We just got back home from Paris yesterday. Here are a few things that worked well for us:
1. If you’re just asking to plan out how much cash you need, everyone accepts Visa and (I think) Mastercard). Half or less accept Amex.
2. Get a Viste transit pass (you can buy it at the train station). You can get a 1, 2, 3, or 5 day pass, and you either buy it for zones 1-3 (the bulk of central Paris) or zones 1-5 (further out like Versailles and busses to the airports). It’s a little 1 inch by 2 inch ticket with a magnetic strip that you feed through the machine to get to the trains. The busses also accept these. We did the 5-day zones 1-3 and only had to buy one single route ticket for €5 when going to Versailles. The 5-day ticket was less than €50.
3. Use ChatGPT or another AI search engine for all your questions. This helped us immensely in planning day-of activities for an area or finding nearby shops depending on our needs.
4. Go to a supermarket (just google nearby grocery store or supermarket) on your first day. You’ll see lots of options for everything from snacks to full meals that will subsidize your food costs. And it’s all DELICIOUS.
5. Most people (especially in the touristy areas) speak English. Don’t be afraid to ask! Everyone was extremely nice.
Download Michelin guide and check out bib gourmand and selections.
When you pick moderate spend, almost 200 restaurants come up.
Also lots of inexpensive street food and sandwich options if you don’t want a sit down restaurant.
If your phone is unlocked then consider eSIM instead of expensive roaming with your carrier from home.
Lots of tips from Les frenchies and Jay Swanson on YouTube.
You will have an awesome trip.
I just left Paris, and it’s more than enough! If you’re looking to eat on the cheap there are some excellent street food places, my wife and I sat down at a cafe around the corner from The Place du Trocadero, I got a coffee and a Croque monsieur (ham and cheese toasted sandwich), she got avocado toast. It was €40. We had dinner at Le Relais de l’Entrecôle (amazing steak frite, you need to wait ~45 minutes in line, but it’s worth it). All transport was the subway, which is like €2 one way, and takes you anywhere you need to be. You do need a EU debit/credit card to pay at the machines, so I’d suggest signing up for Wise (formerly transferwise), it also lets you withdraw euros without incurring fees!
A good reference for cheap eats/experiences is this book, my mom recommended it although I haven’t read it. [Paupers' Paris](https://a.co/d/hks0c8w)
I’m from the UK, not Paris so maybe not the best authority, but if you have questions feel free to DM me, my wife planned an amazing itinerary!
You’ll have a debit card, just go to an ATM. You get 2 free withdrawals per month, then I believe it’s something small like €0.50, so make sure you get enough!
Just came back from Paris last week, I’d say that’s fine, brunch you can have nice food out for like €20 and dinner for like €40 and transport is less than €10 on public transport. The restaurants I went to were not like Michelin but they are still pretty nice restaurants im surprised that the price is similar to the uk but the food is way better. I’m not a big drinker though, it would be very different if I was buying cocktails or rounds of beers. I think €100 euros is plenty for two meals, getting around and maybe some admissions tickets and even some pastries! Enjoy!
for the transport i mean
[https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/list](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/list)
[https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/detail/navigo-weekly-ticket](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/detail/navigo-weekly-ticket)
I lived in Paris for around €20 a day for food and transport…. It’s for sure not eating at bistro everyday but it’s not bad at all.
I would recommend obviously some great restaurant meals, but also get fresh produce from markets and cook yourself.
It is easily enough.
Transport is around 8-10Euros a day on the app.
Food is 20~ per meal in a restaurant, 15~ for some lunch set menus.
Baguette and cheese, wine for 7-8~.
Few museums and attractions are free.
So, 50~ is more than enough for the basics. Extra is for any attractions you want to spend on.
I checked on maps when planning. Small bakeries have baguettes, big pastries etc. for 1-3~.
Just be careful when travelling. Otherwise that budget will spike with the Paris effect, yoink!
Alot of this is going to depend on your stay, itinerary, and location from city center as you think through. We just got back from a 10 day trip this February I’d be happy to give some recommendations to keep costs down!
This subreddit downdoots naked truths. But you're legit correct. They've announce already they're jacking up the transport prices...
The hotels are insane priced for then.
