Is Living in France Still Affordable in 2026? French Debate Practice
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What you will practiceChoose a chapterThe discussionSelected transcriptVocabularyListening checkYour own opinionIs living in France still affordable? In this French Debate Club episode, the speakers compare costs and share their own experiences of life in France. Practice following opinions, reasons, and qualifications in a real conversation.
What you will practice
- Identify each speaker’s main point.
- Listen for words about prices and daily life.
- Notice phrases used to agree, disagree, or qualify an opinion.
Choose a chapter
This discussion runs for 29 minutes and 52 seconds. Start with one topic if you prefer a shorter listening session.
- 00:00 — Introduction
- 01:07 — Rent and housing
- 07:05 — French Study Guide
- 07:21 — Daily expenses
- 11:11 — Fuel prices
- 13:42 — French healthcare system
- 16:00 — Salaries versus expenses
- 19:19 — Hobbies and holidays
- 21:54 — Short debate
- 29:30 — Conclusion
What the speakers discuss
The speakers compare housing in large cities with smaller towns, describe their own experiences of renting, and discuss groceries, transport, healthcare, wages, and holidays. In the final debate, they weigh the attractions of France against the costs of everyday life.
The conversation presents personal experiences and opinions. The prices mentioned are examples from the discussion, and the speakers themselves explain that they are not experts on this subject.
Selected transcript with English translations
These selected passages let you focus on one short part of the conversation. Fillers and repetitions have been trimmed, punctuation and minor grammatical adjustments have been added for reading, and […] marks an omission. The translations follow the meaning in context. These are the speakers’ own experiences and views.
1. Choosing where to live
French: Tout dépend de ce que vous recherchez.
English: It all depends on what you are looking for.
2. Renting paperwork
French: Souvent, les propriétaires demandent énormément de papiers. D’ailleurs, même les agences immobilières vont vous demander beaucoup de papiers pour compléter votre dossier de locataire. Ça peut être vraiment lourd.
English: Landlords often ask for a lot of paperwork. In fact, even estate agents will ask you for many documents to complete your rental application. It can be a real burden.
3. Shopping locally
French: Après, tout dépend de comment on consomme puisque, pour prendre notre exemple, on habite dans une petite ville. Et donc, quand on va au marché, on a encore des produits frais qui sont abordables, notamment les fruits et légumes, la charcuterie, le fromage. Ça reste quand même un peu moins cher qu’en supermarché.
English: It also depends on how you shop. To take our own example, we live in a small town. When we go to the market, we can still find affordable fresh products, especially fruit and vegetables, cold cuts, and cheese. They are still a little cheaper than at the supermarket.
4. Reduced prices
French: Mais il y a souvent des prix aussi selon l’âge et selon la profession. […] Oui, on peut avoir des tarifs réduits, c’est vrai.
English: But there are often prices that depend on your age or occupation, too. […] Yes, you can get reduced rates, that’s true.
5. Traveling outside peak periods
French: On essaie de partir sur des périodes hors saison, où forcément les prix sont moins chers partout. Donc, hors saison, c’est hors période de vacances scolaires.
English: We try to travel during off-season periods, when prices are naturally lower everywhere. Here, by off-season, we mean outside the school holidays.
6. Making a personal choice
French: Je pense que c’est beaucoup une question de choix, de choix de vie, de ce qu’on veut faire aussi. Est-ce qu’on a envie d’habiter à la campagne avec les vaches, les moutons, ou est-ce qu’on a envie d’habiter dans une capitale où ça bouge, où c’est l’effervescence tout le temps ?
English: I think it is largely a question of choices, of lifestyle, and of what you want to do. Do you want to live in the countryside with the cows and sheep, or in a capital where things are happening and there is a constant buzz?
Useful vocabulary
- abordableaffordable
- un logementhousing; a place to live
- le loyerrent
- les chargesadditional housing costs, such as building charges or utilities, depending on the context
- se porter garantto act as a guarantor
- les coursesgrocery shopping; groceries
- la superficiefloor area; surface area
- une mutuellesupplementary health insurance
- le salaire brutgross pay
- le salaire netnet pay
- le pouvoir d’achatpurchasing power
- hors saisonoff-season
Check your understanding
Listen once before opening the answers. You do not need to catch every price to follow the speakers’ main points.
- In the housing section, what trade-off do they mention about living farther from large cities?
- What paperwork issue do they describe when renting?
- When do they try to travel to spend less on accommodation?
- Does the last discussion give the same answer for every city and every household?
Show suggested answers
- Housing can cost less, but access to healthcare, leisure activities, and transport can be more difficult.
- Landlords and estate agents ask for many documents, and there can be competition for apartments.
- They try to travel off-season, outside school holidays.
- No. They discuss differences in location, income, work, and personal choices.
Try this after watching
Give your own opinion in French in three sentences, with one reason and one qualification. These are practice examples:
- À mon avis, vivre en France peut encore être abordable.In my opinion, living in France can still be affordable.
- Cependant, tout dépend de la ville et du revenu.However, it all depends on the city and your income.
- Je choisirais une petite ville parce que je préfère un rythme de vie plus calme.I would choose a small town because I prefer a quieter pace of life.
Watch the original video on YouTube, or get the free Intermediate Fluency Guide for a structured next step.
