In today’s post we will analyze the pros and cons of being a digital nomad in France, one of the top destinations for travelers in the world.
France Overview
Visiting France is something that attracts almost everyone at least at one point in their life. The country offers beautiful landscapes, unique architecture, famous culinary among other things.
However, a digital nomad will encounter difficulties to fit in what France has to offer. A digital nomad usually needs a reliable internet connection, good entertainment and all this at affordable rates. France is a rather expensive country, especially for visitors.
It might not be simple to organize this arrangement in France, however it is not impossible.
France: Cost of Living for Digital Nomads
The biggest setback for a stay in France as a digital nomad is certainly the cost of living. Within organizing your finances, probably the accommodation will be the steepest cost.
France is an extremely bureaucratic country and renting a mid-term flat with a reasonable price or contract is nearly impossible. The best choice to overcome this is to avoid summer, and trying to organize a stay through a website like AirBNB or similar.
Another interesting option is to find someone who is leaving their flats for just a few months (students going for an intership for example). This way they will be probably willing to offer you their flat for the same price they have it (or even less), but without the bureaucracy.
However you will have to adapt to their departure and arrival schedule.
Make sure your accommodation has a kitchen, as eating out in France also involves a number of challenges.
The first challenge is the price. Eating out in France is mostly an activity to be enjoyed in a nice atmosphere with friends or family, therefore cheap food options are scarce.
The second challenge is that most business in France have extremely restricted opening hours. Most places are required by law to open just a few number of hours per day, which restricts even further your eating out options.
The cost of transport in France is also quite elevated, you can check more about this here.
Internet Connection in France
Regardless of where you will stay in France, odds are your accommodation will have pre-arranged internet. However, it is always important to double check it, as arranging it yourself will be quite difficult.
There are many 4G prepaid plans from companies like SFR, Bouyges an Orange. If you are used to cheaper digital nomad destinations in Eastern Europe or Asia, the prices are far from inviting.
Learning French
Being a digital nomad in France will make sense in a few case. The most explicit one is if you are learning French.
English has one of the lowest penetration in France among European countries. In smaller cities most people will have little to no English skills. This will make your French skills improve drastically at a fast pace, making your stay definitely worth it.