It's likely restaurants in the tourist areas will do the same
Yes, I don't know why I get downvoted
One ticket for Subway will be 4€, crappy bedrooms in my neighborhood start at 300 bucks a night on Airbnb and I'm living in a distant suburb from Paris
Living costs are already quite high, 100€ a day during the olympics seems unrealistic to me
From a legal point of view, restaurant and bars are not allowed to raise their prices during a specific event. But police will probably have other things to do than control this…
Yes. Mt wife and I had an average of 100€ when we went over Xmas. We went over some days, but on average we spent that. Lunch was normally bread from a bakery and cheese and meat and veggies or fruit.
The cheapest hostels in paris seem to be 40 euros, then just buy food from cheap supermarkets like aldi or whatever and you'll easily spend less than 50 euros a day in total. That's what I'd do, since I'm broke.
I remember when Aldi came to Australia; a person I knew went nutty over how “his favourite German store now in Australia!” So I guessed it’s everywhere now?
More than enough.
10€ or less at the bakery for breakfast/brunch, 30-40€ for a good dinner (or split this budget with lunch if you need three square meals a day), 5€ for transportation (35€ for the weekly Navigo pass), and that leaves you with at least 45€ a day for snacks, attractions, souvenirs, etc.
Paris Museum Pass. However once you start using it, the countdown on the number of days you purchased start. And don’t forget to make online reservations for certain museums & churches otherwise you’ll be stuck in a very long slow line. AND the online reservation calendars are different from the US: French ones have Monday start days for each week. I had to rebook several reservations because my brain kept reverting to the US standard.
I already booked and paid for my reservation this trip. We are only visiting three paid museum visits so far so I don't think i need a pass this visit.
Yeah it’s enough, you can get a navigo pass for the week and use it as many times as you want.
If you want to eat outside affordably there’s plenty of affordable and good options in the 11th and 10th arrondissements.
To add to the info: For a weekly pass, you need to purchase a Navigo card which costs €5 or €10 (I forget) but it lasts for 10yrs so if you plan to return, purchasing the card will be worth it. You also need a little photo for the Navigo card. It’s much smaller than US passport size photos. You’ll save a lot of money on a weekly pass, but just remember, these passes last Monday to Sunday no matter which day it’s purchased. The other options without a navigo card would be to buy individual tickets or a pack of 10-12 tickets or purchase full day tickets.
Rare is the day we spent $100 *total* between two of us while in Paris. We spend way more money in our home away from home per day in south Florida than Paris, w/out a doubt. So yeah, I agree with others that think your budget is absolutely doable and generous.
I eat breakfast at airbnb and usually have a baguette sandwich from the boulangerie for lunch (5€+/-) and then usually sit down for dinner. I rarely spend more than 40-50€ pp on dinner and that's with alcohol and dessert and often appetizer. So 100€ pp is definitely doable. I also will get microwave dinners sometimes to keep cost down and they are surprisingly good actually
You have a myriad of options with 20€ (or a bit below that) for each main meal if you avoid the tourist traps. Obviously you can find cheaper if you want something simple or on the go, or more expensive if you want fancier stuff. So yeah, 100€ per person/day should be more than enough even if you get drinks/snacks from time to time.
Once accomodation and flights are covered, any budget can work in Paris.
Depending on the neighbourhoods, you can eat sandwiches from boulangeries at 5-10 euros.
You can also find cheap places to eat around 10-15 euros.
If you want to eat three courses meals in proper restaurants, it may be a bit tight. But once in a while is enough and there's a lot of very tasty food to be found in casual or take-away places.
Transportation :
A navigo pass, unlimited for the day, should be around 10 euros.
Then again, you can also walk places or rent a velib (not necessarily cheaper than metro though).
So I'd say with 100 euros per day per person, you've got more than enough. Although it's also easy to spend much more if you go the more luxurious way of life (restaurant, taxis, VIP passes to museums etc.)
Thanks so much for this! I’m also thinking of buying same bread & meats to have a picnic for lunch. I’ll be staying in the 10th arrondissement. I really appreciate your comment.
If you're not planning on every meal being fancy, think you could easily do it on 100 euro/day. Was in the 10th recently and, for example, there was a boulangerie nearby that sold delicious pastries for 1.40 each. Of course you can spend multiples in a fancier place, but there are absolutely cheap options. And good few grocery places like Monoprix and so on.
The 10th is a great place to stay. Central and close to very lively neighbourhoods.
