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Hello Ras,

I'm only a student but I lived all my life in Languedoc Roussillon... The life cost depends on the city where you want to live, the district, the type of house/flat you look for, etc...
Maybe some details could be helpful to give you the best advice possible !

Take care,

Marion

Same here ras.  Hope we get some answers.

I would like to live outside of the major cities in a small house or flat (doesnt really matter).  I haven't thought much about which region yet, I guess that will come after I spend some time there, but the closer to the water the better although that is not a deal breaker.  I just want to know if I can survive on my (soon to be) retirement.

check out chez loulou's (old-ish) blog posts on this topic:

That's a pretty good article.
But once again, be careful, because depends on the village where you will live, the cost of the house is completely different. If you want to be near the water, you have the choice between a wide list of villages on the beaches or near the Canal du Midi. It's good to know that the more your house is close to the beach, the more it costs (the habitable houses and flat all the year are pretty expensive in some villages like Valras, Narbonne-Plage or Palavas, which are maybe some of the most famous beach villages of the region).
If you earn more than 1200€ (approximately, which is the minimum salary in France), you can live quite confortably. But if you are used to live in a house with a big garden, to eat often in restaurants and to spend a lot of money in your everyday products (in extra of your rent, if you don't buy the house), you will certainly find the life difficult
But villages which are more in the lands are cheaper. You can find a better house and live more confortably for less money every month. To see the beach, it doesn't take a lot of time, with the bus for exemple. The only city I could advice you not to live is Béziers (I lived there for a long time). It's not very attractive, not very clean, not very safe... The cost of living is cheap but sometimes it's better to pay a little more and live in a better way.
Well, that's only my opinion

Hope my little experience can help you.

Take care !

Marion

Thank you nekonimise.  That was very helpful.  I will have over 2100€ so I should do OK.

Thank you JulieH - that pretty much answers my questions.

ras0001 wrote:

Thank you nekonimise.  That was very helpful.  I will have over 2100€ so I should do OK.

My father has the same and lives easily

nekonimise wrote:

ras0001 wrote:

Thank you nekonimise.  That was very helpful.  I will have over 2100€ so I should do OK.

My father has the same and lives easily

Yes, very helpful.  We are targeting the Montpellier area and would like to be less than one-hour commute from the sea.
Merci,
Steve

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I live near Sommieres. It is relatively expensive as it is within commuting distance of Montpellier, Nimes, Lunel, Ales etc. It is also under 30 km to the beach, Cevennes mountains and the edge of the Camargue. The commuter option is important as it ensures that the property is sellable even when the 2nd home market is stagnant ( remote villages with no facilities are cheap but dependent on 2nd home owners).

I have about 180 m2 including a very cluttered garage ! I have 2000m2 of land.

My house is heated exclusively with electricity. I have recently had town gas installed to the edge of the plot, but haven't taken it to the house (50m). Gas isn't that cheap today anyway. I've been intending to install a wood burner for 11 years and will one day.

So, my costs are :

Household insurance (Groupama) : €336
Internet : Currently €30 per month for unlimited fast ADSL *
Telephone : Currently €40 per month inclusive of unlimited calls worldwide *
Electricity consumption pa : €1050
Electricity rental cost pa : €100
Electricity "other" local taxes, etc pa : €500
Irrigation water - 400 tons pa (pool, garden, etc) : €325
Town water approx 30 tons pa: €135
Mutualite pa : €750
Car Insurance p.a. (comprehensive, medium size car, full NCB, bought online) €350
CT every 24 months (MoT) : €60
Car tax : zero !
Tax fonciere inc TV (varies by commune) €900

* There are new deals available, and I will have combined phone/internet costs of €40 shortly


You need to adjust for various differences :

heating (you may not be there in winter) and there are cheaper options, particularly tempo :

Water varies by area, but can be expensive if you use domestic water on the garden.

mutualite depends on age

car depends on model and area

Tax foncieres varies enormously depending on Agglomeration (Montpellier is expensive, Lunel (mine) is cheaper and Mende probably is very cheap !).


Hope that helps

Peter

Sorry, but what is Mutualite?

Health insurance top up.

Peter

This was a very insightful thread. My family and I and planing on a move to France as well, unsure of Toulouse or the Langdoc region. I need a warm climate and not to damp. I was also finding it difficult to find a honest up to date information on line.

If any of you could provide some information on weather all year round and cost of living in Nimes or Narbonne.Sete
Thanks,
Jennifer

Yes LouLou - I already read it and it was VERY helpful.  Thank you.

