What is important to know about living in France before moving? For how much on average is it possible to rent an apartment in Paris? How does the country treat foreigners? A Minsk woman, who has lived in Paris for a half year, shared her experience moving to one of Europe’s most beautiful countries.

«We decided that moving would be an interesting life experience»

According to statistics, almost 80% of people who move to France are happy with their choice — and you can be among them too. But of course, before you move to a new country, it is advisable to learn as much detail as possible about it.

Karina from Minsk told us about her move to Paris, about prices for housing and food, about the French and their peculiarities, and about how life in France is different from life in Belarus.

— My name is Karina. I am a florist-entrepreneur. I was born and lived most of my life in Minsk. I had two flower and decor salons in Belarus, which I’ve been handling for the last five years.

My husband and I moved to France six months ago. My husband got a job offer, which included a move to Paris. We thought about it for a while and decided that it would be an interesting life experience that would broaden our horizons. We took a risk and ended up in France.

We had about two months to move. There were no particular difficulties in the process itself, except for gathering many things and deciding what to take with us and what to leave behind in Minsk.

It was also necessary to figure out what to do with the business. I could not do the business remotely, because in the floral business you need to be present in person: checking flowers in refrigerators, taking deliveries, buying new material, etc. I eventually sold my business. It was not an easy decision: emotionally and psychologically, it is very difficult to understand that in the near future you do not need to go to work (where you spent all your time).

I was lucky, and I didn’t have to deal with the paperwork for the move. I gave my birth certificate to my husband and that was the end of my involvement. The company where my husband works provided us with a relocation agency, tax consultants, etc. There was and is tremendous support from their side.

Note. What are the ways to immigrate to France:

  • Obtaining the EU Blue Card.
  • Employment.
  • Training in France.
  • Moving under the Au Pair program. In this case, you should make a contract with a French family, which you will help at home during your stay in France.
  • Immigration under the program La French Tech (you should work in a startup, or be its creator, in short you should «spin» in this sphere).
  • Starting a business in France.
  • Getting married to a French man or woman.
  • Having family ties in the country.
  • Applying for refugee status.

«Without a French bank account, you cannot rent a home, and without a rented home, you cannot open a bank account»

— For the first few months we lived in the center of Paris, a temporary place provided by my husband’s company. For about a month, I looked through advertisements on real estate rental sites — there were options both in the center of Paris and in the suburbs. The relocation agency organized all the housing appointments and dealt with the issues involved.

As a result, we rented a small house a couple of kilometers away from Paris: there is very fresh air, lots of parks and forests for walking, tennis courts, golf courses, etc. It also turned out to be a plus that we have our own free parking space here, because in Paris all parking is paid and very expensive. If you live in the city, you have to pay about €250 a month for parking.

It is much harder and longer to find accommodation in Paris on your own. The cost of renting housing must not exceed 1/3 of official monthly earnings, and you also need a guarantor: either a French citizen with a certain high level of income, or a French company where you work.

Also, here you can face a paradoxical vicious circle: the fact is that without a French bank account you cannot rent a house, and without a rented house you cannot open a bank account. Honestly, I don’t know how to solve all these problems on one’s own. Bureaucracy in France is thriving.

As for rental prices, in Paris and nice areas in the suburbs renting an apartment of 50 sq.m. costs from €1800 + utility bills (€100-200 depending on the season). Most apartments are rented without furniture. The cost of real estate here is also very high (of course, it all depends on the area, construction, etc.).

Note. In the second quarter of 2022, home prices in France rose by 2.7% — such data are shown in the Global House Price Index study.

Buy an apartment in Paris now can be in the range of €9-12 thousand per square meter. The average cost of «square» across France — €4-6 thousand (the closer to the center, the more expensive).

— Prices here are very different: it all depends on the habits and preferences of people. In Paris itself, food prices are 2-3 (for some items 5!) times more expensive than outside the city. On average, a family of two eating at home every day will need about €800 a month.

It is worth noting that the food in France is of excellent quality. The choice of vegetables, fruits, cheeses, fish, and meat here is just huge. I am a vegetarian and can say that the range of relevant products here is much larger than in Minsk.

Hence, if you calculate everything, two people will need at least €3500 each month to live here.

«People here live much more relaxed lives, but strikes are kind of a national sport»

— The main difference between life in France and life in Belarus is the language used. I know English well, but I never studied French. I have been studying the language from scratch for half a year with two tutors. You have to understand that to fully integrate into the environment, knowledge of the language is a must. And frankly speaking, English is not very popular in France.

Another difference: here people live much more relaxed, less in a hurry and more rested. Just imagine: most restaurants and stores (including grocery stores) are closed on Sundays. They have a strange schedule here: after 7:00 p.m. it’s hard to buy anything, even on a weekday. It’s best to plan your business for the first half of the day.

The French are very free by nature, I like to observe them. Also, everyone here is very friendly and polite. Saying goodbye in the store at the checkout takes a long time — in the beginning it was a bit difficult for me to respond with so many pleasantries, but now I enjoy this kind of communication.

Another thing that makes France different is the amount of traffic jams: there are none in Minsk, but here they are always there (both on weekends and at night). You have to leave in advance to run your business. In general, the fastest way to get around in the city is by metro (which, by the way, has 308 stations).

And of course, the most outstanding French feature is strikes. It’s something of a national sport for the locals. Most recently, there was a fuel strike because there was no gasoline at the gas stations for three weeks. There are also frequent strikes by train drivers, so it’s a good idea to check your route through an app before you travel.

I’m very happy that the weather in Paris is almost always perfect: sunshine, blue skies and a lot of greenery. So my mood here is much better than in Minsk.

In general, France is very interesting and different — I like to explore the country region by region. It’s also easy to travel around Europe from here, either by car or by plane.

«Foreigners are commonplace here — no one pays attention to newcomers»

— Paris is a very international city, so foreigners are commonplace here. No one pays attention to newcomers. If you have problems with French, the locals are always happy to help and explain everything in sign language.

The infrastructure in Paris and the suburbs is great: there are all kinds of stores, bakeries, butchers, etc. There’s a place for small businesses, and that’s great.

There are so many museums in Paris, and it’s amazing. Also, a huge number of restaurants, including those from the Michelin Guide. I love to walk through the Luxembourg Garden, the Parc Monceau, the Tuileries gardens. I enjoy the atmosphere, admiring the ancient facades and the openwork trimmed plants. Every day while walking I see the Eiffel Tower in its entirety — I rejoice with it like a child rejoices in a Christmas tree. I suppose, it’s little joys like this that make up life.

At the moment, I’m going step by step back to my floral entrepreneurship: I decorated weddings over the summer and reopened my store on the Etsy platform in the fall; now I’m getting ready for the New Year’s season.

I once read a phrase that I liked very much: «Moving is a social death.» So it is. It is very important to understand that a new country is a huge stress. Don’t force things and push yourself to do things you can’t do. Don’t devalue effort and praise yourself for small accomplishments. I advise being as open to new things as possible, talk to people, travel, read more and learn the local culture. Be sure to do sports — this will help restore emotional balance. Don’t forget your hobbies and favorite business.