Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Bethune

For one person, living is cheaper in Bethune: $1,759 a month against $2,693 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Bethune
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Bethune Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,693

/mo nomad

Bethune

🇫🇷 France

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paris and in Bethune

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 Bethune actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Paris versus $1,759 in Bethune.

Paris $2,693
Bethune $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Paris versus $2,745 in Bethune.

Paris $4,133
Bethune $2,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,574 in Paris versus $3,732 in Bethune.

Paris $5,574
Bethune $3,732

Living in Paris is roughly 53% more expensive than in Bethune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 98% above, Bethune 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 €17.20

$17.73 €15.83

8.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.6

$71.4 €63.8

9.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.18

$13.46 €12.02

1.34%

Cappuccino

$4.95 €4.42

$3.15 €2.82

57.14%

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

$4.67 €4.17

$2.71 €2.42

72.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.64 €1.46

60.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.65 €6.83

$6.88 €6.14

11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 €6.10

$5.57 €4.97

22.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.31 €1.17

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.88 €1.68

32.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.91 €2.60

-3.78%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.94

$4.26 €3.80

3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.02 €19.66

$21.31 €19.03

3.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.61 €12.15

$12.60 €11.25

8.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.51

$23.13 €20.66

-5.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.89 €2.58

9.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.14 €1.91

5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$2.37 €2.12

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 €3.74

$3.03 €2.71

38.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.86 €1.66

-1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.03 €1.82

25.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.48 €1.32

26.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.58 €0.52

53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.57 €13.01

$13.77 €12.29

5.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 €8.14

$7.97 €7.11

14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.77 €1.58

51.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.12

$2.53 €2.26

37.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.77 €1.58

56.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 €90.9

$50.0 €44.66

103.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 €7.89

$2.22 €1.98

298.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.16 €1.93

-34.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.04 €41.12

$23.84 €21.29

93.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.97 €1.76

13.20%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$35.3K €31.5K

-1.11%

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

$37.9K €33.8K

$37.8K €33.8K

0.16%

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

$252 €225

$179 €160

40.39%

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

$15.85 €14.15

$15.11 €13.49

4.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.37

$30.20 €26.97

-2.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 €34.91

$35.27 €31.50

10.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 €16.21

$16.96 €15.15

7.02%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 €14.01

$10.12 €9.04

55.04%

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

$1,749 €1,562

$621 €555

181.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K €23.1K

$8,147 €7,276

217.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$87.8 €78.4

28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.02

$37.83 €33.78

36.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$77.8 €69.5

52.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €144

$97.4 €87.0

66.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 €1,448

$767 €685

111.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 €1,128

$629 €562

100.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,788 €3,382

$1,473 €1,315

157.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,402 €2,145

$1,139 €1,017

110.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K €12.7K

$4,586 €4,095

211.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,642 €8,610

$3,479 €3,107

177.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 €3,176

$3,709 €3,313

-4.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

3.92

-11.99%

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

Last update for Paris: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bethune: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.3K 46.9%

Bethune

$629 35.8% 50.2% $633

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$399 14.8%

Bethune

$361 20.5% 9.4% $37

Eating Out

Paris

$336 12.5%

Bethune

$283 16.1% 15.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$297 11%

Bethune

$225 12.8% 24.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$200 7.4%

Bethune

$135 7.7% 32.4% $65

Getting Around

Paris

$129 4.8%

Bethune

$70 4% 45.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$70 2.6%

Bethune

$56 3.2% 21.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,622 in Paris and $767 in Bethune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78 in Paris vs $71 in Bethune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $361 per month, with Bethune cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇫🇷 Bethune

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

Same time as Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

24,992

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Bethune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bethune wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Paris. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bethune the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Paris. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,622 in Paris versus $767 in Bethune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,749 in Paris versus $621 in Bethune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Paris. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,759 in Bethune versus $2,693 in Paris, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bethune but tight or insufficient in Paris. The gap between the two cities makes Bethune the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Paris and Bethune are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bethune gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.