What is average salary in France? How does it compare with US or UK?

If you are considering working in France, it could be useful to compare the average salary with that of the UK and the USA. 

What is the average salary in France?

Private sector employees receive an average of €3,466 gross per month, with a net income of €2,630 according to the latest data from national statistics agency INSEE, from 2022. 

This equates to a yearly net salary of €31,560 on average.

This total varies considerably, however, depending on your job category. Managers earn, on average, €4,490 net per month. Blue collar workers earn on average €1,940 net per month.

Read more: How much money do people in France need to live well?

It is important to bear in mind, however, that many people in France who work earn the minimum wage (known as SMIC). 

This reached a record high 17.3% of the workforce in January 2023 (compared to 14.5% the year before), according to salary analysts. 

The annual monthly net salary of a worker on SMIC is €1,292.20, as of January 2024. 

The sectors where people are most likely to receive SMIC is hospitality, where up to four in ten workers are on the SMIC. Their salary may be augmented tips which (up to a certain point) are not taxable.

Although the average annual net salary for all workers is €31,560, this number is skewered by a large number of people on salaries significantly lower or higher than this. 

What is the difference in salary between men and women in France?

Women earned on average 24% less than men in the private sector, according to data from INSEE. Women also work part-time almost four times more often than men, the state statistics agency found. 

However, even when men and women work identical hours, the salary gap remains. Women earn 15% less than men for the same number of hours worked. 

Read more: How much must you earn to be officially rich in France?

How does it compare to the UK? 

French average gross salaries are higher than those in the UK. France’s average of €3,466 gross per month, compares with the UK average of £2,688 (€3,149) per month, according to data from the Office of National Statistics as of April 2024. It found the average UK weekly salary was £672 gross. 

The UK average works out at £32,256 (€37,780) per year, compared to France’s €41,592.

The median pay for all UK employees was, on average, 14.3% less for women than for men as of April 2023 according to the Office of National Statistics. 

How does it compare to the US?

The average annual salary in the US, according to OECD data from 2022, is $77,463, equal to €72,884, significantly higher than both France (€41,592) and the UK (£32,256). 

When it comes to the gender pay gap, women earn an average of 82% of what men earn, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings from 2022. 

Disposable income 

How much of their salaries can French, British and Americans afford to spend as disposable income?

According to the OECD Better Life Index, the average disposable income per capita for OECD countries is $30,490 per year, which France, the UK and the US all exceed.

French people have a disposable income per capita of $34,375 per year. 

British people have a disposable income per capita of $33,049 per year. 

Americans have a disposable income per capita of $51,147 per year.