Our Home in Provence Cost $200,000: Affordable Living in France 

Lady, your speech extremely monotonic. I almost fell asleep. Come on. Take public speech courses if you speak for that long Infront of people. Can't take it have to quit

Depends on the lifestyle and weather you want. I would recommend Normandy or Centre Val de Loire, very cheap, many big empty houses and very close to Paris (think when you want to travel abroad). If only the big city vibe, Paris, Lille, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Marseille. The people in Lyon and Bordeaux aren't that open to outsiders. If the weather is your main criteria the South of France. The South West is better than the South East but there is something got everyone all around France.

Yes. Daily practice makes the difference. Keep at it. It's makes all the difference.

"The key to connecting with the French is through their language". No way?! Spoiler alert : It's the same with the rest of the world. It's not a French thing. Wherever you go, learn at least the five key words of politeness : Excuse-me, good morning, please, thank you, good bye. It's called respect. Every murrican or Brit finding French rude are every time those who come to us without making a slightest effort, with this arrogance of a settler in a conquered land. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. For Christ!

@@Kitiwake That's right. I'm fluent in French and have been teaching French adults recently and I love it.

Any country for that matter

Do you mean learning Arabic?

@@iandeynzer2883 depends where you come from...this area is full of retirees and is very conservative, the far right did over 50% in the latest election down there.

C'mon ... clearly you should know food costs in France are generally significantly cheaper than the US. And the quality is far better. Hell, Paris groceries are 30% less than I pay in Mexico !!! (San Miguel de Allende). Groceries are 35% less than LA or Denver. Easily one can get a plat du jour for 15 euro. and that includes tax and tip !!! .. or get a delicious salmon sandwich for 8 euros at a boulangerie...and I can go and on. Go out to a 3 course meal in LA and let me know the total. ;)

@@musiccreation1198 Groceries are less than you pay in Mexico? Wow. That is very surprising.

@@sxgaston San Miguel de Allende is not a good representation of all of Mexico...quite the outlier, but still... costs of living are going up a LOT in the Mexican cities / towns most expats would consider . I'm heading to France (Paris to start) in 18 months. ;). Rent will be 30-40% more...and groceries 30% less. Rent in Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lyon would be the same as San Miguel.

@georgesboutz8080: you have given a very honest take on issues that people don’t know. They just hear people living here sugar coating issues. There are a lot of medical desserts here in France in rural areas where a lot of people move to because you get huge houses & land but there are not many facilities. Also you spend a lot of money renovating & getting the house made liveable. Tradesmen are also scarce as hens teeth. Also there are people preying on expats & you need to be very careful. They think we have an endless supply of money & not fluent with the language need help & they charge exorbitant amounts of money & in some instances don’t deliver what they promise like helping to get the carte Vitale & driver’s licenses. We were taken for a ride by a charlatan & now are suspicious of people. So beware especially you older folks.Some areas do not have any facilities not even a a basic grocery store & people have to own a car just to purchase bread. Doctors too are hard to find as most of them don’t accept new patients. And in some villages you need to book using the internet & for someone who is not used to the internet then it gets tricky So do your research & don’t get carried away by these people putting out these videos sugar coating issues. Don’t get me wrong France is beautiful but like every other country it has its pros and cons.

Dear God! The poor woman only said she paid 36€ for two for lunch. That’s a bargain! The quality for the cost is something we can’t get in Vancouver. It’s our rents, for one. But the food quality that is available in France, Italy or Spain? Completely unattainable here. We try but…

That’s so kind of you, thank you Brian!

Start now. Give it 2 years.

Just learn Arabic. It will be easier for you in France.

Monsieur Pettit...have you MET the french?🤣

@@synewparadigm And you, learn to shut up. The only language you should talk.

@@synewparadigm or Congolese

Merci beaucoup!

Hat!

Hat!

I grew up in the outskirts of La Seyne sur Mer which is few km from Toulon. There are great beaches, Les Sablettes, Mar Vivo…. That region is very pretty.

@@TimJohnston911Tip of the 🎩. Chapeau ! … for short.

Bonjour, So nice to hear from you! I remember our chat in Denver very well. Enjoy your time in Ireland and hopefully you’ll get a chance to visit France, the Dordogne is wonderful. Best wishes, Tuula

Thank you. I spoke Spanish already, and moved to Italy for 3 years prior with near fluent Italian. It was tough to think about adding a third language, but I did it.

Thank you! I lived in Thousand Oaks for a while, loved it.

@@tuularampont9341 How interesting and a small world!! We have been living in Thousand Oaks for over 20 years. We are retired and visit Europe every year (especially France and Spain). I have followed your story and videos for a while. If you guys ever visit Thousand Oaks let us know. We would be happy to meet up with you and show you around the area. Have a great day.

That’s very kind, thank you. It’s a very lovely corner of Southern California!

Thank you Dean & Cindy! Yes, you could definitely volunteer as an English teacher, sounds like a great plan. Hope to see you here!

