Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Paris

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,693 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint-Etienne 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 Saint-Etienne and in Paris actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Saint-Etienne versus $2,693 in Paris.

Saint-Etienne $1,436
Paris $2,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,264 in Saint-Etienne versus $4,133 in Paris.

Saint-Etienne $2,264
Paris $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,092 in Saint-Etienne versus $5,574 in Paris.

Saint-Etienne $3,092
Paris $5,574

Living in Saint-Etienne costs roughly 47% less than in Paris, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint-Etienne 6% above, Paris 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.88

$19.26 €17.31

-14.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.9

$77.9 €70.0

-27.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.16

$13.64 €12.26

-0.73%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.86

$4.95 €4.45

-58.18%

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

$3.42 €3.07

$4.67 €4.19

-26.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.63 €2.36

-35.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.55

$7.65 €6.87

-33.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$6.83 €6.14

-15.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.57 €1.41

-17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.50 €2.25

-56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.80 €2.52

-25.36%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.74

$4.42 €3.97

-31.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.28

$22.02 €19.78

-22.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 €10.04

$13.61 €12.23

-17.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 €14.69

$21.85 €19.63

-25.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$3.16 €2.84

3.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.26 €2.03

12.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.93 €2.63

-16.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$4.19 €3.76

-35.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.84 €1.65

-14.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.54 €2.28

-31.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.87 €1.68

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.89 €0.80

158.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 €10.91

$14.57 €13.09

-16.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.11

$9.12 €8.19

11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.99

$2.68 €2.40

23.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.93

$3.49 €3.13

-6.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$2.77 €2.49

-34.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

$102 €91.4

-60.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

$8.84 €7.94

-67.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.04 €41.37

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.23 €2.00

-5.38%

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

$20.1K €18.0K

$34.9K €31.3K

-42.40%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$37.9K €34.0K

-15.56%

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

$164 €148

$252 €226

-34.70%

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

$29.01 €26.07

$15.85 €14.24

83.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 €17.11

$29.53 €26.53

-35.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 €26.83

$39.09 €35.12

-23.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

$18.15 €16.31

-63.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.88

$15.69 €14.10

-36.97%

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

$996 €895

$1,749 €1,572

-43.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$25.8K €23.2K

-38.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.8

$113 €101

-36.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.38

$51.5 €46.31

-40.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$119 €107

-13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$162 €145

-6.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$1,622 €1,457

-68.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €332

$1,263 €1,135

-70.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €785

$3,788 €3,403

-76.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €643

$2,402 €2,158

-70.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 €1,506

$14.3K €12.8K

-88.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 €1,455

$9,642 €8,663

-83.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,255 €2,026

$3,556 €3,195

-36.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

3.45

6.38%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Last update for Paris: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8%

Paris

$1.3K 46.9% 241% $893

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6%

Paris

$399 14.8% 17.6% $60

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8%

Paris

$336 12.5% 31.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8%

Paris

$297 11% 39.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2%

Paris

$200 7.4% 24.9% $40

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

Paris

$129 4.8% 158% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Paris

$70 2.6% 42% $21

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 $515 in Saint-Etienne and $1,622 in Paris. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 58% 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: $57 in Saint-Etienne vs $78 in Paris for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $399 per month, with Saint-Etienne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 Paris

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

2,133,111 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Saint-Etienne vs Paris: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Paris. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Saint-Etienne the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Saint-Etienne. 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: $515 in Saint-Etienne versus $1,622 in Paris. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Etienne – a meal for two runs $57 versus $78 in Paris. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,436 per month in Saint-Etienne versus $2,693 in Paris – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Saint-Etienne and Paris 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 Saint-Etienne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.