Thinking about moving to France? This overview pulls together how it compares across the things that shape daily life: cost, language, safety, healthcare and the route to staying long term. In MoveMap’s model, France stands out for quality healthcare, a quicker path to citizenship and strong public transport, while it is worth weighing needing the local language for everyday life, lower safety scores and a less remote-ready setup.
France at a glance
Tap any metric to see what is behind the number.
Cost of living70/100
Cost of living here sits around to a little above the EU average. As rough monthly figures, a typical net salary is around €2200 and a one-bedroom rent runs about €1000 a month. Your real budget depends heavily on the city and your lifestyle.
English50/100
English works in tourist and business settings, but daily life, services and paperwork usually need the local language.
Safety72/100
This is a MoveMap score out of 100 (higher is safer), so 72/100 means safe: everyday crime is low and the main cities feel comfortable, including at night, with normal precautions.
Healthcare86/100
Scored 86/100 in MoveMap's model (higher is better). A strong universal system with good access and quality; most needs are covered publicly.
ClimateMild
A mild, temperate climate without big extremes. Typical daytime highs: winter around 8°C, spring 16°C, summer 26°C, autumn 16°C. Figures are approximate and vary by region.
Citizenship~5 yrs
On the ordinary residence route you can usually apply for permanent residence after about 5 years, and for citizenship after about 5 years of continuous legal residence. Marriage to a citizen or ancestry can be much faster. Most countries also require a language test (commonly around B1) and some restrict holding two passports, so confirm France's current rules and dual-citizenship stance.
Taxesto 45% (+CSG)
Personal income tax: Progressive to 45%, plus ~9.7% CSG/CRDS social surcharges (top combined ~55.4%). As a freelancer: Micro-entrepreneur: an all-in ~12.3-26.1% of turnover (social + optional flat tax) up to ~€77.7k services / €188.7k trade. Company owners: CIT 25% (temporary surcharge lifts the largest firms to ~36% for 2025-26), dividends 30% flat (PFU). Rates as of July 2026. Tax rules change every budget cycle and depend on your personal situation: verify with a licensed tax advisor before acting.
Where France stands out
Relative to the other 26 EU countries, France scores best for:
- Quality healthcare.
- A quicker path to citizenship.
- Strong public transport.
Worth weighing before you move
Every country has trade-offs. For France, keep an eye on:
- Needing the local language for everyday life.
- Lower safety scores.
- A less remote-ready setup.
Is France right for you?
These are general patterns. Whether France actually fits depends on your income, work, family, documents and what you want from a move, and the right city matters as much as the country. The quickest way to see where France lands for your situation is the MoveMap check.