Letters: We can live comfortably in France on €15,000 - in a city with no car

To the Editor,

Regarding your recent piece that retirees need at least €15,000 a year to live comfortably in France (excluding the cost of accommodation or bills).

Of course, cost of living estimates depend on individual circumstances, and depend especially on whether one lives in a place where running a car is essential. 

In big cities, such as Toulouse where I live, a car is really not a necessity. You can always rent one if needs be. 

However, I take issue with excluding mortgage/rent payments plus utilities. Unlike a car, these are essential: my rent-plus-charges is the single biggest item on my annual budget. 

To clarify for those contemplating retirement in France: my rent and charges in the heart of France's fourth largest city amount to less than €12,000/year for a very pretty, spacious, one-bedroom apartment, furnished, plus all amenities including dishwasher, laundry, etc. in a charming city centre neighbourhood where you can walk almost anywhere you want to go. 

If, on top of that you have €15,000/year, that's enough for at least one person to have a very sweet urban lifestyle, plus do some travelling around Europe. 

From my point of view, this would not cover maintaining a car.

I hope this is helpful.

Name withheld

Read more: How to plan for a comfortable retirement in France

To the Editor,

I was interested to follow your reader who regards spending €50,000 a year as a "modest" lifestyle.

I have lived on a sailing yacht since 1997, and came to France in 2018 to tour the canals. On my way back to the UK in 2019 I met a French lady who later became my wife, and she moved aboard with me.

Prior to receiving my state and local government pensions, I had an income of just £250 a month. I lived carefully, but was never cold or hungry.

Then, when my pensions arrived in 2020 my income shot up to around €22,000.

We live well on this, eating good food (with treats on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings) and always a glass of decent wine with our evening meal.

My wife has not needed to go out to work, and my income is sufficient for both of us. We manage to travel abroad to Spain and the UK, bringing back copious supplies of local produce, as well as regularly visiting family in Belfort and Cahors.

John H., Finistère

Read more: People in France living longer in good health - and for longer than in UK and US 

To the Editor,

I agree fully with the reader who insisted that a sum more like €50,000 a year is needed for a modest but comfortable retirement in France. 

I own an older property, and maintenance is constant and unpredictable, always requiring a fund that needs to be taken into account as part of the average yearly spend. 

When things do need to be done, they are nearly always expensive.

I did my financials recently, with the idea of moving full-time to France, and was amazed at how little of my expenditure was actually spent on myself (food, drink, and entertainment) – it was all the many taxes and insurances, utility costs, transport costs (high in the countryside), and house maintenance.

Clive Martyr, by email

How much money do you need to live in France? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com