7 Reasons To Live In Paris For A Month As A Digital Nomad


Should you live in Paris for a month (or more) as an expat or freelancer? This city is not what would first come to mind as a top digital nomad destination but I'm here to prove you wrong! The reality of living in Paris is VERY different from what you would expect. If you enjoy being immersed in the local culture, as well as having a base to explore all of Europe, you will love living in Paris.

Whether you are a faster traveler or thinking of moving to Paris, here are 7 good reasons to live in Paris for a month as a digital nomad:

Table of Contents

    Living in Paris for month is a great idea for digital nomads. Paris is a perfect travel base plus there are plenty of opportunities in this beautiful city.

    1. It's easy to move to Paris

    Why should you move to Paris? Because you can! Getting a visa and a place to stay is incredibly easy compared to other major cities. This is exactly how to live in Paris for a month:

    • Visa situation: You can live in Paris for up to three months on a tourist visa without having to do any paperwork and 14 countries have a Working Holiday Visa agreement with France, usually if you are under 30. I'd recommend going through the six month Schengen visa application and exploring this area full-on. While there is no digital nomad visa in France, you might be eligible for a Talent Visa or a Visitor Visa depending on your project.

    • Where to live in Paris: If you stay in Paris for a month, you can easily sublet a studio apartment from a student, especially during summer or rent your own place through Airbnb. Stay in the East for a better local experience, especially in the 11th, 10th, 9th and 12th districts which are the best places to live in Paris in my opinion.

    • Tips for your first week: Stay with a Couchsurfing host! It is the best way to meet new friends and have awesome local tips.

    2. Paris is a perfect travel base

    • Flights: I've been based in Paris since I came back from NYC. I've been loving it as it is a perfect hub for flights to Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. There are SO MANY direct international flights to a lot of places. It's also super easy to travel back to the US with cheap direct flights to NYC and LA.

    • Ease of travel: When staying in Paris for a month, you should take advantage of that Schengen Visa and of the Euro Zone! No need to get adapted to a different currency, get a new visa or a sim card as most European phone plans work in all of Europe. There are also so many fun day trips you can do!

    • Cultural discovery: In my opinion, this is what really makes being based out of Paris so great! Do you feel like speaking Spanish? It's as easy as just hopping on a plane. You want to eat delicious Italian food? Go to Naples. Tired of the rain? Go to Tunis for the weekend. It is also awesome if you're into languages because you can just go practice any language when you feel like it.

    3. The cost of living in Paris for a month is surprisingly low

    The quality of life is so much better compared to other big international cities and it is rather cheap to spend a month in Paris:

    • Housing: My dreamy one-bedroom apartment costs the SAME PRICE as my tiny windowless room with roommates in the Lower East Side in NYC.

    • Getting around: You can walk or bike anywhere as it is very dense and the city is beautiful. I usually only take public transportation to get to airports.

    • Food: One of the main reasons to come live in France. The food quality is so high compared to the US and there are so many delicious local products. The cost of food is on the higher side compared to NYC but it's compensated by better product quality. There are also so many fun (and weird!) foods to try!

    • Staying Healthy: Being active is easy, especially if you are walking or biking to get around. There are plenty of gyms, sports clubs, and studios to keep active while you're traveling. Try them out through Classpass, or take a month pass. You'll find affordable organic food through direct-from-producer platforms like la Ruche qui dit Oui or in one of the many organic shops.

    • Luxury is cheap in Paris: Paris has everything you need to enjoy the best things life has to offer without breaking the bank. It takes a bit of research to find Paris' finest affordable luxury experiences. Truffles, champagne tastings, a front-row seat at the opera are things I could do when I was a student in Paris.

    So concretely, how much does it cost to live in Paris and is living in Paris worth it? Your monthly expenses in Paris, depend of course on what you enjoy doing but just know that while it is still an expensive city, the quality of what you get for your $$ is higher. And in itself it is already a good reason to move to Paris!

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    Living in Paris for a month supports the digital nomad lifestyle. All the essentials for digital nomads can be found here.

