Retirees need at least €15,000 a year to live with dignity in France, finds report
This amount does not include the cost of accommodation or bills, and focuses only on commonly-used goods and services
The latest edition of the barometer considered the cost of the main goods and services used by older people
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Retired people in France need at least €15,000 to live with dignity, a study has found, with the costs of goods and services used by this demographic having increased by 20% in the past five years.
The fourth edition of the Combien ça coûte d’être vieux en France ? (How much does it cost to be old in France?) barometer by Silver Alliance, in partnership with Retraite.com, was published on Tuesday November 26.
The two organisations analysed variations in the prices of 19 products and services commonly used by this demographic including health insurance, home help, meal delivery, and transport costs. It looked at three age groups: seniors aged 65 to 75, those aged 75 to 85, and those aged 85 and over.
The goods and services analysed fit into five categories:
Looking after your health: Health insurance, hearing care, optical care, incontinence products, medicines, etc
Fitting out your home: Bathroom fittings, support bars, walkers, etc.
Living well at home: Home help, remote assistance, night care, etc.
Making the most of your time: Clubs and associations, telephony and communication solutions, etc.
Other services: Administrative assistance, transport, etc.
All of the goods and services were calculated by cost per year, except for optical equipment (three years), hearing aids and medical equipment (four years), bathroom fittings and moving (10 years), and communication equipment (three years).
The report also took certain tax credits and allowances (for example for home help and night care) into account when considering the costs.
It also considered the real incomes of three groups (low pension: €961 per month; average pension: €1,531; and a high pension of €3,180).
The €15,000 total amount concluded does not include regular charges, such as rent or mortgage payments, water or other utility bills.
Rising costs
Yet, the study found that the price of commonly-used goods and services had risen by 3.65% in the past year, and by 20% in the past five years. Inflation over the same period has averaged around 15% from 2019 to 2024), the barometer states.
The report concludes that as of the end of 2023, a pensioner (on average across all three age groups) would need €1,260 a month in spending income to live with “dignity” as a senior citizen. This equates to €15,124 a year.
In comparison to these figures, the Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l'autonomie (CNSA) has estimated that the average price per person per month in long-term care (e.g. an elderly care home such as an EHPAD) in 2023 to be some €2,310.
This figure has itself risen by more than 15% in five years, from €2,004 in 2019.
The oldest need more
The amount needed increases with each age group.
65-75 year olds: €704 per month (up from €695 in 2023)
75-85 year olds: €912 per month (up from €885 in 2023)
Over-85s: €2,165 per month (up from €2,070 in 2023)
For 65-75-year-olds, transport is their biggest expense, while for the 75-85 age group, it is health. For the oldest category, the biggest expense is “dependency and access to support care”, such as home help, and night care.
The study found that the main services that have increased the most in price are:
The services that decreased in price or remained stable compared to 2023 were:
“We have entered a longevity society, the result of demographic ageing and medical progress, characterised by a significant increase in the number of people aged over 60, a steady rise in our life expectancy and a fall in the fertility rate. Of particular importance is the significant increase in the number of people aged 75,” said Benjamin Zimmer, associate managing director of the Silver Alliance, in the report release.
“Between 2020 and 2030, their numbers will rise by 49%, from 4.1 million to 6.1 million, at a time when our care system is already under strain. In an uncertain environment, where the budget for ageing well at home is sometimes unclear, our study gives a clearer idea of the costs to be anticipated for old age.”
One in three French people will be over 60 by 2030, and over 92% of them want to age at home, says Silver Alliance.
