One of the first planning questions for anyone moving to France is a simple one: beyond rent, what will it actually cost to run a home here? The honest answer is that it depends considerably on where you live, what type of property you have, and how you heat it. But that does not mean there are no useful benchmarks. This guide sets out what the official data says about each category of bill, explains what drives the variation, and helps you build a realistic budget before you arrive.
Table of contents
How much does rent cost in France?
Rent is almost always the largest monthly outgoing, and it varies more by neighbourhood, property size, and whether the property is furnished than by city name alone. A two-bedroom in central Paris and a two-bedroom in a suburban commune twenty minutes from the centre are both “in Paris” in a loose sense, but the difference in monthly cost can be substantial.
The most reliable way to estimate rent is to use price-per-square-metre data from the local Observatoire des Loyers, the official rent monitoring bodies that track actual market rents by area and property type. As a reference point, recent observatory data show three-room rents in Paris at around 33 €/m². Across the Lyon agglomeration, observed median rents run at around 17 €/m² excluding charges.
What this means in practice: a 70m² apartment at 33 €/m² in central Paris costs around 2,300 €/month before charges. The same floor area at Lyon’s median rate comes to around 1,190 €/month. Always check the local Observatoire des Loyers for the area you are considering, and remember that charges (charges locatives) can add meaningfully to the advertised rent figure.
What are charges locatives in France?
For expats renting or buying in a copropriété (an apartment building with shared ownership of common parts), charges de copropriété or charges locatives are a recurring cost that many people underestimate. Depending on the building, they can include communal heating, cold water, lifts, a caretaker, cleaning, and maintenance of shared areas. For tenants, the landlord pays the full charges de copropriété but passes on the tenant’s share as charges récupérables. These are worth asking about explicitly before signing a lease.
How much are energy bills in France?
Energy is where the variation in monthly bills is most dramatic, and where generic national averages are least useful. The single biggest driver is heating: whether your home is electrically heated, gas-heated, or connected to a district-heating network shapes your energy costs more than almost any other factor. Property size, insulation quality, and the age of the building matter too.
Electricity
France’s regulated electricity tariffs (tarif réglementé de vente) changed again on 1 August 2026. The CRE proposed an average decrease of around 2.5% for regulated-tariff customers, but the actual amount you pay depends on your subscribed power level, your usage, and whether you are on the regulated tariff or a market offer. For households that rely on electricity for heating, using electric radiators or a heat pump, annual consumption is typically significantly higher than for households that heat with gas. Budget substantially more if your home is electrically heated, poorly insulated, or large. Estimate your own likely consumption based on the property before you move in rather than relying on a national monthly average.
Gas
Not every French household runs on electricity alone. Many properties, particularly older apartments in cities, use gas for central heating and hot water. Gas prices are not currently subject to a regulated tariff for new contracts; they are set by the market, and have shown significant volatility in recent years. If the property you are moving into has gas heating, ask for recent energy bills from the landlord or previous occupant to get a realistic view of seasonal costs.
Before committing to any property in France, ask what the primary heating source is and request to see recent energy bills. A property with electric radiators and poor insulation in a cold region can generate winter electricity bills that significantly exceed your other monthly costs combined. France rates properties by energy efficiency using a DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique) scale from A to G; a G-rated property is legally considered a thermal sieve. From 2025, G-rated properties can no longer be let to new tenants.
How much is a water bills in France?
Water bills in France cover two things: drinking water supply (eau potable) and collective wastewater treatment (assainissement collectif). The national reference price, based on the latest Eaufrance data, is 4.69 € per cubic metre including both services, calculated using a reference consumption of 120 m³ per year. At that reference level, the annual water bill comes to approximately 563 €, or around 47 € per month.
The important caveat is that water prices in France vary considerably by commune and water provider. Some areas pay significantly more per cubic metre; others less. The figures above are national reference points, not guaranteed local costs. Your actual bill will depend on where you live, how many people are in your household, and local pricing structures. Water bills also typically include a fixed standing charge regardless of consumption.
How much do internet and mobile plans cost in France?
Home broadband
According to ARCEP’s latest fixed-broadband market data, the average monthly bill per fixed broadband subscription was 37 € excluding VAT at the end of 2025. The French market is competitive, and introductory offers, often running for six or twelve months, can be considerably cheaper than this. After the promotional period, standard prices typically apply, which are closer to the ARCEP average. When budgeting, use the post-promotional price rather than the introductory one, as the latter only applies for the first phase of the contract. Fibre optic broadband is now widely available across France, including in many rural areas, and covers most of the mainstream provider offers.
