{"id":24933,"date":"2026-05-06T11:32:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T06:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=24933"},"modified":"2026-05-06T11:33:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T06:03:05","slug":"weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-ambassadors\/weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students\/","title":{"rendered":"A Realistic Weekly Budget in Paris for Students: My Experience Living on \u20ac1000\/Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-ambassadors\/weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students\/#My_experience_with_University_Living\" >My experience with University Living<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-ambassadors\/weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students\/#My_accommodation_monthly_budget_breakdown\" >My accommodation &amp; monthly budget breakdown<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-ambassadors\/weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students\/#My_daily_spending_habits_that_keeps_my_budget_stable\" >My daily spending habits that keeps my budget stable<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-ambassadors\/weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students\/#Why_this_helped_me\" >Why this helped me<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-ambassadors\/weekly-budget-in-paris-for-students\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>I hadn\u2019t expected Paris to surprise me financially after living in one of the most expensive cities- London. Thought I had things figured out &amp; within the first few weeks I understood that budgeting here works very differently and not always in the ways I had expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi, I am Trisha Bhattacharya. I come from Mumbai, India. I currently live in Paris as an international student &amp; before this, I lived in London. Moving to Paris felt exciting but came with many adjustments especially when it came to daily expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m a Master in Management (MiM) student at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">ESCP Business School, Paris<\/a><\/strong>. I chose Paris for the experience, the lifestyle, and honestly, the idea of building a life here. One of the biggest challenges was understanding where my money was actually getting spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I assumed groceries would be cheaper than London but that wasn\u2019t entirely true. While Paris has great quality food, I found\u202fgroceries slightly more expensive\u202fin some cases, and also less \u201cglobally diverse\u201d compared to London. As someone who cooks Indian food regularly, that adjustment was something real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>At the same time, I was trying to balance:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Groceries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social life<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Random lifestyle spending<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t overwhelming, but it definitely wasn\u2019t as straightforward as I expected either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it came to figuring out the biggest expense that is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/france\/city\/paris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">student accommodation in Paris<\/a><\/strong> alongside its housing crisis, I didn\u2019t want to take risks. Also, student accommodations are very rare in Paris as compared to London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had used <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University Living<\/a><\/strong> before, so relied on it while searching again. It helped me shortlist options without going through unreliable listings or last-minute stress. Such an agency is especially helpful in a city known for many housing &amp; landlord scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"My_experience_with_University_Living\"><\/span><strong>My experience with University Living<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What made the process easier for me was having everything at one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I could explore different <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/country\/france\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">student accommodations in France<\/a><\/strong>, compare them to understand what fit my budget before even making a decision. As an international student, that clarity really spoke to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of rushing into something random, I had time to choose Habyt student accommodation, that actually worked for my lifestyle. And having that sorted early made it much easier to plan the rest of my expenses realistically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"My_accommodation_monthly_budget_breakdown\"><\/span><strong>My accommodation &amp; monthly budget breakdown<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F05%2FTrisha-Bhattacharya-My-Journey-Room-Blog-Banner.webp&#038;w=1024&#038;q=75&#038;output=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24934\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F05%2FTrisha-Bhattacharya-My-Journey-Room-Blog-Banner.webp&w=1000&q=75&output=webp 1000w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F05%2FTrisha-Bhattacharya-My-Journey-Room-Blog-Banner-300x180.webp&w=300&q=75&output=webp 300w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F05%2FTrisha-Bhattacharya-My-Journey-Room-Blog-Banner-768x461.webp&w=768&q=75&output=webp 768w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F05%2FTrisha-Bhattacharya-My-Journey-Room-Blog-Banner-400x240.webp&w=400&q=75&output=webp 400w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F05%2FTrisha-Bhattacharya-My-Journey-Room-Blog-Banner-700x420.webp&w=700&q=75&output=webp 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, I live in a shared apartment with 6 people. I have my own room, but we share the kitchen and bathrooms. It\u2019s a pretty common setup for\u202fstudent living in Paris, especially as I tried to stay within budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My rent falls somewhere in the typical range for shared student apartments in Paris, and overall, my\u202fmonthly <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/cost-of-living-in-paris\/\">cost of living in Paris<\/a><\/strong> comes to around \u20ac1000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s what that roughly looks like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rent:\u202f<\/strong>~\u20ac700\u2013\u20ac800<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Groceries:\u202f<\/strong>~\u20ac30\u2013\u20ac40\/week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eating out + social life:\u202f<\/strong>minimal (I keep this controlled)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transport:\u202f<\/strong>covered annually (more on this below)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Groceries:\u202f<\/strong>~\u20ac30\u2013\u20ac40\/week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing is that I really appreciate in Paris is the\u202fNavigo Imagine R student pass. It costs around \u20ac400 for the entire year and gives unlimited travel across \u00cele-de-France. That means I don\u2019t have to think about transport costs every month, which honestly makes budgeting so much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"My_daily_spending_habits_that_keeps_my_budget_stable\"><\/span><strong>My daily spending habits that keeps my budget stable<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over 2 years of living abroad, I have built a routine that helps me stay within budget without feeling restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I mostly cook at home (I genuinely enjoy it)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I shop from places like\u202fLidl, Intermarch\u00e9, and sometimes Carrefour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I avoid stores like Monoprix or Franprix unless necessary (they\u2019re pricier)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I go out socially about once a week, but usually for coffee, not full meals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I have realized I don\u2019t need to cut out experiences, but just adjust how I experience them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_this_helped_me\"><\/span><strong>Why this helped me<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once I understood my spending patterns, everything started to feel more in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Living in Paris as a student doesn\u2019t necessarily have to feel financially stressful. It\u2019s more about\u202fknowing where to spend and where to hold back, instead of restricting yourself completely. Having my accommodation sorted early also gave me a clear baseline to build my budget around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tips for students budgeting in Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start with your rent &amp; it will define the rest of your budget<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shop from affordable grocery stores like Lidl or Intermarch\u00e9<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Get the Navigo Imagine R pass &amp; it saves a lot long-term<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cook at home more often (especially if you enjoy it)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Socialize smartly, choose coffee over full meals when you\u2019re on a budget<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid last-minute housing decisions &amp; use verified platforms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are planning to live in Paris as a student, don\u2019t rely on assumptions, even if you have lived abroad before. Your budget here will look different. But once you figure out your rhythm &amp; pace, it becomes surprisingly manageable. For me, it\u2019s not about spending less but about\u202fspending intentionally while still enjoying the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I hadn\u2019t expected Paris to surprise me financially after living in one of the most expensive cities- London. Thought I had things figured out &amp; within the first few weeks I understood that budgeting here works very differently and not always in the ways I had expected. Hi, I am Trisha Bhattacharya. I come from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1106],"tags":[590],"class_list":{"0":"post-24933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-student-ambassadors","8":"tag-france"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24936,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24933\/revisions\/24936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}