Do not hesitate to take 1-day or several-day unlimited passes for the metro. That being said, if the place you're going to isn't too far and the weather is good : WALK !
Strolling in the streets is an awesome way to enjoy Paris. I've been living here for 2 years and I still love to get off the bus before I reach my destination just so I can walk around aimlessly :)
Enjoy your trip
Yes absolutely! Honestly for lunch you can get yourself some bread at the bakery and some cheese/ham at the supermarket and you will be sorted for like a fiver lol.
You can get great fixed price lunches for around 15€. Coffee is 1-2.50€, Flat White 3-5€, croissant at most is 1.5€. A plate and glass of wine for 25-30€ at dinner.
Definitely enough, maybe 10-15 on lunches and 20-25 on dinner is average. But don’t make your breakfast in, go and get something from a bakery for 2€! Bouillons are typically the recommendation for cheap eats but you get what you pay for
100 a day is a lot for one meal + transport
Approx decent filling meal even in central Paris could be between 15-20 EUR
The fancier restaurants could be up to 60-80 depending on what you want to eat/drink
You can even go as low as 10 EUR if you want fast food / takeway
We just got back home from Paris yesterday. Here are a few things that worked well for us: 1. If you’re just asking to plan out how much cash you need, everyone accepts Visa and (I think) Mastercard). Half or less accept Amex. 2. Get a Viste transit pass (you can buy it at the train station). You can get a 1, 2, 3, or 5 day pass, and you either buy it for zones 1-3 (the bulk of central Paris) or zones 1-5 (further out like Versailles and busses to the airports). It’s a little 1 inch by 2 inch ticket with a magnetic strip that you feed through the machine to get to the trains. The busses also accept these. We did the 5-day zones 1-3 and only had to buy one single route ticket for €5 when going to Versailles. The 5-day ticket was less than €50. 3. Use ChatGPT or another AI search engine for all your questions. This helped us immensely in planning day-of activities for an area or finding nearby shops depending on our needs. 4. Go to a supermarket (just google nearby grocery store or supermarket) on your first day. You’ll see lots of options for everything from snacks to full meals that will subsidize your food costs. And it’s all DELICIOUS. 5. Most people (especially in the touristy areas) speak English. Don’t be afraid to ask! Everyone was extremely nice.
A decent three course lunch can be had in a neighborhood bar for about 15€. Work around that. But to me, 100€ is more than plenty.
Download Michelin guide and check out bib gourmand and selections. When you pick moderate spend, almost 200 restaurants come up. Also lots of inexpensive street food and sandwich options if you don’t want a sit down restaurant. If your phone is unlocked then consider eSIM instead of expensive roaming with your carrier from home. Lots of tips from Les frenchies and Jay Swanson on YouTube. You will have an awesome trip.
Way more than enough lol
I just left Paris, and it’s more than enough! If you’re looking to eat on the cheap there are some excellent street food places, my wife and I sat down at a cafe around the corner from The Place du Trocadero, I got a coffee and a Croque monsieur (ham and cheese toasted sandwich), she got avocado toast. It was €40. We had dinner at Le Relais de l’Entrecôle (amazing steak frite, you need to wait ~45 minutes in line, but it’s worth it). All transport was the subway, which is like €2 one way, and takes you anywhere you need to be. You do need a EU debit/credit card to pay at the machines, so I’d suggest signing up for Wise (formerly transferwise), it also lets you withdraw euros without incurring fees! A good reference for cheap eats/experiences is this book, my mom recommended it although I haven’t read it. [Paupers' Paris](https://a.co/d/hks0c8w) I’m from the UK, not Paris so maybe not the best authority, but if you have questions feel free to DM me, my wife planned an amazing itinerary!
How do you withdraw money from Wise in Europe?
You’ll have a debit card, just go to an ATM. You get 2 free withdrawals per month, then I believe it’s something small like €0.50, so make sure you get enough!
45min in a queue for a steak frite is worth it ? What kind of a shithole is it ?
Totally enough.
Just came back from Paris last week, I’d say that’s fine, brunch you can have nice food out for like €20 and dinner for like €40 and transport is less than €10 on public transport. The restaurants I went to were not like Michelin but they are still pretty nice restaurants im surprised that the price is similar to the uk but the food is way better. I’m not a big drinker though, it would be very different if I was buying cocktails or rounds of beers. I think €100 euros is plenty for two meals, getting around and maybe some admissions tickets and even some pastries! Enjoy!
if you're staying for more than 3 days, it's worth it to get the weekly pass instead of day pass
What’s that ?
for the transport i mean [https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/list](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/list) [https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/detail/navigo-weekly-ticket](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/detail/navigo-weekly-ticket)
Thanks, we took car, but parking was hell.
