Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pau and Paris

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.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index

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Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pau and in Paris

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

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

Pau $1,452
Paris $2,693

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

Pau $2,274
Paris $4,133

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

Pau $3,097
Paris $5,574

Living in Pau costs roughly 46% less than in Paris, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €15.03

$19.26 €17.25

-12.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.82 €42.83

$77.9 €69.8

-38.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$13.64 €12.22

-16.64%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.43

$4.95 €4.44

-22.63%

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

$2.65 €2.37

$4.67 €4.18

-43.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.63 €2.35

-40.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.15

$7.65 €6.85

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 €3.44

$6.83 €6.12

-43.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.57 €1.40

-27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.50 €2.24

-9.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.80 €2.51

-44.29%

Eggs

$5.57 €4.99

$4.42 €3.95

26.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 €18.60

$22.02 €19.72

-5.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 €10.58

$13.61 €12.19

-13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.35 €21.81

$21.85 €19.57

11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$3.16 €2.83

18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.26 €2.02

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.93 €2.62

-29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$4.19 €3.75

-23.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.84 €1.65

-6.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.54 €2.28

-12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.87 €1.68

-33.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.89 €0.80

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 €11.42

$14.57 €13.05

-12.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 €8.97

$9.12 €8.17

9.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.99

$2.68 €2.40

66.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.06

$3.49 €3.12

61.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.77 €2.48

-50.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.00 €30.45

$102 €91.1

-66.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 €7.91

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.04 €41.24

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.23 €2.00

-8.97%

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

$34.0K €30.5K

$34.9K €31.2K

-2.41%

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

$36.5K €32.7K

$37.9K €33.9K

-3.72%

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

$86.0 €77.0

$252 €225

-65.84%

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

$30.75 €27.54

$15.85 €14.19

94.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.48

$29.53 €26.45

11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.89 €37.51

$39.09 €35.01

7.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 €16.26

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 €10.83

$15.69 €14.05

-22.94%

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

$394 €353

$1,749 €1,567

-77.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,474 €4,007

$25.8K €23.1K

-82.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €99.1

$113 €101

-2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 €30.62

$51.5 €46.16

-33.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.8

$119 €106

-23.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 €80.6

$162 €145

-44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$1,622 €1,452

-54.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €352

$1,263 €1,131

-68.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 €964

$3,788 €3,392

-71.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 €618

$2,402 €2,151

-71.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,478 €2,219

$14.3K €12.8K

-82.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,000 €1,792

$9,642 €8,635

-79.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,074 €2,753

$3,556 €3,185

-13.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.45

10.43%

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

Last update for Pau: October 24, 2026

Last update for Paris: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pau

$394 27.1%

Paris

$1.3K 46.9% 221% $869

Groceries & Markets

Pau

$389 26.8%

Paris

$399 14.8% 2.4% $9.3

Eating Out

Pau

$268 18.4%

Paris

$336 12.5% 25.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pau

$150 10.3%

Paris

$297 11% 98.5% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Pau

$146 10.1%

Paris

$200 7.4% 36.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Pau

$66 4.6%

Paris

$70 2.6% 6.7% $4.4

Getting Around

Pau

$39 * 2.7%

Paris

$129 4.8% 227% $89

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 $740 in Pau and $1,622 in Paris. 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: $48 in Pau vs $78 in Paris for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $399 per month, with Pau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Pau

🇫🇷 Paris

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

Same time as Pau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,066

2,133,111 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pau Paris 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pau
Paris

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

Pau vs Paris: 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.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Pau. 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: $740 in Pau versus $1,622 in Paris. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $394 in Pau versus $1,749 in Paris. 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, Pau and Paris 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.