The International Engineer

May 1st, 2023

Upon arriving in France, I was under the impression that everything would be super expensive and I would be able to afford next to nothing. Having lived here since January, I would say that there is some truth to the statement. Certain things here are very expensive. French fashion means that clothes especially have outrageous prices. I will say that somehow my eye has an expensive taste. Every article of clothing I like tends to cost more than 50 euros, sometimes all the way up to 200 euros.

If one were to examine the same store in the US and France, such as H & M, I think there’d be a few obvious differences. The French store in my opinion features less casual clothing and more semi-formal, high-end designs. I went searching for a casual top and came out with a semi-formal blouse instead. In the US, a large portion of the store is devoted to t-shirts, pajama pants, and a sale section featuring even more casual wear. I have a friend who’s been living in Grenoble for the past 7 years. I asked her how she is able to afford the clothes here. And she replied with a laugh, saying “I only shop once per year during a two-week window when there’s a big sale.” I imagine the sale she’s referencing is during the change of season. In other words, she buys a manteau during spring/summer when it is not the typical price of 89.9 euros or above.

I wil say however that being a college student comes with its perks. In Grenoble, there are CROUS cafes with subsidized meals. For 3.30 euros, you can get an amazing panini. Or you can go to a cafeteria and get a balanced meal with a main course, a side dish, cheese, and a dessert for the same price. Cafes here also tend to have menu combinations, specifically for students. If you show them an ID, you are eligible to get a sandwich, drink, and dessert for a small price. You will see lots of students order a formule for breakfast or lunch. These exist for non-students as well. For example, Brioche Dorée has multiple different breakfast or lunch combinations. Specialized food tends to be more expensive. Ordering pad-Thai or Indian food will be somewhere from 12 to 20 euros depending on where you go. But the general trend I’ve noticed is breakfast items tend to be the cheapest. Specifically, patisseries and boulangeries feature very inexpensive items. My person favorites are pain au chocolate, suisses, torsades, and croissants with a cappuccino. The bakery item is around 1 euro, coupled with the coffee its around 3.

I know many of my fellow study abroad friends have said “I’m going to miss 1 euro croissants,” a statement with which I couldn’t agree more.

Another important cost is transportation. Again, it varies depending on where you travel. The trains in Paris cost more simply because it’s Paris. For me, the cheapest travel option has been the Flix bus. It is reliable, with free Wi-Fi. Because France is accessible by most of Europe, I can easily travel to other countries with my American passport. The highlight of my study abroad experience so far has been Switzerland. Although if we’re on the subject of prices, Swiss prices are worse than French prices.

To me, it’s been really interesting to examine what is cheap in America versus France and what that signifies. Of course we’re speaking in relative prices here. France tends to have cheap pastries/baked goods, cheese, and wine. America tends to have cheaper technology, clothes, and makeup. Starbucks in America is also cheaper but we’ll exclude that one temporarily. These differences make sense culturally because bread and cheese are staples of the French diet. Americans on the other land love their smartphones and often buy makeup in bulk. The French are famous for their makeup with brands such as Chanel, Dior, and L’Oréal. And likewise, French fashion is famous worldwide with designer brands such as Louis Vuitton. So naturally, their prices would reflect good quality, world famous brands in clothing and makeup. And unfortunately, that means trouble for any college student’s wallet. But all things considered, I’m not too bothered by it considering I have plenty of cheap croissants and pain au chocolates to live on before I return to the states.