France price guide
Short answer: expensive, even at local prices. Fair prices sit 93% above the 60-country median, and tourist prices are about 2.4× the fair price.
29 prices checked May – Aug 2026 11 verified and 18 estimates How I check
All 29 prices are also in the free app for iPhone and Android, and they work offline. Get it
About $50 or $125 a day.
The first number is what locals pay, the second what tourist spots charge for exactly the same day.
Same day, same things: the tourist version costs 2.5× as much.
Restaurant meal alone: €57.50, or 52% of the tourist-trap day.
+€67 (about $75) for the same day
| Item | Fair (€) | Trap (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Street food meal | 7 | 16.50 |
| Restaurant meal | 21.50 | 57.50 |
| Coffee (espresso) | 2.25 | 5.50 |
| Water 1.5 L | 0.85 | 3.50 |
| Local beer | 6 | 12 |
| Public transit ticket 2 rides | 4.60 | 11 |
| Short taxi ride about 1 km | 1.65 | 4.75 |
| Total | 44 | 111 |
Tourist-trap price compared with the fair price, using the middle of each range.
Pick what you are buying, type the price, and see where it lands.
about $5.60
Tourist-trap price
€5 is 3.0× the middle of the fair range (€1.30 – €2.00).
Tourists often get charged €3.50 – €6.00. From €3.50 you are paying the tourist-trap price.
In the app, every expense you log on a trip gets the same check, offline.
What 29 everyday things should cost, and what tourists often pay instead. Typical for Paris, Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg.
Bars run from zero to each item's top tourist-trap price.
Restaurant meal: fair is €15 – €28. From €40 you are on the tourist menu.
Bottled, convenience store
Verified ·Cafe or street vendor
Verified ·Draft, at bar or restaurant
Estimate, reviewedTourist area, main course
Verified ·Local market or stand
Verified ·Mixed drink, bar
Estimate, reviewedHouse wine, restaurant
Estimate, reviewedCafe or street stall
Estimate, reviewedAirport taxi to the center: fair is €56 – €65. At €90 or more, walk away.
Standard route
Verified ·Metered or typical fare
Verified ·Single ride
Verified ·Grab / Bolt / Uber
Verified ·Fridge magnet: fair is €1.50 – €3.00. From €5 you are paying the souvenir-stall markup.
Tourist shop
Estimate, reviewedTourist shop
Estimate, reviewedCeramics, textiles, etc.
Estimate, reviewedTourist SIM: fair is €10 – €20. From €30 it is the tourist-kiosk price.
Data package
Estimate, reviewedPharmacy or shop
Estimate, reviewedSupermarket
Verified ·Pack of 20
Verified ·Pack of 20 tablets
Estimate, reviewedSpray or lotion
Estimate, reviewedOne-hour massage: fair is €50 – €80. From €100 you are paying for the address.
Local barbershop
Estimate, reviewedLaundry service
Estimate, reviewedStandard full-body massage
Estimate, reviewedBasic cut, salon
Estimate, reviewedTop museum or attraction: fair is €14 – €32. From €35, check that you are not buying through a reseller.
Entrance ticket
Verified ·Organized excursion
Estimate, reviewedOrganized excursion 6-8h
Estimate, reviewedLocal cuisine cooking class
Estimate, reviewedConverted at 1 USD = 0.8888 EUR, the rate on October 3, 2026. Approximate.
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Quick converter, EUR to USD
When a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choose EUR. The rate it offers is almost always worse.
In France service is included in restaurant and café prices by law (service compris), so tipping is never obligatory. Locals simply leave small change or round up, for example a euro or two for a good meal. There is no expectation of a percentage tip as in some countries.
Prices are fixed in French shops, restaurants and markets, and bargaining is not part of the culture. The exception is flea markets (marchés aux puces) and brocantes selling antiques or second-hand goods, where polite negotiation is accepted. Elsewhere, asking for a discount is awkward and rarely works.
What tourists actually run into, from overcharging tricks to local laws. Open any item for the details.
On the steps below Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre and around the Eiffel Tower, groups tie a string bracelet on your wrist or ask you to sign a petition, then demand money or distract you while an accomplice picks your pocket. Keep your hands to yourself, say a firm no, and walk on without stopping.
