Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,452 a month against $2,693 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,693

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paris and in Pau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Paris versus $1,452 in Pau.

Paris $2,693
Pau $1,452

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Paris versus $2,274 in Pau.

Paris $4,133
Pau $2,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,574 in Paris versus $3,097 in Pau.

Paris $5,574
Pau $3,097

Living in Paris is roughly 86% more expensive than in Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 98% above, Pau 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 €17.26

$16.79 €15.04

14.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.8

$47.82 €42.85

62.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.22

$11.37 €10.19

19.96%

Cappuccino

$4.95 €4.44

$3.83 €3.43

29.24%

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

$4.67 €4.18

$2.65 €2.37

76.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.57 €1.41

67.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.65 €6.85

$5.75 €5.16

33.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 €6.12

$3.85 €3.45

77.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.14 €1.02

37.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.26 €2.02

10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.56 €1.40

79.49%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.96

$5.57 €4.99

-20.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.02 €19.73

$20.77 €18.61

6.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.61 €12.20

$11.81 €10.58

15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.58

$24.35 €21.82

-10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$3.75 €3.36

-15.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.17 €1.94

4.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.06 €1.85

42.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 €3.75

$3.22 €2.88

30.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.72 €1.54

6.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.21 €1.98

14.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.25 €1.12

49.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.68 €0.61

30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.57 €13.05

$12.75 €11.43

14.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.02 €8.98

-8.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$4.45 €3.99

-39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.13

$5.65 €5.06

-38.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.48

$1.36 €1.21

103.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 €91.2

$34.00 €30.47

199.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 €7.92

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.04 €41.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.03 €1.82

9.85%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$34.0K €30.5K

2.47%

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

$37.9K €33.9K

$36.5K €32.7K

3.86%

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

$252 €226

$86.0 €77.0

192.74%

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

$15.85 €14.20

$30.75 €27.56

-48.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.46

$32.92 €29.50

-10.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 €35.03

$41.89 €37.53

-6.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 €16.27

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 €14.06

$12.09 €10.83

29.78%

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

$1,749 €1,567

$394 €353

343.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K €23.2K

$4,474 €4,009

477.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$111 €99.1

2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.18

$34.19 €30.64

50.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$90.2 €80.8

31.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €145

$90.0 €80.6

79.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 €1,453

$740 €663

119.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 €1,131

$394 €353

220.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,788 €3,394

$1,076 €965

251.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,402 €2,152

$691 €619

247.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K €12.8K

$2,478 €2,220

475.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,642 €8,640

$2,000 €1,793

382.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 €3,187

$3,074 €2,755

15.68%

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 Pau: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.3K 46.9%

Pau

$394 27.1% 68.8% $869

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$399 14.8%

Pau

$389 26.8% 2.3% $9.3

Eating Out

Paris

$336 12.5%

Pau

$268 18.4% 20.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$297 11%

Pau

$150 10.3% 49.6% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$200 7.4%

Pau

$146 10.1% 26.9% $54

Getting Around

Paris

$129 4.8%

Pau

$39 * 2.7% 69.4% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$70 2.6%

Pau

$66 4.6% 6.2% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,622 in Paris and $740 in Pau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 16% 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 $48 in Pau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $389 per month, with Pau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

Same time as Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

77,066

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Paris Pau 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Paris
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pau wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Paris. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $740 in Pau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,749 in Paris versus $394 in Pau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pau – a meal for two runs $48 versus $78 in Paris. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,452 in Pau versus $2,693 in Paris, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pau but tight or insufficient in Paris. The gap between the two cities makes Pau 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 Pau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Pau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.