through estate agents is almost impossible. My company had a list of accommodation that enables the tenant to benefit from the 1% housing funds (Accommodation funds which exist to help employees to finance housing. The funds come from companies which are not in the agricultural and public sectors and have more than 20 employees. They are obliged to contribute towards these funds by paying a percentage of their annual wage bill to a professional association.) But they were not very reasonably priced. As I had to find somewhere to sleep very quickly, I therefore started by renting a hotel room on a monthly basis. After four months, once I had a few pay slips and more money, I met an owner through a friend. Since I now have income, I am able to act a guarantor for friends coming from Tunisia or even for students from my school.