Crowded metro line 1 (which links many sights) and RER B (the airport line) are pickpocket hotspots, especially at door-closing moments and busy stations like Châtelet. Carry bags in front of you, keep phones and wallets out of back pockets, and be wary of staged jostling or sudden crowds.
Inside the CDG terminals, men may approach offering a taxi or private car, then charge two or three times the fair rate. Official Paris taxis use the marked ranks outside and charge a fixed fare of 56€ to the Right Bank or 65€ to the Left Bank. Ignore anyone soliciting you indoors.
Near major sights, some restaurants push pricey set tourist menus, add charges for bread or a cover, or serve costly bottled water when free tap water is your right. By French law menu prices must be displayed outside, service is included in the price, and you may request free tap water (une carafe d'eau). Check the posted prices before sitting down.
112 is the free EU-wide emergency number, reachable from any phone even without a SIM as long as a network is in range. In France, dial 15 for medical emergencies (SAMU), 17 for police, and 18 for the fire brigade (who also handle many medical calls).
A polite bonjour (or bonsoir in the evening) when entering a shop, bakery or café is essential etiquette in France, as is merci and au revoir on leaving. Skipping the greeting reads as rude and often gets a cooler welcome. A simple bonjour, even before asking in English, opens doors.
Souvenir stalls along the Champs-Élysées and around Montmartre charge several times more for the same magnets and mini Eiffel Towers sold cheaply elsewhere. For everyday items and edible gifts, supermarkets like Monoprix or Carrefour offer fair fixed prices. For something local, look for makers' markets or museum shops.
France has no motorway vignette. Instead most autoroutes charge distance-based tolls (péages); you take a ticket on entry and pay by card or cash on exit. Costs add up over long trips, so budget for them and for fuel, which is cheapest at supermarket stations rather than on the motorway.
The prices on this page are typical for these cities and the tourist areas around them.
The TruePrice Index for France, next to the countries people weigh it against and its nearest neighbors, all on one scale. 100 is the median of the 60 countries I track.
Spain 148 Prices about 23% lower than in France 
Czech Republic 157 Prices about 19% lower than in France 
Germany 179 Prices about 7% lower than in France 
Italy 183 Prices about 5% lower than in France France 193 This page 
United Kingdom 222 Prices about 15% higher than in France 
Switzerland 315 Prices about 63% higher than in France Short answer: expensive, even at local prices. Fair prices sit 93% above the 60-country median, and tourist prices are about 2.4× the fair price. On the TruePrice Index, France scores 193, the 4th most expensive of the 60 countries I track.
Roughly €44 (about $50) a day at fair prices, or €111 (about $125) at tourist prices. That covers two meals, a coffee, a bottle of water, a beer, two transit rides and a short taxi ride. Sightseeing comes on top (€14 – €32 for a top museum or attraction), and accommodation is not included.
In France service is included in restaurant and café prices by law (service compris), so tipping is never obligatory. Locals simply leave small change or round up, for example a euro or two for a good meal. There is no expectation of a percentage tip as in some countries.
The euro (EUR). On October 3, 2026, 1 USD was worth 0.8888 EUR. Card terminals and ATMs that offer to charge you in your home currency usually give a worse rate, so pay in EUR.
A restaurant main course is €15 – €28 (about $17 – $32) at fair prices, while tourist menus charge €40 – €75. A street food meal runs €5 – €9. A local beer is €4 – €8 (about $4.50 – $9), or €9 – €15 in tourist bars.
Budget roughly €44 (about $50) a day for food, drinks and getting around at local prices, or about €111 (about $125) at tourist prices. Add €14 – €32 for each major sight, plus your accommodation.
Call 112, the general emergency number. Direct lines: police 17, ambulance 15, fire brigade 18.
Where these numbers come from, and how sure I am about each one.
How to cite
TruePrice Index, October 2026, truepriceapp.com/en/trueprice-index/
Spotted a price that looks off? Email me at contact@truepriceapp.com and I will check it.
Check the fair price at the market stall or in the taxi, before you pay. Free on iPhone and Android.
