Living as an expat in France

Update 12/16/2025

Wine, cheese and fresh bread makes living in France sound like a dream for many expats. Altough your first weeks as an expat are typically filled with admin (visas, housing, banking) and challenges like cultural changes, language barriers, and other are normal parts of adjusting, after a few weeks you will start to feel at home. Luckily there are a few efforts you can do to make your expat adventure in France much easier and much more pleasant. In this article, you will discover our tips for working and living in France as an expat, whether it is just you or together with your family!
 

When moving to France as an expat, you’re probably ready for a new adventure in your job or a completely new professional adventure. Before you start it could be a good idea to delve into certain habits and customs to make your arrival easier.

If you start working for a French company, you certainly want to know what types of contracts are used, for example there is a CDD (contract durée déterminé) and a CDI (contrat durée indetérminé). Also concerning your pay check there could be a few differences compared to what you are used to, depending on the location of the headquarter of the company you will be working for. Sometimes there will be contributions for health insurance, retirement … kept of your pay check.

Things are getting real; you have accepted your new challenge in France and thus you are (temporarily) going to live there as an expat. ‘La douce France’ awaits, so it’s key to make you and your family feel at home straight away. How to do so? Finding a convenient place to stay as an expat is the very first step of creating a home away from home.

Make sure to check whether your company will provide you or support you with a temporary place to stay. If not, you should consider renting or buying a property.

Renting a house in France

When you’re not living in France for a very long time, you should always consider renting a house or an apartment. The rental prices for a place in France depend a lot of the location. Renting in Paris for instance can be rather expensive. Renting from a private person or from a rental agency can make a big difference as well. If you want help drawing up the contract and all things practical? Then you should always consider contacting a professional mediator, especially if you do not speak the language yet.

Some rental houses or appartments are already furnished, some of them you should furnish yourself. The latter gives you more freedom and the possibility to furnish your temporary home just the way you like it. If you stay only temporary, the best solution is to rent furniture.

Buying a place in France

Are you moving for an indefinite period to France as an expat, and is your family moving with you, then you could consider buying a property. The house prices are again depending on the location and the region. In Paris, for example, expect to pay much more for a rather small surface. 

In France, it is not very common to take out high mortgages with the bank. If you want to buy a property in France, it could be a good idea to get your information at your own bank, to finance a house or apartment. 

Are you looking for furniture for your (temporary) place in France according to your own style and preferences? This is how you create that at home feeling, compared to an already furnished place where you can not really contribute to your own style and furnishment.

When choosing a place to furnish yourself, you are free in choosing furniture as well, but a disadvantage here could be higher costs. Buying furniture for a temporary place is not the most ideal situation. To avoid higher costs, you can always consider renting furniture for a short or longer term.

Renting furniture as an expat

Renting furniture as an expat in France allows you to choose a house or an apartment that fits your budget and requirements, without having to take furnishments in account at that point.

In short, furniture renting has tons of advantages for fulfilling a temporary need.

• It offers flexibility for both short and long term
• Furniture packages are available in different styles. Also electrical devices are rentable. This way, you will not have to buy any of these essentials.
• Thanks to furniture rental you can enjoy high-quality products in a sustainable way.
• It allows you to focus on your new professional challenge in France, without spending time and money on furniture, decoration and electrical devices.

At In-Lease, we help expats in France feel at home with furniture packages and appliances for rent on the short and the long term. Our furniture is available in different styles and will be delivered in your new French home at the agreed date and time.

Is your temporary move to France getting closer? Are you counting down for your expat adventure? There are still a few things to arrange before leaving. Be sure to read our blog about moving to France!