Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Montpellier

For one person, living is cheaper in Montpellier: $1,948 a month against $2,693 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,693

/mo nomad

Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paris and in Montpellier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Paris versus $1,948 in Montpellier.

Paris $2,693
Montpellier $1,948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Paris versus $2,955 in Montpellier.

Paris $4,133
Montpellier $2,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,574 in Paris versus $3,962 in Montpellier.

Paris $5,574
Montpellier $3,962

Living in Paris is roughly 38% more expensive than in Montpellier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 98% above, Montpellier 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 €17.26

$16.70 €14.97

15.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.8

$72.1 €64.6

8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.22

$13.24 €11.87

3.02%

Cappuccino

$4.95 €4.44

$3.65 €3.27

35.62%

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

$4.67 €4.18

$3.05 €2.73

53.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.98 €1.77

32.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.65 €6.85

$5.75 €5.15

33.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 €6.12

$4.58 €4.10

49.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.35 €1.21

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.20 €1.97

13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.71 €2.43

3.32%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.96

$3.72 €3.33

18.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.02 €19.73

$18.67 €16.73

17.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.61 €12.20

$13.81 €12.38

-1.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.58

$24.91 €22.32

-12.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$2.87 €2.57

10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.46 €2.20

-8.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.85 €2.56

2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 €3.75

$3.92 €3.51

6.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.32 €2.08

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.98 €2.67

-14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.74 €1.56

7.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.63 €0.57

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.57 €13.05

$14.24 €12.76

2.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.64 €6.84

19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$3.65 €3.27

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.13

$2.74 €2.46

27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.48

$2.03 €1.82

36.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 €91.2

$2.08 €1.87

4791.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 €7.92

$5.04 €4.52

75.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

$1.63 €1.46

-12.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.04 €41.26

$33.42 €29.95

37.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.13 €1.91

4.69%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$34.4K €30.8K

1.28%

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

$37.9K €33.9K

$39.0K €34.9K

-2.79%

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

$252 €226

$220 €197

14.36%

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

$15.85 €14.20

$16.67 €14.94

-4.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.46

$32.14 €28.80

-8.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 €35.03

$35.24 €31.58

10.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 €16.27

$14.08 €12.62

28.91%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 €14.06

$13.79 €12.36

13.78%

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

$1,749 €1,567

$731 €655

139.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K €23.2K

$13.2K €11.8K

95.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$89.0 €79.8

26.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.18

$63.8 €57.1

-19.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$102 €91.5

16.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €145

$177 €159

-8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 €1,453

$847 €759

91.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 €1,131

$735 €659

71.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,788 €3,394

$1,576 €1,412

140.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,402 €2,152

$1,231 €1,103

95.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K €12.8K

$4,909 €4,399

190.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,642 €8,640

$3,599 €3,225

167.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 €3,187

$2,777 €2,489

28.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

3.81

-9.45%

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

Last update for Paris: October 27, 2026

Last update for Montpellier: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.3K 46.9%

Montpellier

$735 37.8% 41.8% $527

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$399 14.8%

Montpellier

$388 19.9% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

Paris

$336 12.5%

Montpellier

$275 14.1% 18% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$297 11%

Montpellier

$269 13.8% 9.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$200 7.4%

Montpellier

$194 10% 2.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Paris

$129 4.8%

Montpellier

$23 1.2% 81.8% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$70 2.6%

Montpellier

$63 3.2% 10.9% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,622 in Paris and $847 in Montpellier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 28% 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: $78 in Paris vs $72 in Montpellier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $388 per month, with Montpellier cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

Same time as Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

302,454

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Paris Montpellier 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Montpellier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montpellier is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 28% 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: $1,622 in Paris versus $847 in Montpellier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Paris. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montpellier – a meal for two runs $72 versus $78 in Paris. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,948 in Montpellier versus $2,693 in Paris, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montpellier but tight or insufficient in Paris. The gap between the two cities makes Montpellier the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montpellier is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Paris, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Montpellier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.