How much money will I need in Paris?

by Angelique Zammit
(Australia)

What does a Euro look like?

Hi, I’m a student going to Paris for 19 days with a school group. I am just wondering how much spending money I should take with me/ how many euros I would need each day. All the accommodation, food and drinks, entrances to attractions are paid for. All I need is spending money for souvenirs, gifts and all the other bits of pieces I might purchase. What would be your recommended amount I might need?

Thanks :)

Response to: How much money will I need in Paris?

Angelique, hi there,

First of all, how exciting! I just know you'll have the best time!

I was in Paris in June, and I'm going to give you some costs which were pretty average:

Small bottle of water - 1.5 Euro

Chicken sandwich Baguette Poulet - 4.5 Euro

Croque Monsieur toasted ham & cheese - 7.0 Euro

Starbucks latte - 3.5 Euro

Pot of tea in cafe - 4.8 Euro

Muffin - 2.0 Euro

2 Croissants - 2.1 Euro

Internet cafe - 3.0 Euro/hr

Sml Yoghurt - 0.9 Euro

5 Day train pass - 27,20 Euro

Plan de Paris - small street directory which fits in your pocket, hard cover - 11.5 Euro


Please note that if you eat in the touristy areas, and sit in a cafe, expect to pay a bit more.

If you wander down some colourful sidestreets away from the tourists, you'll notice the prices will be less.

Souvenirs

For souvenirs, these are all pretty reasonably priced, and there are tons of gift shops wherever you walk.

I bought an Eiffel Tower photo stand about 15cm/6 inches high, with a clip for a photo on top, for 5.0 Euro.

Postcards can be 0.5 Euro or more, depending on what you buy. It's always best to buy 5 or 10 to get a cheaper price. Take sticky labels with everyone's addresses on them, to make it so easy when you want to write on one :-)

You'll also find famous French paintings on scarves, postcards, posters, all at reasonable prices.

If you make a list of the people you really want to buy for, pop that in your wallet so it'll be easier while shopping. Also think about how much you'd like to spend in Aussie dollars, then work out the exchange rate.

What's the exchange rate?

Knowing the exchange rate in advance is always the best idea :-)

Click here to check conversion rate for your country

I hope this has been of some help, and do pop back and post a photo and tell me about your trip - I'd love to hear your thoughts on Paris!

PS - you might want to read this before you go - my impression on whether the French are rude or just misunderstood, and tips on how to understand the French - on their turf.

I've also written about things to do for free in Paris in January, if you're going this month.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, do visit the Site Map or use the Site Search, and if you don't find what you're looking for, do let me know :-)

Bon voyage!
Teena
the Aussie who has lived in Paris and loves it