Paris and New York are two famous cities in which 2 million and 8 million people live respectively. But “famous city” also means “expensive life”. So, of Paris and New York, which city needs the biggest budget to live? We have investigated and pulled a lot of data.
Warning: the numbers indicated in this post are the result of a thorough research and check. The purpose was not to inflate the prices of one city or the other, but to compare them as objectively as possible.
Housing
Housing is expensive in both cities, both for purchase and for rental. Let’s look at the prices in detail.
Purchase
The average price per square meter is now 11,068€ in Paris and 13,382€ (15,574$) in New York.
For purchase, the price per square meter is 17% more expensive in New York than it is in Paris.
The most expensive districts in Paris are the 1st (13,313€/m2), the 6th (15,617€/m2) and the 7th (13,442€/m2) arrondissements, and the cheapest ones are the 13th (9,246€/m2), the 18th (9,904€/m2), the 19th (9,402€/m2) and the 20th (9,282€/m2).
In New York, the highest prices are in the districts of Tribeca (17,184€/m2) and Soho (18,902€/m2), and the lowest ones are in Harlem (8,592€/m2) and Washington Heights (5,524€/m2).
| MOST EXPENSIVE DISTRICT | Paris 6th | New York Tribeca |
| Studio | 744,375 € | 762,625 € (887,599 $) |
| 1 bedroom | 1,005,000 € | 1,181,113 € (1,374,666 $) |
| 3 bedroom | 2,418,333 € | 3,113,167 € (3,623,333 $) |
| AVERAGE PRICE | 1,389,236 € | 1,685,635 € |
On average and regarding the most expensive districts only, housing for purchase is 17.5% more expensive in New York.
| CHEAPEST DISTRICT | Paris 13th | New York Harlem |
| Studio | 305,116 € | 381,055 € (443,500 $) |
| 1 bedroom | 424,150 € | 459,528 € (534,822 $) |
| 3 bedroom | 950,700 € | 1,005,550 € (1,170,333 $) |
| AVERAGE PRICE | 559,988 € | 615,377 € |
On average, the cheapest district of New York (Harlem) is 9% more expensive than the cheapest district of Paris (the 13th arrondissement).
In short
On average, flats cost 13.25% more for sale in New York than in Paris. Prices start around 300,000€ for a studio in Paris against 380,000€ in New York, and go up to 2,400,000€ for a 4-room apartment in Paris against 3,000,000€ in New York.
PS: the data indicated in the chart has been collected on the two following real estate websites :
In Paris: https://www.seloger.com/
In New York: https://nycasas.com/francais/index.php
Rental
Regarding rental housing, the following chart draws up a list of the average flat rents (for a studio, a 2-room flat and a 4-room flat) found on the aforementioned rental websites.
| MOST EXPENSIVE DISTRICT | Paris 6th | New York Tribeca |
| Studio | 1,232 €/month | 4,639 €/month (5,400 $) |
| 1 bedroom | 2,258 €/month | 5,739 €/month (6,680 $) |
| 3 bedroom | 5,265 €/month | 10,820 €/month (12,594 $) |
| AVERAGE RENT | 2,918 €/month | 7,066 €/month |
Rental apartments in the most expensive districts are 58% more expensive in New York than in Paris.
| CHEAPEST DISTRICT | Paris 13th | New York Tribeca |
| Studio | 950 €/month | 1,302 €/month* (1 516 $) |
| 1 bedroom | 1,472 €/month | 1,773 €/month* (2,064 $) |
| 3 bedroom | 2,555 €/month | 2,638 €/month* (3,071 $) |
| AVERAGE RENT | 1,659 €/month | 1,904 €/month |
*The data was collected on https://blog-immobilier.eu/2020/11/04/prix-m2-new-york/ (website in French)
Rents in the cheapest districts of New York are 13% higher than in the ones of Paris.
In short
On average, rents are 35% more expensive in New York than in Paris. Rents are around €950 per month in Paris for a studio in Paris and €1,300 per month in New York and go up to €5,265 in Paris for a 3-room apartment and €10,820 in New York.
