Here’s how I lived in Paris on a budget.
Evie Carrick/Travel + Leisure
Emily in Paris, I was not.
My American-in-Paris experience lacked boththe wardrobeand the French boyfriend.
Evie and friends sitting and relaxing along a Parisian canal.Credit:Evie Carrick/Travel + Leisure
And my living quarters were a far cry from Emilys apartment.
My 120-square-foot studio had one window.
The closet-turned-kitchen was outfitted with a portable stovetop, two cupboards, and a sink.
Buildings in the 11th arrondissement in Paris.Evie Carrick/Travel + Leisure
And I shared it all with my husband.
I obtained acarte de sejour(residence permit) to study French at theAlliance Francaise.
My husband, a longtime Francophile who already spoke French, was in a similar situation.
Evie with friends exploring the 59 Rivoli art gallery.Evie Carrick/Travel + Leisure
Our budget was tight, but our small apartment helped us make it work.
Heres how I got by in Paris with just about $1,500 a month.
Renting an apartment as a foreigner in France is complicated.
The Quai de Jemmapes in the 10th arrondissement on the Canal Saint Martin.espiegle/Getty Images
Because tenants have so many rights, landlords almost always require a French guarantor.
It sounds cheap, but our French friends informed us we were paying more than the place was worth.
I took the train multiple times a day and occasionally rode the bus.
People enjoying a meal in one of the many restaurants located in the Passage des Panoramas, the oldest covered passage in Paris.Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images
Because of that, our food costs varied, but our average landed around $455 a month.
People enjoying a sunny day in Buttes-Chaumont park.UlyssePixel/Getty Images
The Musée Grévin and Hotel Chopin entrances located inside the Passage Jouffroy.Bruno DE HOGUES/Getty Images
