Residence place, if secured
Rent: €500.00
Bills and home insurance: €50.00
All food: €250.00
Transport: €90.80
Phone: €20.00
Social plans: €70.00
Reserve: €75.00
Monthly allocation: €1,055.80
Paris Erasmus budget guide
Cost of living in Paris: build your student budget
Compare three worked monthly budgets, see which prices come from official sources and replace the housing assumptions with your own quote before planning your semester.
How much should you budget for student life in Paris?
The three examples below allocate €1,055.80, €1,490.80 or €1,935.80 per month, including a reserve. They show how different housing and spending choices add up. They are planning scenarios, not an official minimum, a promise of available housing or a ceiling on Paris rents.
Each example uses the 2026 all-zone Navigo monthly price of €90.80. Rent, bills, food, phone, leisure and reserve are stated assumptions informed by the references below. Tuition, travel, deposits and other arrival costs are separate. No scholarship or housing aid has been deducted.
Price checks: 8 November 2026. Use the dated official links to recheck fares and conditions for your stay, especially if it extends into 2027. Start with Erasmus in Paris for the city overview, or use the Erasmus cities hub to compare destinations.
Three monthly budgets you can adapt
All figures are in euros for one student and one full calendar month. Reserve means money set aside, not a guaranteed monthly expense. Rent is a hypothetical quote; verify what bills are included so you do not count them twice.
Private room or flatshare
Rent: €800.00
Bills and home insurance: €80.00
All food: €300.00
Transport: €90.80
Phone: €20.00
Social plans: €100.00
Reserve: €100.00
Monthly allocation: €1,490.80
Private studio
Rent: €1,100.00
Bills and home insurance: €100.00
All food: €350.00
Transport: €90.80
Phone: €20.00
Social plans: €150.00
Reserve: €125.00
Monthly allocation: €1,935.80
Which figures are sourced and which are assumptions?
Housing: use an actual offer
The Universite Paris Cite SHS incoming guide gives indicative accommodation benchmarks: a residence minimum of €450-500 per month and €600-900 for private renting. These are guidance, not live offers or maximum prices. Our €500, €800 and €1,100 rents are scenario inputs; a residence place is not assumed to be available. Replace them with your offer and its included charges.
Food: one allowance for groceries and meals
Campus France uses about €300 per month as a national food reference, with spending varying by place and habits. The examples use €250, €300 or €350 as planning allowances. This covers all food, including any subsidised lunches; do not add the same meals again.
Personal allowances: adjust every line
Bills and home insurance, phone, social spending and reserve are editorial allowances, not provider quotes. Check your contract for utilities already included in rent, add your actual insurance and phone costs, and set a weekly social limit that fits the money you have available.
Transport and student meals: price and conditions
Navigo Mois: €90.80 for all zones in 2026
The official monthly pass page lists €90.80 for zones 1-5. It covers a calendar month, not 30 days from purchase. This is the transport amount in each worked example; check what pass or ticket combination suits a mid-month arrival.
Imagine R Etudiant: €401.30 for an annual product
The official student pass page lists €401.30 a year, including the application fee, for eligible students under 26 living in Ile-de-France. It is a 12-month product. Compare its full commitment and current conditions with your semester length; dividing it by 12 does not make it a month-to-month pass.
Crous meals: €1 with student verification
The Crous FAQ explains access to the €1 student meal using an active Izly account. Check access with your host institution and local restaurant, including service times. The offer is once per service; it is not a budget for all your daily food.
Choose an address by campus journey and total cost
A neighbourhood name is not a rent quote. For every listing, compare the door-to-door journey to your actual teaching site and the total rent plus charges.
Latin Quarter
Check the address of your classes before paying for a central location. A place close to one faculty may still involve a journey to another teaching site.
Bastille and Oberkampf
If you expect to spend time here socially, compare the journey home after your plans as well as the daytime route to campus.
Le Marais
Use the same rent, charges and travel checklist as elsewhere. Being close to places you want to visit does not replace checking the full monthly quote.
Belleville
Compare actual listings and transport connections. Do not treat the neighbourhood label as proof that a particular room is cheap or convenient.
13th arrondissement
If your teaching site is in this part of Paris, check the precise campus entrance and route from the property. Use the same check for any address outside central Paris.
Keep arrival costs separate from your monthly budget
Housing cash needed before move-in
Ask for the first rent payment, deposit, any booking or agency charges and required insurance in writing. Add temporary accommodation if your room is not ready. These are not included in the worked monthly totals.
Other costs of starting your semester
Add your own travel quote, bedding or kitchen setup, and any tuition, enrolment, visa or healthcare costs that apply to you. Confirm these with your university or provider rather than assuming another student has the same obligations.
Count support only when it is confirmed
Keep grant payments and housing aid separate from expenses. Check eligibility, the amount awarded and payment timing with the relevant organisation; the examples assume no aid and no reimbursement.
How Paris compares with related Erasmus cities
Compare like for like: the same stay length, type of housing, included bills, food allowance and reserve. The figures on this page describe Paris examples, not a price ranking of other cities.
Brussels
Use the Brussels guide for city context, then obtain a housing quote and local transport price before comparing its monthly total with Paris.
Amsterdam
Open the Amsterdam guide and compare actual housing availability and included bills. Keep move-in payments separate from the monthly total for both cities.
Berlin
Use the Berlin guide to plan the local routine, then check the costs and student conditions that apply to your own university and dates.
Plan the rest of your Paris semester
Once you have a workable budget, explore local student life, ways to meet people and the events guide.
FAQ
Questions about your Paris student budget
How much does it cost to live in Paris as a student?
The worked examples on this page allocate €1,055.80, €1,490.80 or €1,935.80 per month including a reserve. They use hypothetical housing quotes and stated personal allowances, not an official minimum or a market ceiling. Arrival costs and tuition are separate.
Is €1,000 per month enough for Erasmus in Paris?
It is below the lowest worked example on this page. Whether it works for you depends on a confirmed housing offer, included bills and your own expenses. Check each line with actual quotes and keep arrival costs separate; do not rely on aid that has not been awarded.
Should I use Navigo Mois or Imagine R Etudiant?
The 2026 all-zone Navigo monthly price is €90.80. Imagine R Etudiant is an annual product priced at €401.30 for eligible students under 26 living in Ile-de-France. Check the operator's full conditions and your stay length before choosing; the annual price is not a monthly subscription.
Can Erasmus students use the €1 Crous meal?
Crous requires student verification through an active Izly account for its €1 meal. Ask your host institution about activation and check local service hours. Include these meals within your food allowance, not as a second budget added on top.
Which areas matter most for students in Paris?
Compare addresses in the Latin Quarter, Bastille and Oberkampf, Le Marais, Belleville or the 13th arrondissement against your actual campus journey and rent including charges. A neighbourhood label alone does not establish the cost of a room.
Which universities shape student life in Paris?
Your host institution and exact teaching site matter more for budgeting than a general city label. Check your course address with Sorbonne University, Universite Paris Cite or your own institution before comparing accommodation and travel.
What costs should I prepare for before arriving?
Check first rent, deposit, insurance, any housing fees and temporary accommodation, then add travel and setup costs. Tuition, enrolment, visa and healthcare costs depend on your situation. None are covered by the worked monthly totals on this page.
How does Unera help in Paris?
Use Unera to discover nearby students, explore available events and chat about possible plans. Check any event price before joining and fit social spending into your own budget. The app does not guarantee housing, financial aid or free activities.
Download
Meet students and find plans that fit your Paris budget
Use Unera to explore nearby people and available events, then agree on a plan that works for you. Check costs with the organiser before joining.
More student guides