Why it is here
Why Paris is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Paris has 2,103,778 residents (2023), the most of any French commune; Marseille, second, has 886,040. [N1]
- The InterNations Paris community lists 90,205 members, 86 monthly events and 67 interest groups (private network, self-reported). [E1]
- Insee's 2021 census counts about 436,000 immigrants among Paris's 2.13 million residents, 20.5%, the highest share of the cities listed for France. [M1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
31 of 100WeakCountry figure
Price level 0.766 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
33 of 100WeakOwn figure
Paris-Montsouris's own normals: 5 comfortable months a year (May to September); January to April and October to December have an average daily high under 18 °C.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Paris-Montsouris (WMO 07156). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
34 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 99th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
73 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
60 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 16th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
Lifestyle
72 of 100StrongCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 9th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed: fixed broadband is 48.9 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line, but the official pages reviewed describe no residence route made for remote work for foreign employers, and the visitor card does not allow work.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale"; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: the "visiteur" card is for people who stay without working, and Service-Public lists it among the permits that count towards the five years needed for the EU long-term resident card.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Carte de résident de longue durée-UE (étranger en France depuis 5 ans). Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
100 of 100StrongCountry figure
48.93 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), above the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
60 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 539 (38th of 123), between the 499 and 550 anchors.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
More on France.
Questions about Paris.
How big is Paris, and how international is it?
Paris has 2,103,778 residents (Insee, 2023), the most of any French commune; Marseille, second, has 886,040. Insee's 2021 census counts about 436,000 immigrants among 2.13 million residents, 20.5%, the highest share of the nine French cities we cover. Insee counts people born abroad as foreigners.
Is there an expat community in Paris?
The InterNations Paris community lists 90,205 members, 86 monthly events and 67 interest groups (page read 15 October 2026). It is a private network and membership is self-reported, so it is not a headcount of expats. Insee does not say where Paris's immigrants come from.
What is the weather like in Paris?
Paris-Montsouris normals (1991–2020) give average daily highs from 7.6 °C to 25.7 °C, and no month reaches 150 mm of rain. Fernshore counts a month as comfortable when its average daily high is 18 to 30 °C and rain is under 150 mm. Paris has 5 such months, May to September.
How much is rent in Paris?
The 2025 asking-rent indicator for small flats (1–2 rooms) runs from €30.02 per m² a month, charges included, in the 19th arrondissement to €40.43 in the 4th. It is a modelled average built from adverts, not a quote for any one home. Main-residence rents in Paris are also capped by reference rents.
Is Paris safe?
Fernshore has no Paris-specific safety measure; the Global Peace Index 2026 ranks France 99th of 163, a national score. Canada's travel advice says pickpocketing and bag and phone snatching occur frequently, thieves often target tourists, and illegal taxis operate at airports and train stations in Paris.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Populations de référence 2023 des communes (fichier d'ensemble), Insee. Checked 15 October 2026. Paris 2,103,778 (sum of the 20 arrondissements; the city is also one commune and one département). Population municipale, reference date 1 January 2023, in force 1 January 2026 (census 2023); file updated December 2025. The file lists the arrondissements; the commune total is their sum. Ranks quoted in the evidence are positions among all communes in the file.
- [M1] Immigration en 2021: tableaux détaillés (TD_IMG1A), Insee. Checked 15 October 2026. Paris: about 436,000 of 2.13 million residents (20.5%) were immigrants, summed over the 20 arrondissements. 2021 census, weighted sample estimates. Insee counts as immigrants people born abroad as foreigners, whatever their nationality now; it does not say where they come from or whether they are expats.
- [E1] Expats in Paris: InterNations community, InterNations (private expat network, not official). Checked 15 October 2026. Community page read on 15 October 2026: 90,205 members in Paris. Self-reported membership, not a headcount of expats.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Paris-Montsouris (WMO 07156), Météo-France (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Monthly mean daily highs 7.6 to 25.7 °C; no month reaches 150 mm of rain; 5 comfortable months (May to September).
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), France, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 76.57 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 99th of 163 countries (score 2.083).
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. France: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory API on 15 October 2026.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 16th of 31 countries.
- [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 9th of 31 countries.
- [K1] Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026: valid 1 year at most and renewable; resources of EUR 1,477.93 net a month for a single person; health insurance; no work in France.
- [K2] Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale", Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026; the route for freelancers and self-employed people, not a remote-worker route.
- [K3] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 48.93 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R1] Carte de résident de longue durée-UE (étranger en France depuis 5 ans), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026: five years in France on listed permits, including the temporary "visiteur" card, count towards the card.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: France, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 539, global rank 38 of 123 countries and regions; the 2025 edition was the current one on 15 October 2026.
- [V1] Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 9 October 2026: more than 3 months in France needs a long-stay visa (type D) from the French consulate, valid from 3 months to 1 year; one of its cases is a visitor who can live on their own resources; it does not allow work.