Mobile phone plans
| Expense type | Estimated monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity | 143 € |
| Water (2-person household) | 39 € |
| Internet | 34 € |
| Mobile phone (2 plans) | 24 € |
| Home insurance | 30 € |
| Mutuelle for a couple | 135 € |
| Property tax (monthly avg) | 79 € |
| Total for a couple (exc. rent) | 484 € |
French mobile plans are generally inexpensive by international standards, and the market is competitive. Prices vary according to data allowance, 5G access, and whether the plan is bundled with home broadband from the same provider. Plans without a handset subsidy are typically significantly cheaper than those including a new phone. For budget planning purposes, a SIM-only plan with unlimited calls and messaging and a solid data allowance is one of the more affordable recurring costs in France.
How much does insurance cost in France?
Home insurance (assurance habitation)
The legal position on home insurance in France is more nuanced than many guides suggest. Tenants with a residential lease are required to insure against rental risks at minimum. Owners in a copropriété must at minimum carry civil-liability insurance. An owner-occupier of a standalone house is not generally legally required to insure the property, though doing so is strongly recommended given the financial exposure. Home-insurance premiums depend on location, property size, insured capital, claims history, and coverage level. Request quotes from at least two or three providers for your specific property before budgeting a figure, but the average will be around 190 € to 205 € per year (cheaper for small apartment and more expensive for houses).
Complementary health insurance (mutuelle)
Once you have opened your Assurance Maladie rights, a mutuelle covers some of the costs that the public system does not reimburse. Premiums vary substantially by age, family composition, location, and the level of cover chosen. A 30-year-old employee on a workplace scheme, to which the employer must contribute at least 50%, will pay considerably less than a 70-year-old retiree buying an individual contract. The cost of mutuelle averages at 125 € per month for a 60 + individual. For budget planning, treat the mutuelle as a variable that you price up individually based on your age, family size, and the level of dental, optical, and hospital cover you want.
What property taxes do you pay in France?
Taxe foncière
If you own property in France, taxe foncière is an annual local property tax payable whether the property is your main residence, a second home, or let to tenants. DGFiP reports that in 2025, an individual taxpayer paid an average of 1,117 € in taxe foncière across their taxable property holdings. However, the actual amount varies significantly by municipality and by the property’s cadastral value. Some communes have applied notably higher multipliers in recent years. Budget this as an annual lump sum rather than spreading it across the year, since it falls due in the autumn as a single payment.
Taxe d’habitation
Taxe d’habitation has been abolished for principal residences since 1 January 2023. It remains payable on qualifying furnished second homes and certain vacant properties, where communes have applied the relevant surcharges. If you are renting in France and the property is your primary residence, you do not pay taxe d’habitation. If you own a holiday home or a second property that you use alongside your main residence, it may still apply.
How much should you budget for monthly bills in France?
Excluding rent or mortgage, the recurring bills for an expat household in France broadly cover: energy, water, internet, mobile, home insurance, and complementary health insurance. The table below sets out indicative monthly ranges for these categories, based on current official data sources. They are ranges rather than averages precisely because the actual cost depends on your household profile and location.
| Bill category | Monthly indicative range | Key drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity (with electric heating) | 100-250 €+/month | Heating type, insulation, property size. Wide range — gas-heated homes pay less for electricity |
| Electricity (no electric heating) | 40-100 €/month | Appliances, hot water, lighting. Much lower where heating is gas or district |
| Gas (if applicable) | 50-200 €+/month in winter | Heating demand, insulation, market tariff. Highly seasonal |
| Water | Around 40-60 €/month | National reference 4.69 €/m³; varies by commune and household size |
| Home broadband internet | 25-40 €/month | ARCEP average 37 € excl. VAT (end-2025); introductory offers often lower initially |
| Mobile phone plan | 5-25 €/month | Data allowance, 5G, handset inclusion; competitive market |
| Home insurance (assurance habitation) | Get quotes for your property | Location, size, insured capital, cover level |
| Complementary health insurance (mutuelle) | Varies widely by age and cover | Age is the primary driver; employer schemes partly subsidised |
| Taxe foncière (owners only) | Average 1,117 €/year (93 €/month) | DGFiP 2025 average; varies significantly by commune and property |
Sources: CRE (electricity), Eaufrance (water), ARCEP (broadband/mobile), DGFiP (taxe foncière 2025). Indicative ranges only — individual costs will differ by location, property, and household profile.
The ranges in this guide are starting points for planning, not guarantees. The most important thing you can do before finalising your budget is to ask for recent energy bills from the specific property you are considering. Energy is where expat budgets most commonly go wrong, not because France is expensive overall, but because a poorly insulated, electrically heated property in a cold region has a completely different cost profile from a well-insulated gas-heated apartment in the south.
FAQs about monthly bills in France for expats
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