@@tuularampont9341 Excellent, Tuula. We appreciate the response. We are looking forward to the move. Merci! Dean & Cindy

Many thanks, a big “bonjour” from Provence!

How is living in Mexico?where in Mexico?my husband is Mexican and he says it is dangerous...we live in Switzerland 🇨🇭 thanks

@@GS-cf7pw Well we have been here 3 years and have not had one issue, it can be dangerous everywhere in the world. I feel safer here than in any big city in the USA. We wish you all the best friend. ✌🏽

@@2GringosOnTheGulf thanks that sounds great 👌. May I ask which region?

@@GS-cf7pw We are traveling around Mexico. We are in Xalapa Veracruz but soon we will move to the Oaxaca coast. ❤️ We are documenting our travels here. ✌🏼👋🏼👋🏼

I miss my walks on the Ventura pier, thank you for your comment and good luck!

I don’t know we’re you are eating but I was spending easily $60 salads and entree in California that would have been $35 in Ontario.

Yes! I spoke Spanish pretty well from my college days, and I lived in Italy for 3 years and was near fluent in Italian. Having those as a base was helpful, but true immersion in the language is amazing. Your language skills improve really fast.

You need at least one month rent deposit, plus a proof of revenues that you are able to pay the rent. Otherwise landlords might be scared you won’t pay because in the wintertime the law is on the renters side. If they don’t pay in the cold months they can’t be expelled.

she didnt want to learn French while living in France...I was...WAIT, what?

Yes, though best to remember for future reference that not everyone in the US is the same, just like not everyone in any country is the same. As an American, I would always anticipate needing (& desiring) to learn the language of any country I might consider moving to….if not, I wouldn’t be moving there.

I was wondering about that

Maybe an earlier place remember she mentioned they moved to a house to get a garden?

It depends on where the house/apartment is. In Toulon, with 200K, you can buy 1-bed room apartment only. If you stay in the outskirt of the city, or in village, then a small house can cost like that. If she has a good house with a garden, 400K is a normal price in that region.

@@HoaHongNguyen-xg2pm You can get a big house in some parts of the USA for less than 400k, so location is everything. I do realize that a very adventurist person may not want to live in remote rural areas where house prices tend to be cheaper. I am kind of surprised that she left the southern california area which has very good weather and a long coastline of beach towns. But if you are into traveling around Europe, I guess the south of France could be the ideal spot to live. Traveling from country to country seems to be quite affordable with their high speed train system.

@SandyAdam: some of these shows are just made to suck you in to watch the whole show & then you pick up on the mistakes & untruths. She waffled on a bit & repeated herself. She confused herself. Probably doing these videos to supplement her income because she did tell us a few times how she does not make much money.

I spoke Spanish and learned Italian before I moved to Italy for 3 years prior to France. Adding a 3rd language was a lot to take on initially.

Agree with you 100 percent.

I agree. Americans, in general, are an embarrassment.

Agree, the same about taxes. They are so afraid of paying into the tex system, but they want the cost free or a low-cost healthcare. The arrogance of these people. Stay in US if you don't want to contribute to the society.

Youre right, we pay à lot of taxes but in case of chronic diseases like cancer, it s all provided by the health care system meaning if you manage to save 200 000 euros through your whole life , you ll die w. 200 000 e in your bank account. No bankruptcy guaranteed😊

I think older retirees from USA should think twice before retiring to any non-English speaking country. It will be harder for them to become fluent in the native language than a younger person. How will they effectively communicate to a non-english speaking doctor or dentist? How could they really know if they are violating rules if they can't read the language let alone communicate effectively in writing?

How arogant! You guys come to Europe, expect no cost healthcare, but you don't want to contribute to the system by paying taxes. I truly hope it will be impossible.

You could do this for half the price in the north of France

@@g-man4744 yeah but living up North isn't much my thing...the weather there is too much a turn off for me.

Yes, sometimes… but true pretty much for all of the south.

On the website Numbeo you can do rent price comparisons of French / US cities.

She talked about life in villages, not in big cities. The price of foods in Cannes or Nice is almost double of those in smaller cities like Tours or New Orleans. No one would say that life is cheap in France. If you bring a lot of money to come to live there, yes, nice. But it is not the case for French themselves!

The south of France is more expensive than other parts because everyone retires there, actually retirees are way over-represented in this part of France, it's like the Florida of France.

True but why not spend time where the cost of living is lower, health care is cheaper and better and has a rich history and culture while paying the US taxes? If you work in France there is the Foreign Tax credit or foreign tax exclusion so you get credit for taxes paid and aren't double taxed. The tax treaty between US and France is one of the best in the world. As a US retiree living in rural midwest tax burden in France is less than in the US.

It depends on your income level. I'm on US Social Security, pay zero Federal Income Tax, and France does not tax your US Social Security benefit. The contribution you do make is a 6.5% Social tax on your SS benefit, and any other US income.

@@brianwhite1189 Yes and most of that is recovered if you currently pay state income tax and the property tax difference (depending on where you live and how much property taxes are) we have a half acre and 1500sq/ft home and the difference is break even. The health care, food and other cheaper costs in France make it a net positive by more than a small margin. Each person has to do their own calculations to see if it works well for them.