Transport
Paris and New York both have good transit links.
Whether by subway, bus, taxi or hybrid bikes, everything was set up to make people’s life easier, at any hour of day and night.
Public transportation
Both in Paris and New York, a single ticket gives you access to a range of means of transportation, including subways and buses.
In the following chart, you will find the prices of subway and bus lines.
| Paris | New York | |
| One-trip ticket | 1.90€ | 2.58€ (3$) |
| Weekly subscription | 22.80€ | 27.50€ (32$) |
| Annual subscription | 75.20€ | 104€ (121$) |
| AVERAGE PRICE | 33€ | 44.5€ |
In short
Public transportation is 26% more expensive in New York than in Paris.
Private transportation
Many taxis and hybrid bikes give you access to secure and quiet rides both in NYC and Paris.
The following chart compares prices per kilometer and the basic fee in both cities.
| TAXI PRICES | Paris | New York |
| Basic fee (+ city tax in Manhattan) |
2.60 € | 2.15€ + 0.43€ (2.50$ + 0.50$) |
| Daytime fare | 1.09€/km | 1.34€/km (1.56$/km) |
| Nighttime fare | 1.38€/km | +0.43€/min (+0.50$/min) |
A few examples
Here is a clarification for the following charts: they indicate the fares for different trips in Paris and New York, first in taxi and then in Uber (in the second chart).
Warning: the prices can vary depending on the hour of the day (or night), the traffic and the standing and waiting time.
| TAXI (daytime and off rush hour) | Paris | New York |
| 5km trip
(Gare Montparnasse → Arc de Triomphe) (Grand Central Terminal → Museum of the City of New York) |
8.05 € | 9.28€ (10.8$) |
| 8km trip
(Panthéon → Sacré Cœur) (Times Square → Brooklyn Heights) |
11.32 € | 13.3€ (15.48$) |
| 30km trip, from the airports**
(CDG → Paris) (JFK → Manhattan) |
E roughly 60€ | 90.40€ (105.21$) |
| AVERAGE FARE | 26.5 € | 37.6€ (43.7$) |
Taxi fares in New York are 29.5% more expensive than in Paris.
**Trips from the airports are fixed and are thus not calculated with the kilometer rate indicated in the first chart.
| UBER | Paris | New York |
| 5km trip | 12.56 € | 10.35€ (12.05$) |
| 8km trip | 21.19 € | 20.08€ (23.37$) |
| 30km trip from the airports | 59.26 € | 56.06€ (65.25$) |
| AVERAGE FARE | 31 € | 28.83€ (33.55$) |
Regarding Uber fares, Paris is 7% more expensive than New York.
In short
Basic fees are equivalent in Paris and New York (around 2.60€), while kilometer rates by day and by night are 29.5% more expensive in New York on average. However, Uber fares are 7% cheaper in New York than in Paris.
Supermarkets
While calculating the cost of living in a specific city, the price of products in supermarkets is essential data.
To give you the big idea, the following chart compares the prices of different products from two more or less equivalent brands: Auchan in Paris and Target in New York.
| Auchan (Paris) | Target (New York) | |
| 6 apples | 3.29 € | 9.78€ (11.38$) |
| 6 eggs | 1.45 € | 0.85€ (0.99$) |
| 500g of minced meat | 6.90 € | 5.68€ (6.61$) |
| 400g of frozen fish | 3.15 € | 9.50€ (11.06$) |
| 500g of rice | 1.05 € | 0.68€ (0.79$) |
| 500g of pasta | 0.89 € | 1.11€ (1.29$) |
| 500g of soft bread | 1.00 € | 1.02€ (1.19$) |
| 1kg of flour | 0.98 € | 1.97€ (2.29$) |
| 1,5 L of orange juice | 2.19 € | 3.18€ (3.70$) |
| 6×1 L of water | 2.75 € | 7.79€ (8.99$) |
| 1 bottle of red wine | 3.99 € | 4.30€ (5.00$) |
| 750ml of dish soap | 1.39 € | 3.27€ (3.81$) |
| Garnier shampoo | 3.79 € | 3.43€ (3.99$) |
| TOTAL | 32.82 € | 54.64€ (63.06$) |
Even though all the products are not necessarily more expensive in New York, those which actually are more expensive cost 40% more than the same products in Paris.
