Cost of Living in Marseille, France

Updated On May 10, 2022

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Marseille?

One of the biggest advantages of Marseille is climate.

The weather here is always mild and moderate since this is a nice southern city at the seashore.

The second biggest peculiarity of Marseille is the sea which is the dream for both tourists and permanent residents.

The unique herbs and vegetables growing here make Marseille the place of destination for French and foreign gourmets.

Marseille is popular for numerous music festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, and summer water sports competitions.

This is the city of delicious food, antiquary, boutiques, theatres, museums, and modern art.

Cost of Living Index:
64.64
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

Since Marseille is the marine city, the seafood is especially popular here.

The most popular dishes in the local restaurants are fish soup, oysters, ratatouille, various pastry, and French buns.

McDonald’s or equivalent combo food is $9.09 while the three-course meal in a mid-range restaurants cost $56.84.

Markets

MARKETS

Going to the market in Marseille is like going to the exhibition of all the sorts of vegetables, fruits, sausages, pastry, seafood, and herbs.

You will also find species there at low prices.

A kilo of rice, potato, onion, lettuce does not exceed 2 dollars.

A pack of cigarettes costs $8.64 (20 pack).

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

The public transport in Marseille is buses and trams.

People prefer renting a car or a bicycle to travel around the city and the suburbs or go to the sea.

Taking a taxi is also possible for those who are ready to pay $4.32 for a start, $2.05 per mile and $28.42 in case you make your driver wait for an hour.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Marseille is a warm city where the snow is very rare and even if it snows the soil dries out in a short time.

For this reason, monthly utilities in Marseille are cheaper than in Paris or Lyon, for instance.

The sum is $150.99 on average for some basic comforts like water, garbage, heating, cooling, and electricity.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Apart from swimming, yachting, and tennis playing, there is a wide range of other cool sports and activities in Marseille.

For example, boxing, diving, canyoning, or kayaking.

International release at the cinema costs $11.37, while an hour of tennis game on the weekend is $15.92.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

The most popular chain stores like Zara, H&M, Nike or similar brands offer their shoes and clothes at very reasonable prices.

You can buy a summer dress for just $34.68, a pair of running shoes for $94.38, or a pair of Levi’s jeans for $94.12.

Men’s business leather shoes cost $123.46.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

In Marseille, you will find a great variety of accommodations from the most budget ones to the most luxurious villas on the beach.

Private rooms at low prices are usually not furnished so you have to purchase all the necessary things at your own expense.

The prices for one-bedroom apartments vary from $568.42 in the city center to $651 for the same space in the suburbs.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Marseille

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$14.78
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$6.54
Water (0.33 Liter)$1.56
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$1.02
Loaf Bread (500g)$1.46
Eggs (12)$2.82
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$2.16
Monthly Pass$51.16
Gasoline$1.56
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$150.99
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.26
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$28.23
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$37.89
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$15.92
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$11.37
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$94.12
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$36.38
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$93.48
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$651.50
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$568.42
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$1149.48

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Marseille?

Colorful markets and fairs are part of the French tradition, so Marseille is no exception.

There loads of fresh products at every shopping location and an average resident of this city spends 31% of his income on markets.

To reach the market, you will probably use some means of transport like a car, a bus or a bicycle.

This item of expenditure takes as much as 13.8% of the family budget.

Talking about monthly rent and the utilities, together they make 29.2% of earnings.

Clothing and shoes are less popular among the average population of Marseille.

Only 3.7% of the money is spent on them.

No doubt, this money is saved for such a great and pleasant gourmet thing like restaurants.

Average Costs Breakdown

16.6%
31%
13.8%
5.4%
5.8%
3.7%
23.8%

Marseille: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Let us start with the national minimum wage in Marseille.

It is fixed for all the territory of France at the level of $1,741.8 per month.

Thus, the minimum wage has been raised by 1.6% from the previous year, according to the statistics.

The highest salaries are traditionally paid to IT guys like software engineers, civil engineers, web developers, and project managers.

An average monthly net salary after tax is $1,885.46.

Taken that people spend less on the rented premises and save more for the restaurants, vacations, and sports, the minimum, and the average wages are a decent remuneration to live a nice life in Marseille.

Average Salary$1885.46
Minimum Wage$1741.8
Mortgage Interest Rate2.00%

Marseille Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Marseille Safety Review

Safety Index:
59
  • OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
  • TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
  • PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
  • NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
  • MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
  • TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
  • SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
  • WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

Cost of Living by City in Marseille

CityCost of Living Index
Bordeaux76.31
Grenoble78.43
Lille67.73
Lyon78
Montpellier74.08
Nantes72.37
Nice75.84
Paris84.68
Strasbourg75.47
Toulouse76.3

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

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