    4. Networking in Paris is becoming more interesting

    If you love meeting like-minded souls and networking with other digital nomads, freelancers, or overall innovative people is important for you, you'll be in the right place. It is an awesome way to find work in Paris, meet new friends or just keep learning!

    • Startup and Tech events: I love the events from the Family, often starring Tech personalities. It's a good way to meet people in this field as there's often a cocktail after. I also always look for trainings and events at Station F, Europe's biggest startup campus.

    • Freelancers: More and more people are choosing to freelance in France since the administrative simplification of this status. You'll find good advice on this (if you decide to stay in France longer!) on Facebook Groups like Shine Community (in French). Check out freelancers meetups, but also events by French freelance platforms Malt, and La Crème de la Crème.

    • Wellness scene: a lot of fitness and wellness clubs are becoming social hangouts. I personally love this awesome Social club, gym, and co-working space: la Montgolfière Club. I've heard good things about other social sports clubs like chez Blanche, le Klay or chez Simone.

    • Expat life in Paris: You’re bound to meet a lot of other expats in Paris: my favorite tip here is to go on FB groups such as Digital Nomad Girls (if you identify as one!) or just “Your nationality in Paris” types of groups.

    5. Plenty of opportunities to learn French but also to speak English

    Could you do your job from Paris? I'm often asked questions about moving to Paris and working with French clients or companies. The language barrier seems to be something most people seem to be worried about when considering being a digital nomad in France. It can really put an end to your Paris dream unless you market yourself to one of the many English-speaking or foreign clients there. On my side, I now have French clients and it's my first time speaking French in a work environment in SO LONG. ⁠

    • You don't need to speak French to be a digital nomad in Paris: A lot of the Paris digital nomad community is English-speaking. Living in Paris without speaking French is not hard: Most people speak English, and you'll have no issues if you don't speak a word of French.

    • Learning French in Paris is not that complicated: If this is your main reason to move to Paris just know that it takes a bit of getting out of your comfort zone, but you can do it! You can easily learn French by just... speaking French: go to events, meetups, watch movies in French, speak to shopkeepers... just speak!

    6. All the digital nomad essentials are here

    • Wifi: Internet speed is generally good in Paris. If you followed my advice and got a European sim card, you probably have unlimited 4G for cheap and can use your phone as a hotspot to work anywhere.

    • Places to work at: Paris really excels at this and you'll have plenty of options to choose from depending on your mood. Here is my take of the best Paris digital nomad coworking spots and cafes: There are many pay by the hour co-working spaces in Paris, but I tend to avoid these as I don't find them worth it. You'll find me at Blackburn coffee, at a library, a hotel lobby or most likely at La Montgolfière Club, mentioned above. One word of advice if you choose to work in a cafe: just ask if laptops are OK before risking being disappointed.

    • Create your perfect home office: I just love working from home: it's free, I can wear whatever I want and all the food is there. If you want to set up a home office space, I'd recommend you check if there is a desk space and a fast wifi connection at your Airbnb.

     
     
    There are many sights to see in Paris but more than that it is a beautiful place for digital nomads.| Living In Paris as a Digital Ni
     

    7. It will kind of be like in the movies... but also not at all!

    Yes, the architecture is breathtakingly beautiful, there are so many amazing things to do and the bakeries are cute but you’ll be in a real city with real people living there and having to go about their daily lives. It is not a museum and you will soon discover the reality of living in Paris.

    Don't get me wrong, Paris is an awesome first destination if you're just starting your travel journey: the city is a lesson in moving past what you've seen in movies and deeper into the culture since it will not be how you think it will be! This in itself is a great reason to move to France!

    Take some time to go past preconceived ideas and create your own opinion of Paris!

    I hope you enjoyed this digital nomad guide to living in Paris for a month and you found everything you need to move to Paris for a month or more!

    Are you looking for inspiration for your next digital nomad destination? Click here for 17 travel destinations by female travel bloggers!


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