The Fernshore Index
The factors fifo workers 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.
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.
Work and career
50 of 100Mixed
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.
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.
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.
Internet
100 of 100Strong
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.
The country
The rest of the research on France.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
FranceQuestions from fifo workers about France.
How long can a FIFO worker stay in France without a visa?
US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports get 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area; count back 180 days from each day. A 1949 agreement lets US citizens add 90 days in mainland France and a 1947 one does the same for New Zealanders. We found none for Canadians or Australians.
Which French residence cards might fit a rostered job abroad?
The pages we read describe no route made for remote work. The visitor card is for staying without working (you sign a statement); to be safe, show more than €1,500 net a month. No page says whether a rostered job abroad counts as work in France, so ask the consulate. Freelancers use another card.
Would a FIFO worker be tax resident in France and Australia?
France treats you as resident if your home or main place of stay is there, you work there other than incidentally, or your main economic interests are there; over six months generally counts as a main stay. Australia’s tests are residing, domicile and 183 days. A France–Australia treaty is not checked here.
What health cover does a FIFO worker need in France?
The WHO service coverage index for France is 82 of 100 (2023). Without work, public cover (PUMa) opens 3 months after you arrive, and you must live there 6 months a year. Victoria’s health department lists Australia’s reciprocal healthcare agreements, and France is not among them. Private prices are unknown.
Is internet in France good enough to use between swings?
France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024, ITU via the World Bank). That is a national count, not a speed, so quality at a given address is unknown; confirm what a provider can connect there before you sign a lease.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.