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Cost of living in France for international students: your monthly budget by city
An international student in France should plan for roughly €600 to €800 a month outside the capital, and €1,200 to €1,800 a month in Paris, according to the reference figures published by Campus France. These amounts cover accommodation, food and local transport, not tuition. The final budget depends on three things above all: the city, the type of housing, and personal spending habits.
This guide breaks the figure down by category and compares the three French cities where SKEMA has a campus, so you can match your choice to your means before you commit. It draws on official sources (Campus France, the CROUS network, service-public.fr) rather than generic averages, and starts with the pre-arrival support SKEMA gives international students.
How much does it cost to live in France as a student?
A realistic monthly living budget runs from about €700 in a provincial city to €1,800 in Paris. Campus France sets a national reference range of €600 to €800 a month for the essentials. In the Île-de-France region the official baseline starts higher, at €1,000 to €1,350, and a moderate lifestyle in Paris brings the realistic figure to €1,200 to €1,800. For a UK reader, €600 to €800 is roughly £510 to £680 at mid-2026 exchange rates.
This budget covers rent, food, transport, health cover, utilities and personal expenses. It does not include tuition fees, which follow a separate model, nor the cost of your flights and visa.
The average monthly budget, and what it covers
Most international students fall into one of three budget bands. A low budget, based on a CROUS room or a flat-share in an affordable city, sits around €700 to €850 a month. An average budget, with a private flat-share in a mid-sized city, runs to about €900 to €1,100. A comfortable budget in a private studio in Paris reaches €1,400 to €1,800. The single variable that moves the total the most is housing, which is why the city you choose matters as much as how you live.
Your monthly budget, broken down by category
Accommodation is by far the largest item, typically absorbing 40% to 70% of a student's monthly spending. A useful order of magnitude for the remaining categories, outside Paris, is:
- Accommodation: €350 to €800 (flat-share to private studio)
- Food and groceries: €150 to €300
- Local transport: €20 to €35
- Health cover (complementary mutuelle): €5 to €30
- Mobile and home internet: €25 to €60
- Books, supplies and personal spending: €100 to €200
Rent is a fixed cost you commit to for the year. Food, transport and leisure are flexible, and they are where a student who plans carefully can hold the budget down.
Accommodation: the largest cost, and how to contain it
Housing is where your city and your choices make the biggest difference, so it is worth comparing the options before you arrive. You can review student accommodation options on SKEMA's French campuses through the school's dedicated housing resources.
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The CROUS network is the public student housing system, and it offers the most economical option. A furnished CROUS room or studio costs €200 to €500 a month in Paris and the Île-de-France region, charges included, and less in the provinces, where rooms start at €258 and studios at €367. Supply is tight: Paris offers only around 7,750 CROUS places, with priority given to scholarship holders, so most international students turn to the private market.
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Private student residences near the campuses generally cost €650 to €1,000 a month. A private flat-share (colocation) is cheaper. In Lille, where rent control applies, a 25 m² furnished studio costs €550 to €750, while a flat-share runs €350 to €600. In the Nice area, private student accommodation averages €571 a month, studios reach €550 to €900, and a room in a flat-share is around €750. In Paris and Suresnes, private studios cost €740 to €820, central Paris studios €800 to €1,200 or more, and a room in a shared flat starts at about €600.
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Furnished student lets usually run on a nine-month lease, with a security deposit (dépôt de garantie) of one to two months' rent due at signing. French landlords also require a guarantor based in France, which is a real obstacle for an international student. Visale is the free, state-backed guarantor scheme run by Action Logement, open to any student aged 18 to 30 with no income condition. Non-EU students need a valid VLS-TS long-stay visa to apply. For 2025-2026 it covers rents up to €1,000 a month in Île-de-France, €840 in cities of more than 100,000 residents (which includes both Lille and Nice), and €680 elsewhere.
How CAF housing aid lowers your rent (if eligible)
Housing benefit can cut your real rent by €100 to €250 a month, which changes the picture in every city. The APL is a monthly rent subsidy from the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales). International students holding a valid VLS-TS can apply from their first month of residence, with no waiting period, provided they benefit from a French government scholarship. The benefit averages around €165 a month in Lille and about €290 in Paris, where rents are higher. It is worth combining with the scholarships and mobility grants SKEMA students can apply for.
Paris, Lille and the French Riviera: where is student life cheaper?
Among SKEMA's three French campuses, Lille and the Sophia Antipolis area are clearly more affordable than Paris. The difference comes almost entirely from rent and, to a lesser degree, food, since national fees and health cover are identical across the country.
Food and groceries
A student cooking at home spends €150 to €250 a month on groceries, the second-largest budget item after rent. Campus France puts a standard grocery basket at €200 to €250. Prices vary by city: Paris runs €250 to €300 (food is around 19% above the national average), Lille about €185, and the Nice area about €200.
The CROUS university restaurants offer a balanced meal for a regulated price. The standard rate is €3.30, and a reduced rate of €1.00 has long applied to scholarship holders. From 4 May 2026 the €1 meal is extended to every student, funded under the 2026 budget, with eligibility confirmed through an active Izly account.
