🇫🇷 France · Utilities
France utilities
What it actually costs to live there.
€380
Monthly utilities (5 items + extras)
Average per household, official sources.
| Item | Avg / month | Range | Social mirror |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | €95 | €40—€220 | EDF still holds 65% of the market 17 years after liberalization. The state-regulated 'Tarif Bleu' remains the reference — the freedom to choose without the confidence to choose. |
| Natural gas | €95 | €30—€250 | France abolished the regulated gas tariff in 2023 — end of an era. Everyone went to the free market, but the CRE still publishes a 'reference price' so households keep a compass. |
| Water + sewer | €40 | €20—€70 | Water is managed commune-by-commune — Veolia or Suez via delegation, or municipal régie. Paris remunicipalized in 2010 and dropped tariffs 8%. Whether public-local works better than private remains a live debate. |
| Mobile phone | €18 | €2—€50 | Free's arrival in 2012 cut market prices by 3× in 18 months. The €2 plan still exists. No comparable country experienced such an electroshock. |
| Internet (box) | €35 | €25—€55 | The French 'box' bundles TV + phone + internet in one device. Invented by Free in 2002, copied everywhere. Fiber reached 80% of households by 2025. |
| Condo charges ★ | €180 | €80—€400 | French condo charges cover the elevator, the concierge (gardien), cleaning, and collective heating. The 2014 ALUR law tried to enforce transparency, but the syndic remains a black box for most owners. |
By household type
Single · 4-person family · elderly couple.
| Household | Size | Avg total / month |
|---|---|---|
| single | 1 | €230 |
| family4 | 4 | €380 |
| elder | 2 | €290 |
Share of income (households × income tiers)
9-cell matrix: how much of your salary goes to utilities.
| low €1,500 | median €2,800 | high €6,000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| single | 15.3% | 8.2% | 3.8% |
| family4 | 25.3% | 13.6% | 6.3% |
| elder | 19.3% | 10.4% | 4.8% |
📚 Go deeper
Compare providers · Cultural context.