How Much Does Paris Really Cost in 2026: 30 Real Prices

Food and drink: 9 prices to know

Restaurant prices vary a lot with the neighbourhood and the type of place. The coffee prices come from our guide to the best cafés in Paris; beer and wine prices come from surveys of Paris bars.

The baguette price is a national average: wealthier Paris neighbourhoods sit slightly above it. The meal price is a crowd-sourced estimate, to be taken as an order of magnitude. To spot inflated bills, read our advice on tourist traps in restaurants.

Transport: 7 prices to know

Public transport fares are set at regional level and have applied since 1 January 2026. The details of each pass are in our comparison Navigo or Paris Visite.

The Navigo Easy pass, which you load the tickets onto, costs €2 extra. To compare ways of reaching the centre, see getting from the airport to central Paris and our page on taxis in Paris; for cycling, Paris by bike.

Sights and leisure: 8 prices to know

Museum tickets should be booked in advance. The amounts below match our attraction pages: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Musée d'Orsay.

The Paris Museum Pass only pays off if you string several sites together: do the sums with our comparison of Paris passes. The permanent collections of the city's museums are free: see our free museums in Paris.

Sleeping and what is free: 6 prices to know

These hotel rates exclude the tourist tax and vary a lot with the dates: see our guide to hotels by budget. For toilets, read where to find public toilets; for water, tap water in Paris. We give no price for SIM cards: the offers change too fast, so see our guide to eSIM and SIM cards for France.

Paris compared with London, New York and Tokyo

We compare only what can be checked against official fares: the price of a single urban transit ride. Currencies are not converted, because exchange rates move every day.

The other items (beer, hotel, restaurant) are not compared: we found no consistent, reliable data across these four cities.

7 tips to pay less

1. Choose the counter. An espresso at the counter often costs half as much as indoors; keep the big terraces for a break, not for every coffee. See the best cafés in Paris.
2. Rely on free activities and museums. Parks, permanent collections, first Sundays: check the free activities in Paris and the free museums.
3. Compare the single ticket and the pass. For a short stay, the €2.55 ticket is often enough; the €12.30 Navigo Day pass only pays off from five rides. Details in Navigo or Paris Visite.
4. Fill your bottle. Tap water and the fountains are free and safe to drink: the tap water guide.
5. Pay without fees. A card with no foreign fees avoids a commission on every purchase: paying and withdrawing money in Paris.
6. Do not leave a percentage. Service is included in the displayed price, and tipping is optional: see tipping in France.
7. Book museums online. You skip the queues and see the exact price before paying; the full plan is in Paris on a small budget.

Prices checked in October 2026; some rates in the "Checked in" column date from September 2026.

Going further

To turn these benchmarks into a budget, start with Paris on a small budget, then choose your transport ticket with Navigo or Paris Visite. If you are unsure about where to stay, our guide to hotels by budget details the neighbourhoods and price ranges.