YOU MAY HAVE found yourself scrolling through Instagram and coming across photos of the City of Light and dreaming of moving here one day. As someone who did that very thing a few years ago, I can say that it is truly beautiful and utterly romantic place to live. However, as with everything, there is the dream, and there is also the reality. Here are some useful things to know about living in Paris.
Paris has just been ranked as the second priciest city in the world. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Worldwide Cost of Living report, Paris and Zurich have tied for second place, after Singapore, which is the world’s most expensive city for the fifth straight year. Paris is the only euro zone city on the list, rising from seventh position last year, to second in 2018.
“This is something we have not seen in over a decade,” stated Roxana Slavcheva, the editor of the survey, adding, “The competition between Asian hubs like Singapore, Hong Kong (fourth) and Seoul (joint sixth with Geneva), on the one hand and European destinations such as Paris, Zurich and Oslo on the other will be ones to watch over the next survey cycle.”
The EIU survey is designed to help companies calculate cost-of-living allowances and build compensation packages for expatriates and business travelers. The EIU uses five categories – stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure – to mark 140 cities out of a score of 100.
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Cost of living aside, it is also important to note that Paris was also ranked 39th in a global quality of life ranking; the capital city scored highly for transport and leisure, but has lots of deficits in healthcare according to The Local. They stated that a survey conducted by the French employment website, RegionsJob, has revealed that “76 percent of Parisians and people living in the Paris region are willing to take a pay cut to avoid the hassle of their daily commute.” In addition, rail workers have recently announced 37 days of strike, from April to June, a response against the government’s plan to overhaul the state-owned operator SNCF. The strike will be carried out two days out of every five until June 28.
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That being said, in a slightly humorous turn of events, the statistics also say that in Paris, the average cost of table wine is significantly lower than in the world’s other expensive cities. The average cost of a bottle of table wine in Paris is $11.90 USD, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living index, a survey released by the Economist Intelligence Unit which looks at the average costs of wine and cigarettes in the top 10 cities with the highest cost of living. A bottle in Tel Aviv or Seoul would cost around $28.77 and $27.02 USD respectively. The low cost of Paris’s table wine is beaten only by Geneva, which ranks an average of $8.37 USD for its bottles. As they say, there’s always a silver lining somewhere.
Below are three of my favourite places in Paris to enjoy a glass of wine.
Most of the time, I will be at Les Philosophes. I love the service and the ambiance, the vibrant food and the location is the perfect place to stay and regarder les gens passer while having a glass of wine.
Les Philosophes
28 Rue de Vieille de Temple
75004
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It’s by far the most Parisian place to go for having a verre de vin. You’ll encounter the most stylish and interesting people.
Café Charlot
38 Rue de Bretagne
75003
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Just another great spot for having a glass of wine while watching the world go by.
L’Escurial
29 Rue de Turenne
75003
Sources
Bloomberg, Quartz, Traveller, Travel+Leisure, EIU Worldwide Cost of Living, The Local; featured image via @alinakolot
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