Being a positive person, I was surprised when I saw the title of a study conducted by Silver Alliance and Retraite.com, both French companies that investigate topics important to senior citizens. They called, what seems to have become their annual survey, “How much does it cost to be old in France?” When we ask friends a question that might not have a definitive answer, the response we typically hear is, “Ça dépend” (That depends) which I think could apply here depending upon your definition of “old”. We’ll look at the details below but for a cut-to-the-chase answer, you’ll need an annual income of 15,000€ to live a comfortable retired life in France.

While that 15,000€ yearly figure fits handily into our own budget (see the Budget tab at the top of this page) it’s important to note that the study did not count the cost of housing (rent/mortgage) nor utilities. Luckily, with the sale of our house in the US we were able to buy our current home and our figures DO include utilities, so a monthly expenditure of around 1300€ covers the basics.

Here’s a breakdown of the 19 goods and services that were analyzed, broken into 5 categories:

• Health: insurance, hearing aids, glasses, medicines, etc.
• Housing alterations: bathroom adaptations, handrails, walkers, etc.
• Staying in your own home: assistance with cleaning, meals, etc.
• Remaining connected: clubs, associations, telephone/video connections, etc.
• Other: paperwork, transportation, etc.

The age groups considered were 65 to 75, 75 to 85, and over age 85 noting that an average monthly pension income across all 3 groups is 1,531€. The costs for each group were as follows:

• Age 65 to 75: 704€ per month with transportation being the highest expense.
• Age 75 to 85: 912€ per month, spent mostly on health issues.
• Over age 85: 2165€ per month to cover home aid and other support care.

In contrast to being able to stay at home, the Caisse Nationale de Solidarité pour L’autonomie estimates that living in a long-term care facility, such as an EPHAD, costs around 2,300€ per month. Silver Alliance says that 92% of the French would prefer to stay in their own home. On our own street we see a daily flow of home health aides, cleaners, and food deliverers helping some of our neighbors do exactly that.

The French government maintains the Senior Autonomy website Pour Les Personnes Âgées at https://www.pour-les-personnes-agees.gouv.fr/

Photo notes: The gardens of Chenonceau are featured across the top of today’s blog post and in the first paragraph is a view from Château de Ranton.