You can also read: Our comparison of prices in supermarkets in Paris
In short
The price of the same shopping cart of staple products in supermarkets is 40% higher in New York than it is in Paris.
Bars and restaurants
Restaurants
In Paris as in New York, restaurants can be found in every street corner. From fast-food restaurants to starred restaurants and including foreign food restaurants: there is something to suit all tastes.
The following chart indicates the average prices in different restaurants, calculated with the average price of the dishes of the menu (or the set menus if indicated so).
| Paris | New York | |
| McDonald’s (menu) | 8.6 € | 8.06€ (9.38$) |
| Subway (subs15) | 6 € | 3.69€ (4.3$) |
| Indian restaurant | 10 € | 15.5€ (18$) |
| Sushi restaurant (menu) | 12.50 € | 34€ (40$) |
| Pizzeria | 15 € | 16€ (18.6$) |
| French cuisine (aveerage quality) | 17 € | 26€ (30.2$) |
| Mexican restaurants | 12.4 € | 17€ (20$) |
| Star restaurants (menu) | 128 € | 136.5€ (158.8$) |
In short
New York restaurants are 18.7% more expensive than Parisian restaurants. Yet, fast-food brands are cheaper in the American city than in the French capital.
Moreover, it should be kept in mind that service is not included in the menu prices. It is expected for customers to add a 15 to 20% tip to the bill.
Bars
Going out with friends, partying, having a drink on a terrace to relax… bars are an essential place of city life.
But what of the prices in the two big megalopolises?
As it is the case everywhere, prices in bars, pubs and cafés vary depending on the city district in which you are.
The following chart indicates the average prices of different beverages to drink in bars, cafés and pubs.
| Paris | New York | |
| Beer (pint) | 6.70 € | 6.72€ (7.76$) |
| Espresso coffee | 2.64 € | 2.64€ (3,05$) |
| Coke | 4.50 € | 2.60€ (3$) |
| Mojito | 12 € | 10.40€ (12$) |
| Signature Cocktail | 14 € | 14.73€ (17$) |
| AVERAGE PRICE | 8 € | 7.4 € |
In short
On average, drinks in bars are 7.5% more expensive in Paris than in New York.
Hotels
In every big city, many hotels offer rooms for different prices and standards.
The following chart indicates the prices for one night in a full flat for two people on Airbnb, one bed in a youth hostel and a double room in 2-star, 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels.
This research is limited to within Paris and Manhattan, without distinction between different districts.
| Paris | New York | |
| Airbnb | 180€/night | 227€/night (261$) |
| Youth hostel | 40€/night/bed | 45€/night/bed (52$) |
| 2* hotel | 112€/night | 132€/night (152$) |
| 3* hotel | 171€/night | 255€/night (294$) |
| 4 hotel* | 231€/night | 308€/night (355$) |
| 5* hotel | 577€/night | 754€/night (870$) |
In short
On average, one night in a hotel or an Airbnb, all categories combined, is 33.4% more expensive in New York than it is in Paris.
In conclusion: is Paris or New York the most expensive city?
On average, the cost of life appears to be 20% higher in New York than in Paris.
In the cheapest districts, the Big Apple’s prices are about 11% higher than in Paris, while in the most expensive districts the gap between the two cities widens. Indeed, prices in New York are 37.5% higher than in the French capital.
Except for Uber fares and drinks in bars, which are more expensive in Paris, the cost of living in New York is higher in every aspect.
However, despite such a difference, life in Paris is still very expensive.
One should make sure to have a substantial budget before going to live in any of these two cities.
The data collected in this post is based on average numbers and is thus only roughly indicative. This information should be used cautiously.
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