The Fernshore Index
The factors families look at first.
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.
Schools
Unknown
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Safety
34 of 100Mixed
Global Peace Index 2026: 99th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
73 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Cost of living
31 of 100Weak
Price level 0.766 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Community
60 of 100Mixed
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 16th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
60 of 100Mixed
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 100Strong
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 100Strong
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 100Strong
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 100Strong
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
The rest of the research on France.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
FranceQuestions from families about France.
What do we know about schools in France?
Not much yet: our research doesn't cover schools, so they show as unknown, not zero. Service-Public says schooling is compulsory from 3 to 16 whatever your nationality; you register at the town hall, then the school. IBS of Provence, an international bilingual school (ages 2 to 18), has an Aix-en-Provence address.
How does a child who doesn't speak French start school in France?
Register at the town hall by June before the school year; sign-ups often open in March. From age 6 a teacher assesses French, maths and other skills, and a child needing more French goes to a unit for newly arrived pupils (UPE2A). Under 6, children join an ordinary nursery class. Vaccination proof is needed.
Can my family come on the same French visa, and how much money does it count?
The visitor-card page gives a net monthly income for a single person (to be safe, more than €1,500 a month) and no figure for couples or children, so the family amount is unknown here. Resources can be your own or a family member's; child benefits don't count. Ask the consulate how it counts a household.
How would healthcare work for a family living in France?
Under public cover (PUMa), adults are insured in their own right, while a minor stays attached to a parent and can ask for personal cover from 16. Adults without work wait 3 months. The WHO service coverage index for France is 82 of 100 (2023). Family cover prices are unknown.
What do safety and daily life look like for a family that doesn't speak French?
The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks France 99th of 163, a country-level view, not a neighbourhood one. English proficiency is moderate (EF 2025: 539, 38th of 123). Expat Insider 2026 ranks France 16th of 31 for ease of settling in, a survey of expats.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [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.
- [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.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 16th of 31 countries.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.