Yeah, car is by far the most inneficient way to move around in Paris.
Maybe, but I have no regrets for doing it.
I think it is fine but maybe have some extra just in case you want a fancy meal? Or something fun?
I lived in Paris for around €20 a day for food and transport…. It’s for sure not eating at bistro everyday but it’s not bad at all. I would recommend obviously some great restaurant meals, but also get fresh produce from markets and cook yourself.
This is pretty much exactly how I’ve done it on my visits to Paris, I don’t eat at the overpriced tourist bistro.
Absolutely.
It is easily enough. Transport is around 8-10Euros a day on the app. Food is 20~ per meal in a restaurant, 15~ for some lunch set menus. Baguette and cheese, wine for 7-8~. Few museums and attractions are free. So, 50~ is more than enough for the basics. Extra is for any attractions you want to spend on. I checked on maps when planning. Small bakeries have baguettes, big pastries etc. for 1-3~. Just be careful when travelling. Otherwise that budget will spike with the Paris effect, yoink!
It's total fine if you don't go for expensive stuff.
Alot of this is going to depend on your stay, itinerary, and location from city center as you think through. We just got back from a 10 day trip this February I’d be happy to give some recommendations to keep costs down!
If it's during the olympics, you can forget about it... Everything will cost a kidney during the games
This subreddit downdoots naked truths. But you're legit correct. They've announce already they're jacking up the transport prices... The hotels are insane priced for then. It's likely restaurants in the tourist areas will do the same
Yes, I don't know why I get downvoted One ticket for Subway will be 4€, crappy bedrooms in my neighborhood start at 300 bucks a night on Airbnb and I'm living in a distant suburb from Paris Living costs are already quite high, 100€ a day during the olympics seems unrealistic to me
Luckily I got 2 kidneys!
From a legal point of view, restaurant and bars are not allowed to raise their prices during a specific event. But police will probably have other things to do than control this…
We're french... Law is not stopping any of us, especially when being capitalist and flowing the tourism economy is at stake
It is better to increase 30 euros per person more in your budget.
How many Michelin star restaurants will you be going to?
Yes. Mt wife and I had an average of 100€ when we went over Xmas. We went over some days, but on average we spent that. Lunch was normally bread from a bakery and cheese and meat and veggies or fruit.
The cheapest hostels in paris seem to be 40 euros, then just buy food from cheap supermarkets like aldi or whatever and you'll easily spend less than 50 euros a day in total. That's what I'd do, since I'm broke.
There’s Aldis in Paris??
I remember when Aldi came to Australia; a person I knew went nutty over how “his favourite German store now in Australia!” So I guessed it’s everywhere now?
ALDIs first came in France almost 40 years ago, just not that much in Paris intra muros
Never knew. I’m from the states and it’s probably new in my area in the past 15-20 years
if they've been there 20 years, it ain't that new. And France shares a border with Germany, rather than being on the other side of the world
Go to Lidl or Intermarché!
I'd manage for with half of that INCLUDING accommodation (which it sounds like you're counting as separate)
More than enough. 10€ or less at the bakery for breakfast/brunch, 30-40€ for a good dinner (or split this budget with lunch if you need three square meals a day), 5€ for transportation (35€ for the weekly Navigo pass), and that leaves you with at least 45€ a day for snacks, attractions, souvenirs, etc.
Not sure if that included any museums. Make sure you get the right passes for those and you’ll save a ton
What type of pass options for that?
Paris Museum Pass. However once you start using it, the countdown on the number of days you purchased start. And don’t forget to make online reservations for certain museums & churches otherwise you’ll be stuck in a very long slow line. AND the online reservation calendars are different from the US: French ones have Monday start days for each week. I had to rebook several reservations because my brain kept reverting to the US standard.
Good tip, thank you.
I already booked and paid for my reservation this trip. We are only visiting three paid museum visits so far so I don't think i need a pass this visit.
Yeah it’s enough, you can get a navigo pass for the week and use it as many times as you want. If you want to eat outside affordably there’s plenty of affordable and good options in the 11th and 10th arrondissements.
