Long before we knew that we’d be retiring in another country, we looked across much of the US for the ideal place to settle. One option that we considered was a university town where we anticipated the excitement of a diverse environment, i.e., lots of different people with a range of ideas all open to discussion. Our visits to cities like this had shown us endless dining opportunities, a multitude of community events, concerts, films, plays, and art shows, plus—vital for us—being pedestrian friendly since we wanted to live without a car. That was a good idea as was our consideration of a beach house, living by (or floating on) a lake, or even going on-the-road full time in an RV as Bill’s parents had done for years. Then the possibility of retiring in Europe took the lead and here we happily are in a house that’s not on the water in a city that doesn’t have a university. Those thoughts persist, however, so when our local newspaper published an article called “What are the cheapest university towns in France?” I wanted to take a look.
For the last 18 years the student organization L’Union Nationale des Etudiant∙e∙s de France has published their listing of the cost of living in dozens of university towns across this country. For the current ranking it was no shock that Paris was at the top as the most expensive along with seven other cities that you might think of as suburbs of the capital leaving position number 9 to Lyon and number 12 to Bordeaux. Surprising to me was that Marseille, the second largest city in France was at number 14. More in keeping with the title of the article, the five cheapest cities were Pau, Poitiers, Limoges, Saint-Etienne, and lastly Le Mans where a student’s monthly expenses would be 850€ vs.1333€ in Paris. Here’s the full chart:
This seemed to be a fair comparison since the tuition at public universities is set by the government, no matter where you attend school, at 170€ per year for a Bachelor’s degree. With housing then being the major cost difference between locations and therefore the likely determinant of each city’s position in the ranking, I wondered what that meant in terms of euros per month. For purposes of the study, a studio apartment was used as the base and in Paris the average monthly rent was 862€, in Nice 629€, while in Le Mans only 361€.
We’re not looking to move but it was still interesting to see this comparison of the cost of living in different university towns. By the way, to obtain a Bachelor’s degree here your level of French must be at least at the B2 level (complex texts, spontaneous interactions) or at the C1 level (essentially fluent) for a Master’s. I think for now we’re going to be just fine with a B1 level (independent; daily life user) required for citizenship.
Photo notes: Featured across the top is the university in Montpellier where Nostradamus began studying in 1521. In the first paragraph that’s Le Mans with some remaining Roman walls constructed around 300 AD.
Let's Live In France 
“Those thoughts persist” – just wondering do you regret choosing a town without a university? We spent two months in Montpellier recently and found the pace of life too intense and have now retreated back to the calm of a town in the Dordogne. Montpellier was also billed to us as very gay friendly but perhaps as an older gay couple we are not looking beyond quiet home life! Finally as an Irishman I’m glad you enjoyed a visit to my home country and hope all went well. Thanks for your informative and helpful posts, Gary
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Hi Gary, no regrets at all. We’re with you on your “quiet home life” but since our neighbors are our friends it’s not always so quiet, LOL! If we want the buzz of a university town, Toulouse is less than an hour by train so we can easily make that a day trip. Yes, we were delighted by Ireland, finding friendly people everywhere we went. Bill and I were happy to see that you are enjoying the blog and please let us know if you have any questions.
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Well as you ask:)
Have you had difficulty with what is sometimes referred to as a ‘medical desert’ in France? As someone with underlying health issues, I have sometimes struggled to get a GP to see me in rural areas. Separately I recently broke a tooth and it was a nightmare getting a dentist – the one I found eventually couldn’t remove the tooth and I am now trying with some difficulty for hospital appointment. Makes me nervous about final commitment here – we are still at the initial stage (both have right to stay, currently applying for carte vitale). Kind regards, Gary
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Luckily for us our only knowledge of the “medical desert” comes from reading the newspaper. We know a couple in Paris who had to temporarily move out of their apartment while it was being renovated. Although that could have been an opportunity to sample rural village life for several weeks, they chose to stay in Toulouse for its extensive medical facilities as they too have health issues. It does seem that being in or close to a major city does have its advantages. Here’s hoping that you find the right balance!
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We chose Montpellier (sight unseen) as our initial French home, largely because it is a university town. Now, ten months after moving here, we’re looking for an apartment to buy. Montpellier is, we believe, our forever home! Incidentally, Carcassonne was our second choice, but we decided it was a bit too small for us. Isn’t it wonderful that France offers so many diverse options?
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Right you are, Sandy! We can certainly understand why you’ve settled in Montpellier–great choice 👍
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So many great university towns in France, so little time. 😉
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Once again you’ve provided readers like us with a rich resource! We’ve always been attracted to University towns for the reasons you outline here. I also continue to be impressed by how you keep abreast of news through local, regional and national news articles. Many thanks!
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We love sharing information that might make it easier to find just the right place to live. Thank you for the compliments!
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