Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Rouen

For one person, living is cheaper in Rouen: $1,734 a month against $2,657 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
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Rouen Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,657

/mo nomad

Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paris and in Rouen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,657 in Paris versus $1,734 in Rouen.

Paris $2,657
Rouen $1,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,063 in Paris versus $2,616 in Rouen.

Paris $4,063
Rouen $2,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,469 in Paris versus $3,498 in Rouen.

Paris $5,469
Rouen $3,498

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 96% above, Rouen 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.71 €16.64

$16.75 €14.90

11.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.4

$66.8 €59.4

18.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.68 €12.17

$11.08 €9.86

23.47%

Cappuccino

$5.03 €4.47

$3.30 €2.93

52.42%

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

$4.48 €3.98

$3.66 €3.26

22.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.22 €2.86

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.31 €6.50

8.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.86 €6.10

-4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.48 €1.32

3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.07 €0.95

128.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.24 €1.99

25.00%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.90

$3.56 €3.17

23.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 €19.58

$18.50 €16.46

18.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 €12.39

$8.88 €7.89

56.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.35 €19.88

$26.98 €24.00

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.55 €2.27

25.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.91 €2.59

-24.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.45 €2.18

21.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 €3.86

$3.13 €2.78

38.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.05 €1.82

-8.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.49 €1.33

68.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.26 €1.12

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.43 €0.38

109.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.64 €13.02

$14.34 €12.76

2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 €7.81

$6.65 €5.92

32.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.68 €2.39

2.99%

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

$1.97 €1.76

39.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 €91.4

$48.79 €43.40

110.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 €8.12

$8.80 €7.83

3.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.20 €1.07

24.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.36 €40.35

$33.89 €30.14

33.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.15 €1.91

3.26%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$34.8K €31.0K

0.29%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$35.6K €31.7K

4.62%

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

$248 €220

$211 €187

17.55%

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

$15.62 €13.90

$23.28 €20.71

-32.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.83

$39.42 €35.06

-23.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.08 €34.76

$42.34 €37.66

-7.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.73

$16.90 €15.03

11.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$14.36 €12.78

10.93%

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

$1,822 €1,620

$902 €802

102.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.5K €23.5K

$10.2K €9,040

160.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.6

$85.4 €75.9

29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 €46.18

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €108

$96.0 €85.4

26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 €140

$103 €91.5

52.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,405

$692 €616

128.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 €1,094

$567 €505

116.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,384 €3,010

$1,228 €1,092

175.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 €2,040

$909 €809

152.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.7K €13.1K

$3,930 €3,496

273.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,770 €8,690

$2,366 €2,105

312.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,574 €3,179

$2,579 €2,294

38.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.81

-10.76%

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

Last update for Paris: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rouen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.2K 46.3%

Rouen

$567 32.7% 53.9% $662

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$401 15.1%

Rouen

$338 19.5% 15.8% $63

Eating Out

Paris

$333 12.5%

Rouen

$285 16.4% 14.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$293 11.1%

Rouen

$273 15.8% 6.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$199 7.5%

Rouen

$128 * 7.4% 35.6% $71

Getting Around

Paris

$130 4.9%

Rouen

$71 4.1% 45.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$71 2.7%

Rouen

$71 4.1% 0.2% $0.1

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 $1,579 in Paris and $692 in Rouen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 39% 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 $67.0 in Rouen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $338 per month, with Rouen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇫🇷 Rouen

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

Same time as Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

114,083

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Rouen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rouen wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Paris. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rouen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 39% 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 $692 in Rouen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rouen – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $79.0 in Paris. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,657 per month in Paris versus $1,734 in Rouen – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,734 in Rouen versus $2,657 in Paris, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rouen but tight or insufficient in Paris. The gap between the two cities makes Rouen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rouen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,734 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rouen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Paris and Rouen 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 Rouen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.