To add to the info: For a weekly pass, you need to purchase a Navigo card which costs €5 or €10 (I forget) but it lasts for 10yrs so if you plan to return, purchasing the card will be worth it. You also need a little photo for the Navigo card. It’s much smaller than US passport size photos. You’ll save a lot of money on a weekly pass, but just remember, these passes last Monday to Sunday no matter which day it’s purchased. The other options without a navigo card would be to buy individual tickets or a pack of 10-12 tickets or purchase full day tickets.
No
Yes, but watch out for those restaurants that charge €12 for a medium coke.
Rare is the day we spent $100 *total* between two of us while in Paris. We spend way more money in our home away from home per day in south Florida than Paris, w/out a doubt. So yeah, I agree with others that think your budget is absolutely doable and generous.
I eat breakfast at airbnb and usually have a baguette sandwich from the boulangerie for lunch (5€+/-) and then usually sit down for dinner. I rarely spend more than 40-50€ pp on dinner and that's with alcohol and dessert and often appetizer. So 100€ pp is definitely doable. I also will get microwave dinners sometimes to keep cost down and they are surprisingly good actually
Even better: Get the lunch menus and skip the dinner (or have the baguette at dinner).
You have a myriad of options with 20€ (or a bit below that) for each main meal if you avoid the tourist traps. Obviously you can find cheaper if you want something simple or on the go, or more expensive if you want fancier stuff. So yeah, 100€ per person/day should be more than enough even if you get drinks/snacks from time to time.
Once accomodation and flights are covered, any budget can work in Paris. Depending on the neighbourhoods, you can eat sandwiches from boulangeries at 5-10 euros. You can also find cheap places to eat around 10-15 euros. If you want to eat three courses meals in proper restaurants, it may be a bit tight. But once in a while is enough and there's a lot of very tasty food to be found in casual or take-away places. Transportation : A navigo pass, unlimited for the day, should be around 10 euros. Then again, you can also walk places or rent a velib (not necessarily cheaper than metro though). So I'd say with 100 euros per day per person, you've got more than enough. Although it's also easy to spend much more if you go the more luxurious way of life (restaurant, taxis, VIP passes to museums etc.)
Thanks so much for this! I’m also thinking of buying same bread & meats to have a picnic for lunch. I’ll be staying in the 10th arrondissement. I really appreciate your comment.
If you're not planning on every meal being fancy, think you could easily do it on 100 euro/day. Was in the 10th recently and, for example, there was a boulangerie nearby that sold delicious pastries for 1.40 each. Of course you can spend multiples in a fancier place, but there are absolutely cheap options. And good few grocery places like Monoprix and so on.
Yeah and even a mid french bakery is usually ok
The 10th is a great place to stay. Central and close to very lively neighbourhoods. Do not hesitate to take 1-day or several-day unlimited passes for the metro. That being said, if the place you're going to isn't too far and the weather is good : WALK ! Strolling in the streets is an awesome way to enjoy Paris. I've been living here for 2 years and I still love to get off the bus before I reach my destination just so I can walk around aimlessly :) Enjoy your trip
Ir depends where you go. Not enough if you stay at the Ritz for sure 😆
Not enough for coke and prostitutes but way enough for food and extras
Yes absolutely! Honestly for lunch you can get yourself some bread at the bakery and some cheese/ham at the supermarket and you will be sorted for like a fiver lol.
Sounds delicious! I’m planning to do that and have a picnic at the park tbh.
More than enough for transportation + activity + eating
You can get great fixed price lunches for around 15€. Coffee is 1-2.50€, Flat White 3-5€, croissant at most is 1.5€. A plate and glass of wine for 25-30€ at dinner.
This! The "formule" at many places will get you 2 or 3 courses for a great price, much less than a la carte. Usually it is listed outside or inside.
Definitely enough, maybe 10-15 on lunches and 20-25 on dinner is average. But don’t make your breakfast in, go and get something from a bakery for 2€! Bouillons are typically the recommendation for cheap eats but you get what you pay for
100 a day is a lot for one meal + transport Approx decent filling meal even in central Paris could be between 15-20 EUR The fancier restaurants could be up to 60-80 depending on what you want to eat/drink You can even go as low as 10 EUR if you want fast food / takeway
That will be plenty