Some stuff to read about climate :
the-france-page.com/france/france-weather.html

I've also found this :

Annual average sunshine hours by town :

TOULON (83 - Var)    2 899
MARIGNANE (13 - Bouches-du-Rhône)    2 835
CARPENTRAS (84 - Vaucluse)    2 774
SAINT-RAPHAEL (83 - Var)    2 748
AJACCIO (20 - Corse)    2 737
NICE (06 - Alpes-Maritimes)    2 694
MONTPELLIER (34 - Hérault)    2 687
CALVI (20 - Corse)    2 683
NIMES (30 - Gard)    2 669
BASTIA (20 - Corse)    2 655
ANTIBES (06 - Alpes-Maritimes)    2 640
ORANGE (84 - Vaucluse)    2 595
EMBRUN (05 - Hautes-Alpes)    2 506
PERPIGNAN (66 - Pyrénées-Orientales)    2 506
MONTELIMAR (26 - Drôme)    2 498
LA ROCHELLE (17 - Charente-Maritime)    2 250
CARCASSONNE (11 - Aude)    2 190
MILLAU (12 - Aveyron)    2 163
BORDEAUX (33 - Gironde)    2 084
MONTAUBAN (82 - Tarn-et-Garonne)    2 080
GOURDON (46 - Lot)    2 056
TOULOUSE (31 - Haute-Garonne)    2 047
AUCH (32 - Gers)    2 040
GRENOBLE (38 - Isère)    2 031
BOURG-SAINT-MAURICE (73 - Savoie)    2 026
COGNAC (16 - Charente)    2 025
LORIENT (56 - Morbihan)    2 024
BRIVE-LA-GAILLARDE (19 - Corrèze)    1 990
NIORT (79 - Deux-Sèvres)    1 990
AGEN (47 - Lot-et-Garonne)    1 984
BERGERAC (24 - Dordogne)    1 980
LYON (69 - Rhône)    1 976
LIMOGES (87 - Haute-Vienne)    1 974
NANTES (44 - Loire-Atlantique)    1 956
MONT-DE-MARSAN (40 - Landes)    1 954
AURILLAC (15 - Cantal)    1 950
CHAMBERY (73 - Savoie)    1 950
ANGERS (49 - Maine-et-Loire)    1 944
SAINT-ETIENNE (42 - Loire)    1 937
BIARRITZ (64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques)    1 935
POITIERS (86 - Vienne)    1 930
MACON (71 - Saône-et-Loire)    1 925
DAX (40 - Landes)    1 920
TARBES (65 - Hautes-Pyrénées)    1 913
CLERMONT-FERRAND (63 - Puy-de-Dôme)    1 907
GUERET (23 - Creuse)    1 890
VICHY (03 - Allier)    1 880
BESANCON (25 - Doubs)    1 872
DINARD (35 - Ille-et-Vilaine)    1 853
NEVERS (58 - Nièvre)    1 851
RENNES (35 - Ille-et-Vilaine)    1 851
PAU (64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques)    1 849
TOURS (37 - Indre-et-Loire)    1 845
BOURGES (18 - Cher)    1 832
DIJON (21 - Côte-d'Or)    1 831
AVORD (18 - Cher)    1 830
LE MANS (72 - Sarthe)    1 825
CHATEAUDUN (28 - Eure-et-Loir)    1 818
ORLEANS (45 - Loiret)    1 805
PARIS (75 - Paris)    1 797
BRETIGNY-SUR-ORGE (91 - Essonne)    1 790
TROYES (10 - Aube)    1 788
MULHOUSE (68 - Haut-Rhin)    1 768
CAEN (14 - Calvados)    1 764
AUXERRE (89 - Yonne)    1 758
LANGRES (52 - Haute-Marne)    1 755
SAINT-GIRONS (09 - Ariège)    1 751
BREST (29 - Finistère)    1 749
CHARTRES (28 - Eure-et-Loir)    1 749
EVREUX (27 - Eure)    1 734
LUXEUIL-LES-BAINS (70 - Haute-Saône)    1 733
REIMS (51 - Marne)    1 729
SAINT-DIZIER (52 - Haute-Marne)    1 725
COLMAR (68 - Haut-Rhin)    1 723
ROMORANTIN-LANTHENAY (41 - Loir-et-Cher)    1 716
TRAPPES (78 - Yvelines)    1 703
MELUN (77 - Seine-et-Marne)    1 693
ROUEN (76 - Seine-Maritime)    1 687
ALENCON (61 - Orne)    1 680
LE TOUQUET-PARIS-PLAGE (62 - Pas-de-Calais)    1 680
SAINT-QUENTIN (02 - Aisne)    1 658
NANCY (54 - Meurthe-et-Moselle)    1 652
BEAUVAIS (60 - Oise)    1 650
ABBEVILLE (80 - Somme)    1 638
METZ (57 - Moselle)    1 638
STRASBOURG (67 - Bas-Rhin)    1 637
LILLE (59 - Nord)    1 600
CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES (08 - Ardennes)    1 551


Source: INSEE, Seloger.com, Habitants.fr
Note that Nimes (usually said to be the hottest town in mainland France) has 600+ more hours of sunshine than Toulouse.

