How to live like a Parisian for 15$ / day

Yes. It can be done. No I didn’t starve.

I spent four weeks living like a local in Paris. I did this, with a daily budget of 15 USD/day. (This did not include my accommodation, which was an addition 20 USD/day)

Not only did I live within this budget, but I had enough left over after my four weeks that I was able to visit Disney Paris.

I made some decisions about what mattered most to me, but I never felt like I went without during my time. I bought bottles of French wine. Ate way too much cheese. Checked out several museums. Lived in a small apartment. It can be done, and it can be really fun!

Accommodation:

I chose to stay in the Montmartre area of Paris. Being a musician myself, it was far more important that I stay where Debussy, Satie, Ravel, Chopin and many more walked the streets, than staying a block or two away from the Eiffel Tower. This was an excellent decision mostly because Montmartre is essentially a small town in a huge city. I knew the locals within a week. The baker would engage me in conversation daily. At the grocery story, I would be enticed into a discussion about which tomatoes were best for which uses.

The area is safe (despite its proximity to Pigalle / red light district of Paris), and after about 5pm, the tourists that ventured up the hill go back to the lower neighbourhoods (arrondissements) and leave us to our sidewalk cafe’s, the night musicians, and the joie de vivre that is Paris.

I found a small studio apartment (it actually had a view of the Eiffel Tower…I got to see it light up every night!) and I paid 600$ for the month (which was 20USD/day). Considering how most hostels I was considering stay at were well over 30USD/night, for a bed in a many-bed dorm, I considered it a beautiful treasure. I had the place to myself, a kitchen where my food would not go missing, fast, free wi-fi, and my own bathroom. (Plus my afore-mentioned view of the Eiffel Tower).

For transportation, I mostly relied on walking. I find the best parts of Paris are discovered by foot, and I throughly enjoyed meandering the streets. I did buy a carnet (10 metre tickets purchased at one time) for the metro, and I used these over about three weeks. This brings the cost down considerably (to approximately 1.50$ per ride).

When people back home heard my crazy plan to do Paris on 10$/day, they assumed that I would be lying in bed all day, with no food and no adventure. I just had to laugh. I definitely appreciate French food and wine. I had no desire to go to Paris and not eat. I just did it inexpensively.

I cooked my own breakfast every morning. Usually hard-boiled eggs, or toast and peanut butter, or yogurt and granola. All bought for ridiculously inexpensive prices at the local grocery store. (The stores are about 20-30% cheaper than in the more central grocery stores). Over the course of the four weeks, this turned out to be a daily cost of 1.10$

Lunch was usually on the road. I always packed a piece of fruit, granola bar and water. The water in Paris is perfectly delicious and there is no reason to buy bottled water. Baguettes will run you just over 1$, and a wheel of cheese is just over 3. Depending on how much cheese you like, this could last you a few days or a week. Lunch was usually a baguette sandwich. Over the course of four weeks, this cost ended up being 1.50.

At the beginning of my Paris stay, I bought a large bag of rice and a jar of spaghetti sauce. This lasted me through four weeks of dinners/ (and ok, the occasional breakfast hahah). I would augment this with vegetables purchased just about daily. All together, for the four weeks, these cost me under 1$/meal. This is where I got to experience Parisian cooking. I ate in restaurants about four dinners a week. If you get off the tourist track, you can get a delicious dinner for about 6-10$ (Is it possible to spend more?  Absolutely. It is easy to spend hundreds of dollars on dinner in Paris. But it does not take much effort to experience Parisian dining, and French food, for far less.

After meals, I was left with about 7-13$/day to tour what many refer to as the most expensive city on mainland Europe.

I took advantage of everything that was free. I went to the Louvre on the first Sunday of the month (free!). It was crowded. But not as much as you might imagine. I got there about 11am, and I waited for about 20 minutes in line.

I also went back to the Louvre twice, on Thursday evenings after 6pm. (the last two hours). Actually, I found that if you ask nicely (in French), they will let you do this at 5:30 too…)

I also checked out a free Dali exhibit in Montmartre, and the free Sunday at the Musee d’Orsay.

If you use free days/evenings to your advantage, most tourist attractions can be checked off for free. (Walk up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower anyone?)

I spent several afternoons reading in the park under the Eiffel Tower. I browsed books at the used book stalls by the Seine. I watched artists sketching in the Tuileries Gardens. I brushed up on my French with local students in the Latin Quarter and we toasted each other with 2 euro bottles of wine.

One day, I took a local train (read: cheap) out to Reims, rented a bicycle, and biked along the ‘champagne trail’. I explored many champagne houses, both unheard of, and familiar names. I stopped in Epernay to visit Mercier and Moet et Chandon. Total cost of the day? 15$.

If  you have more time than money, it can be done. If, like many tourists, you are rushing through Paris in three days, it is not possible to ‘see it all’.  But I know which one I would rather do.