Paris is one of the most expensive cities in the world and life in Paris and in general anywhere in France as a student can be hard. But with some minor steps, you can have a little bit of relief from this tough situation as a student.
We’ll cover many sections in this blog, so make sure you are with us till the end and for any questions about this write-up or anything that comes to your mind, use our Contact Us form to get in touch with us.
Accommodation
We all share the same sky, and technically it is free for all. But unfortunately the roof over our head costs a lot in most big cities in the West and in France, real estate tends to be your biggest expenditure as a student (and also when you are working).
The French Govt. is aware of these real estate problems and to help students, it gives a government grant to all students who do not earn anything for their student accommodation rent. You can simulate exactly how much grant you are eligible for by using the CAF (caisse d’allocations familiales) website.
Keep in mind though that you need to sort out your social security status first in France upon arrival, and only after that you will be able to apply for this grant (if you qualify for it). So even if you know you’ll get it, it is highly advisable to carry the first few months worth of rent on you upon arrival in this country as the application procedure can take anywhere between 1 to 3 months.
The CAF amount is usually about 30-35% of your rent, so it can help you big time in saving a lot of money as a student in France. The same simulation website can be used for the application. You will need a few documents such as your passport, visa, social security number, birth certificate (apostilled and translated in French), housing contract, and recent utilities bill.
Reach out to us directly if you want to know more about where to get your birth certificate apostilled and translated.
Food
Eat in as much as you can to save money because eating out, specially at good restaurants can cost a lot in the gastronomic capital of the world. Cooking your own meals is financially better for you and it can be fun as well. In case you still want to try out outside food, let us give you a few tips to save money.
Download an app called “Too Good to Go” to collect food from bakeries and restaurants in your city just before they close. Restaurants give out enormous quantities of food for extremely cheap prices (almost free) to avoid food wastages. Some of these restaurants are actually pretty good. For example at a bakery, you might end up paying just 5 Euros for over 15 Euros worth of pastries, pizzas and bread. Cool, right?
Check out Uber Eats as well if you want to order food to your place and be sure to buy the Uber Pass to get free deliveries. Sometimes Uber Eats gives out “Buy 1, Get 1 Free Deals” too. Use my referral link to sign up for Uber Eats and get 5 Euros worth of credit free.
Pro Tip if you are going to stay in Paris – These are the most affordable pastry shops in the city 🙂
Transport
Public Transportation is wonderful in France, and as a student you most definitely should apply for a student discount for your monthly or annual transport passes. You will need a student ID card or an attestation from your university/school to apply for this discount. It can be as much as 50% discount, so definitely worth it.
For transport passes in Paris, make sure you visit RATP’s (the transport network company in Paris) website.
If you feel like carpooling for cheap rates on some day when you don’t want to take the subway or bus, just use Klaxit. You can coordinate the pick up time with other members on the app and share a ride. In case you are going to your employer or coming back from work (mind it – legal student work), then your employer might reimburse your costs too. Have a word with your company about it 🙂
Zero charge bank accounts and cards
Even if the charges are not extremely high for student current accounts, most banks still charge you for added card insurances, other benefits. One way to avoid this would be to eventually shift to a zero charge bank account such as Hello Bank or N26. Check out our blog about banking in France to see which bank would be the right one for you.
Of course these accounts come with cards with no charges too, but the limits are significantly low for these cards. You could try having two cards from two banks in this case as a student if you mind the high charges for cards with higher limits.
Transferring money to/from your home country
Always use trusted money transfer websites such as “Skrill” or “Wise” to transfer money from/to your home country from France. If you try to do this directly from your bank account, then most definitely the conversion rates will be bad and the commission will be extremely high.
Use my referral link to create a Wise account and get multiple benefits like cheaper commission rates and almost 90 Euros worth of credit (T&C applies).
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us using our Contact Us form.
P.S: If you are looking for apostillation and translation of your birth certificates while coming to France or you simply want to know more about this, then also get in touch with us and we will gladly help you out 🙂
Image Credits: Unsplash Open Source