Meteo France has some climate info here :

You can compare Montpellier (similar to Nimes) to Toulouse here :



Peter

ras0001 wrote:

I am new to the site and am seriously considering moving to Languedoc-Roussillon after retirement.  I can't seem to get a straight answer on the internet about how much I need to live a frugal but comfortable life there.

Can anyone help me?

Prices are going up because of the recession but you should be able to live cheaper here than in the UK as the property taxes are much cheaper.  I would definitely go for central heating though as EDF electricity is getting very expensive.

Hi Robert

I am Australian and retired, have this year moved to a beautiful village about 15 kms out of Carcassonne.  I bought a very small house within the village without any problems, all prior to leaving Australia.  Since arrive I have purchased a small car also without incident or problems.  Opened a French bank account etc. The cost of living in France, particularly in this environment (ie not Paris!) is quite inexpensive if that is the lifestyle you choose.  It is a beautiful country to live in and when I can actually speak the language (working on that) I am sure it will only get better.  Let me know if there is any particular information I can give/find out for you.  Regards  Denise.

Hi Marion,

Could you tell me why you don't think Beziers is safe? I am a little concerned. I have visited a number of times and didn't consider it dirty, in fact I think it is very pretty and of course historical. I shall be returning again soon and would appreciate your advice regarding where to stay and where to stay away from.

Kind regards,
AnnaMia.

AnnaMia wrote:

Hi Marion,

Could you tell me why you don't think Beziers is safe? I am a little concerned. I have visited a number of times and didn't consider it dirty, in fact I think it is very pretty and of course historical. I shall be returning again soon and would appreciate your advice regarding where to stay and where to stay away from.

Kind regards,
AnnaMia.

This post is 3 years old so you may not get a reply. You could post a new topic.

ras0001 wrote:

Thank you nekonimise.  That was very helpful.  I will have over 2100 so I should do OK.

You're gonna live like a king then

We just bought outside of Narbonne 6 km, the village houses in this area are not really expensive, if you buy to renovate, some have a terrace or a courtyard but a lot of villages like ours have restaurants, cafes and parks and the beach and the town are few minutes away so  you just have to come over to check it out

Hello
I have just been reading with interest the thread on Languedoc/Roussillon.  I know these exchanges of message go back a few years, but I would be most interested to hear back from anyone/everyone who has made the decision and moved there.  We are in the process of making plans to move in 2018 from Australia and would be very keen to hear your experiences and of course cost of living.
with thanks and regards
CB Bonjour

We just moved here this year - these are my blog posts related to our move:
Julie

Hi CB Bonjour

I think that the monthly/annual costs in the posting bu MPPRH above still pretty much apply.

In terms of rental prices at the moment, I would advise

€550/650 pcm - studio apartment or 1 bedroom village house
€750 pcm - 2 bedroom village house
€850/950 - 3 bedroom village house
€1000/1200 - 3-4 bedroom villa with pool (but not during July/August)
€1400/1600 - impressive character house with 4-5 bedrooms.

For Montpellier/Nimes/Uzes/Aigues-Mortes/Perpignan and properties within 5km of the coast - I would perhaps add €50-80 onto the prices above.

Hi there, check out Narbonne area, it's beautiful and not that expensive, go to lebocoin website (use the translation tool) you'll find village house at 5/6km from the town at 500/600€.
We're in 6km from Narbonne (beautiful town) go to their site to have an idea.

JulieH,

Bonjour!
I just joined this forum today. I have been doing some research and studying French
In anticipation of my retirement in 12 months! Anyway thank you for posting your blog, I read
A few- very entertaining and informative!
²Ñ±ð°ù³¦Ã­,

Dave

Hi my husband and I are oringally from London but lived in Australia for 29 years. As frequent visitors to Languedoc region at least 8 visits we are looking at retiring early to France using our super to buy property there. Looking around Trebe, ferrals la cobiere, lagrasse Carcassonne areas. If there is anyone who can let us know if they have done similar thing and how it has gone for them. As we have dual british and Australian citenzship hoping we shouldn’t have many problems with the move. Considering either small village house or larger house with gite for extra income.  What should we expect monthly costs of living to be?