Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,775 a month against $2,657 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,657

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paris and in Besancon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Paris and in Besancon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,657 in Paris versus $1,775 in Besancon.

Paris $2,657
Besancon $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,063 in Paris versus $2,568 in Besancon.

Paris $4,063
Besancon $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,469 in Paris versus $3,361 in Besancon.

Paris $5,469
Besancon $3,361

Living in Paris is roughly 50% more expensive than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 96% above, Besancon 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.71 €16.64

$17.10 €15.21

9.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.4

$57.1 €50.8

38.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.68 €12.17

$11.00 €9.78

24.36%

Cappuccino

$5.03 €4.47

$3.07 €2.73

63.84%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.27 €2.02

97.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.61 €1.44

68.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.85 €6.09

15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 €5.84

$5.52 €4.91

18.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.34 €1.19

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.70 €1.51

43.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.17 €1.93

29.03%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.90

$4.60 €4.09

-4.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 €19.58

$20.47 €18.20

7.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 €12.39

$11.05 €9.83

26.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.35 €19.88

$18.02 €16.03

24.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.80 €2.49

13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.16 €1.92

1.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.74 €2.44

8.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 €3.86

$2.58 €2.30

68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.56 €2.27

-26.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.40 €2.13

4.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.38 €1.23

30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.13 €1.01

-20.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.64 €13.02

$14.15 €12.59

3.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 €7.81

$9.44 €8.40

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 €2.46

$4.84 €4.30

-42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 €3.27

$3.30 €2.94

11.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.77 €1.58

55.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 €91.4

$43.91 €39.06

133.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 €8.12

$3.08 €2.74

196.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.13 €1.90

-30.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.36 €40.35

$30.79 €27.39

47.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.10 €1.87

5.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.9K €31.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.91%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.3K €33.2K

$38.4K €34.2K

-2.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$248 €220

$226 €201

9.60%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.62 €13.90

$14.43 €12.84

8.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.83

$34.38 €30.58

-12.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.08 €34.76

$27.07 €24.08

44.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.73

$19.72 €17.55

-4.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$11.38 €10.12

39.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,822 €1,620

$342 €304

433.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.5K €23.5K

$7,267 €6,464

263.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.6

$100 €89.0

10.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 €46.18

$38.55 €34.29

34.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €108

$91.1 €81.0

33.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 €140

$121 €108

29.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,405

$655 €583

140.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,094

$600 €533

105.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,384 €3,010

$994 €884

240.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 €2,040

$816 €726

181.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.7K €13.1K

$2,827 €2,515

419.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,770 €8,690

$2,282 €2,030

328.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,574 €3,179

$2,133 €1,898

67.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.62

-6.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Paris: October 19, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.2K 46.3%

Besancon

$600 33.8% 51.2% $630

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$401 15.1%

Besancon

$360 20.3% 10.2% $41

Eating Out

Paris

$333 12.5%

Besancon

$267 15.1% 19.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$293 11.1%

Besancon

$275 15.5% 6.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$199 7.5%

Besancon

$158 8.9% 20.5% $41

Getting Around

Paris

$130 4.9%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 50.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$71 2.7%

Besancon

$50 2.8% 29.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Paris and $655 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Paris vs $57.0 in Besancon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $360 per month, with Besancon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

Same time as Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

119,198

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Paris vs Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Paris. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Paris, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,579 in Paris versus $655 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 134% less than in Paris. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,822 in Paris versus $342 in Besancon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,775 in Besancon versus $2,657 in Paris, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Paris. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Paris and Besancon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.