Local transport
Student travel passes are heavily subsidised, and they cost very little relative to rent. In Paris, the Imagine R student pass from Île-de-France Mobilités costs €401.30 a year (about €43.70 for a payment in 9 installments) for unlimited travel across all five zones. In Lille, the Ilévia network charges €31.50 a month, or €27 a month on a ten-month plan, and the V'Lille bike scheme adds €40 a year. In the Nice area, the Lignes d'Azur pass costs €145 a year (around €20 a month), Envibus serves Antibes and Sophia Antipolis at €90 a year, and the regional ZOU! Études pass covers TER trains and intercity buses for €90 a year.
Health cover and the CVEC
All international students have a legal right to free affiliation with the French public health system, which reimburses 60% to 70% of standard medical costs. A regulated GP consultation costs €25, of which €16.50 is reimbursed. To cover the rest, most students take out complementary private insurance (mutuelle) at €5 to €30 a month. Civil liability insurance is also compulsory and is usually bundled with home insurance. SKEMA students can find guidance on registration and cover through the SKEMA KARE student health service.
The CVEC is a compulsory student-life and campus contribution, payable once a year before you register at any French institution. For 2026-2027 it is set at €105, payable online through cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr. CROUS scholarship holders, government scholarship holders, refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection are exempt.
University costs beyond daily living
Beyond the monthly budget, plan for one-off academic costs that are easy to overlook. These include registration fees, the €105 CVEC, and books and supplies. Public registration fees are set nationally, while private business schools follow their own fee model. The type of programme you choose shapes your overall budget, whether that is a Master in Management taught across SKEMA's French campuses or an MSc programme delivered in France. These are study-related costs and sit outside your recurring living expenses.
One-off costs when you arrive
Your first month carries several upfront payments that do not recur. Budget for:
- VLS-TS validation: a €100 electronic tax stamp, due within three months of arrival
- Home insurance: €50 to €100 a year, legally required before you receive the keys
- Furniture and bedding: €200 to €500, only if the property is unfurnished
- The CVEC: €105, paid before enrolment
- Initial rental outlay: first month's rent plus the security deposit
Opening a French bank account is free, and you will need it to receive housing benefit if applicable.
Sample monthly budgets by profile
The same student profile costs very different amounts depending on the city. Three realistic examples for 2026:
- Budget student in Lille or Sophia Antipolis, in a CROUS room or flat-share: rent €400, food €180, transport €30, health and phone €40, personal €100, for around €750 a month.
- Average student in a provincial city, in a private flat-share: rent €550, food €220, transport €32, health and phone €50, personal €150, for around €1,000 a month.
- Student in Paris, in a private studio: rent €1,100, food €280, transport €33, health and phone €60, personal €180, for around €1,650 a month.
Housing benefit can lower each of these totals by €100 to €250 for eligible students.
How to cut your cost of living in France
Most savings come from housing and from using the discounts you are entitled to as a student. The most effective levers are:
- Choose a CROUS room or a flat-share rather than a private studio, and apply for APL housing benefit (if eligible)
- Use the Visale scheme to avoid a paid guarantor
- Eat at CROUS restaurants, where a full meal costs €1 for every student from May 2026
- Buy second-hand books and share streaming or transport subscriptions
- Consider a campus outside Paris, where rent is markedly lower
- Visit national museums and monuments, which are free for students under 26
Studying in France with SKEMA
SKEMA runs three campuses in France, in Paris, Lille and Sophia Antipolis, each in a different cost environment. The school supports incoming students with housing resources, the SKEMA KARE health service, and scholarships, and its Master in Management and MSc programmes are taught on these French campuses. Comparing the three cities on rent, transport and daily costs is a practical first step before you apply to study in France.
Frequently asked questions
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It can be enough outside Paris if you live in a CROUS room or a flat-share and cook at home. Campus France sets €600 to €800 as the national reference for housing, food and transport. In Paris, €600 is not realistic, where a moderate budget runs to €1,200 or more.
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Yes. A student in Paris should plan for €1,200 to €1,800 a month, driven mainly by rent across the Île-de-France region. Cities such as Lille and the Nice area cost noticeably less for the same lifestyle.
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Among SKEMA's campus cities, Lille is the most affordable, with monthly living costs from around €679. Rent control and a well-supplied housing market keep prices below those of Paris and the Riviera.
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For most students, day-to-day costs in provincial France are lower than in major UK cities, helped by subsidised transport, €1 university meals and housing benefit for eligible students. Paris is the exception and compares with London on rent.
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Plan for €700 to €1,000 a month in a provincial city, and €1,200 to €1,800 in Paris, plus one-off arrival costs and the €105 CVEC. Housing benefit can reduce the monthly figure by €100 to €250 for eligible students.
Plan a realistic budget before you move
Your cost of living in France depends above all on the city: Paris requires the highest budget, while Lille and the Sophia Antipolis area are more affordable for the same standard of living. Plan both your recurring monthly costs and your one-off arrival expenses, and factor in housing benefit, student discounts and the €1 CROUS meal. With those in place, a realistic monthly figure is well within reach. For a closer look at student life in Paris, SKEMA's guide covers the day-to-day in more detail.