​@@zeitgeist888So many great points. I'm retired, near Seattle, rent and no state income tax. The rent here is super high now and I will be leaving the area.

There's a tax agreement so you don''t get double dipped. If you are retired, get an address in a state that does not tax your retirement or SS income.

Yes, they do.

Il ni a pas de cable comme aux etats unis ... En france, en général, il y a une fibre optique qui arrive jusque chez vous et qui alimente un boîtier fourni par l'operateur télecom de votre choix et ce boitier qui est également wifi et aussi rj45 vous permet d'avoir internet partout dans la maison, des bouquets de télévisions nationales, locales, et de tas de pays dans le monde, le Téléphone local et international .... En illimité ... Et pour 25 à 40 euros par mois ... Et il y a des tarifs réduits si vous prenez vos abonnements de téléphones portables chez le même opérateur ... Avec même chose pour les portables, internet et appel illimité, appel internationaux illimité ... Etc ... Etc ...

I thought I heard her say it was $1300 or $1400 per person. There’s no retirement visa, just a long term stay visa, which you can renew. Tax treaty prevents double taxation. You prob pay a bit into the medical insurance system, plus the top up insurance. Also, she didn’t go into this, but I believe you need to address any inheritance issues if you have children. I.e. putting any real estate into their name to prevent French inheritance tax law from taxing a portion of it.

Hallucinating!!! Have people gone mad who comment on this post? I am French but I cannot even afford a house of €50.000 as a retired person!

@@naomideguyane I was being sarcastic. She said she "didn't make much money" and my thoughts are but you can afford a 400,000 home? I didn't mean me, retired as well but even when I was working I couldn't make those numbers work. 😉

@@agl5132 Hi from the South of France ( in the Pyrénées Orientales)... Yes, I understood well, that you were being sarcastic 😘I meant other people who make remarks under this video as if it is "cheap", a bargain, the way she lives in France! Even people with a reasonable salary (like teachers, nurses) can't afford her lifestyle as retired people in the South of France! Take care & have a nice day...🏵🌿🕊 P.S All the foreigners coming to live in France drive up the prices of Real Estate too for the locals! It's the same in Italy, Spain & Portugal...

Moving to the countryside in France without a car is a bit unrealistic. There are some villages with absolutely every kind of shop but in some smaller (and cheaper) villages there is not even a bakery. Also if you don't speak French you might be quite isolated because French ppl your age won't speak English. Honestly, the whole "let's just move to France to retire" needs work and planning. I would suggest go on a holiday first, live there for a while, study what sort of landscape, climate, etc you like (France is extremely varied!) Otherwise you risk getting very disappointed.

It’s called Ollioules.

@@tuularampont9341 thank you 🙏🏻

C’est exact que depuis quelques années les crimes à l’arme blanche ce sont multipliés expotentiellement. Dans de nombreuses villes telles que Frejus des quartiers entiers sont fermés aux autochtones, nurses, pompiers refusent de s’y rendre et cela se répète même dans les villes quelque soit sa taille. La raison est la même qu’aux US, la permissivité à outrance de la part du système judiciaire .

I immigrated to the US 30 + years ago and it's still a daily struggle to connect with anybody or be accepted at all, so France sounds amazing! And I wish somebody could explain where all that crazy anti French brainwashing every American has, comes from????? It's offensive to me!

It’s true English people think that everybody should speak english

If I'm not mistaken, she said she didn't speak French only at the beginning. I'd imagine that is not the case now.

Stop telling people what to do with their time. Where I live currently in the US, it's heavily bilingual. So long as someone isn't rude about the language they can or cannot speak, people get by. If the host lives better in France despite not fluently speaking French, then great. May she continue to flourish.

@GruenerGummistiefel Like Britain, France is a muslim country

Obviously French is spoken in France. However, as a historical ally of the US, and its proximity to the UK, it's extremely English friendly. One can navigate through France being a minimal Francophone.

I wrote a similar comment, but not as polite as yours.

@@nowthatmakesperfectsense I did so too! I couldn't even afford a €50.000 home!

she is kind of out of touch

@@dsansil Totally!

Increasing the housing costs for locals is something I think about a lot. I don't understand why foreigners immigrating to France think they should buy two and three homes to rent out as AirBnBs or expensive gites. One home is all you should need. I am planning to retire to France, but I would not even be comfortable thinking I could live life on 2k euros per month. I have saved a lifetime for this journey. I think a healthy budget would be 3500-4000 euros per month.

@@SandyAdam why not 2K ?

So move to Thailand and do the same thing, it seems the way the world is going...take money and move to cheaper place. Why not work to get local gov to not allow rent gouging or at elast not for locals right? Ban AirBnB's etc... and limit how much foreigners can rent so not mulitple apts. She spends money on food, and services so it's not an easy "hurting locals"

@@SandyAdamhow do you know?

I have a friend who lives there with her family, 4 people, on a budget of $2000 a month.