Cost of living/taxes

Last activity 18 December 2017 by John98103

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dcebikesMember29 November 2017 22:41:42

Hi!
This forum has provided some great information on what it would cost to live in France.
I'm not rich, but pension and social security from retiring from the U.S. Postal Service
should be about €1,800/month after paying my health insurance.

I can find an apt/studio that I would be ok with for €500. Electric, water, internet, and cell phone for about €200/ month?? I pay about €200/month for health insurance in the US. Could I buy health insurance to access the French health system?

Taxes- my income is already taxed by the U.S. And would be protected because of the treaty from French taxes. But are there local taxes I'm not aware of?

Lastly, the cost of owning a car. I saw a new Clio 5 porte advertised for €13,000. What taxes and registration, insurance fees should I expect to add to that? Looking at bus, train, and TGV fares IDK that I can justify buying a car. Which after 40 years of driving will be really weird!!

Thanks all to the help and support!
Dave

Guest1230789Guest03 December 2017 10:07:38

214245

I'll chime in with what I can :-)
- after 3 months of living in France, you can apply at the CPAM office to join the French health coverage system. What you will pay is based on your income
- taxes, besides income, include vat (~sales tax, is included in the price you see), habitation tax (yearly, occupant of housing on January 1st pays this), property tax (paid by owner), cotisation (social charge for health coverage, if you sign up for it. I'm actually not sure if you pay this anyway...)
- bus, tram, train systems have discount cards and abonnements that make them even cheaper! We're looking into getting a car, but don't yet know all the ancillary costs

dcebikesMember03 December 2017 17:39:42

Hey thanks!
I've been crunching numbers and I should have enough to live on and travel once a month.
I don't shop, and exploring by veló is cost free. Can you typically take bikes on trains and buses. I'm sure it's not the same everywhere.

Guest1230789Guest04 December 2017 14:04:53

214245

You can certainly take your bike on the TER train system (I've ducked plenty of hanging pedals). I'm not sure about Intercity or TGV trains.
I've seen some buses with bike racks, but not many - each city system would be different.

John98103Active member18 December 2017 22:46:56

You can get some pretty accurate cost of living data here - compare two cities:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

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