Your Digital Nomad Guide of Living in Paris, France – 5 Things to Consider when Moving to Paris @ParisAttitude

A lot of business travelers, from foreign dignitaries to exchange students, are deciding to travel to Paris on a longer-term basis rather than short-term trips. The allure of the world’s most romantic city is drawing in a whole new crowd of ‘new Parisiennes’ – The Digital Nomads!

The digital nomad trend has emerged in recent years out of the growth of online businesses, improved worldwide connectivity and the resulting increase in young professionals choosing location-independent freelancing over traditional fixed-office employment. The freedoms they enjoy as a part of this lifestyle more than make up for the lack of ‘job security’ and regular income. In the beginning, the majority of digital nomads based themselves in Southeast Asia to take advantage of super-low living costs in exotic locations, but as time goes on and freelancing opportunities increase, more digital nomads are choosing stylish European cities, like Paris, as a better location for running an online business, travelling to meetings and networking with potential clients. A European location also makes worldwide travel much easier, with many air travel hubs offering cheaper flights than major airports in Asia.

Having travelled and lived all over the world for the past 4 years, Kach and I have plenty of experience of adapting to living in new destinations, so we thought we would share some of those tips with all of you digital nomads – new and old – who are considering a move to the “City of Love” or any other European destination for that matter!

1. Language Barrier

Paris, while extremely multicultural, is not one of those cities where everyone you meet seems to speak fluent English! Step outside of the main tourist routes in the city and you may find yourself in awkward sign language mode if you haven’t prepared beforehand and learned at least some of the language. Don’t be put off by the stories you hear of Parisiennes being rude when tourists try to speak French, as most of the time this is just a case of restaurant servers who have too many people to serve to spend time teaching people to speak French! They value their service very highly, and they can do that better in English than we can in French. Get to know local people in quieter areas, and you’ll find that they have more time to listen to you practice buying a loaf of bread!

2. Accommodation – Long and Short Term Rentals in Paris

Where to stay? Get a Furnished Apartment Rental in Paris

As a digital nomad, you probably don’t want to stay in a hotel for three months, unless your budget is high and you can afford to eat out every night! Digital nomads also often prefer to keep their options open without being tied down to lengthy property contracts. That’s why short to medium term apartment rentals in Paris are the best option for this new wave of location independent expats.

What may put off some potential renters from making the change from hotel to a furnished apartment, are those unknown aspects of renting in a foreign country – where to rent, how to rent, contracts and laws, how to pay bills and services, etc. This is where Paris Attitude – a real estate agency in Paris specializing in short and long-term furnished rentals – comes into play, acting as an intermediary between local Parisian rental property owners and digital nomads looking for an easy solution to renting apartments in Paris. With their easy to use a platform, you can search for all kinds of furnished apartments by area, prices, and facilities. Many properties can be rented online and are listed as such so you can identify them quickly.

Reasons why apartments to rent in Paris is the ideal choice for digital nomads:

– Independence – Hotels are wonderful things for a short time, but can you imagine having to call reception to ask for every little thing for months at a time? No thanks!

– Cook your meals – Aside from the obvious financial benefits, sometimes we just need to do our own thing. Besides, some of us enjoy cooking!

– Faster Internet – Hotel internet can be ok, but it starts to lag a little when it’s raining, and every guest is sitting in their room using all the bandwidth! With your apartment, you can make sure you check the quality of the internet connection before you sign any contract or make any decision.

– You can choose a place that suits you – Unless you have found a boutique hotel designed especially for you, then a hotel room will be like living in a little box with no personality. You need to be free to add personal touches that make a place your own, even if only for a short time.

– To become a part of your neighborhood – In a hotel, you will always be a tourist, so you will always feel like that. Of course, that’s not a bad thing if you only plan to stay in Paris for a short time. However, if you decide to rent an apartment in Paris, then you will become part of that area. You’ll shop for your food, buy things for the home, meet your neighbors and start to feel like a part of the community. That counts for a lot when you’re living in a foreign country.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO RENTING WITH PARIS ATTITUDE:

1. Go to Paris Attitude website.
2. Choose up to 5 accommodations listed on the site that meets your needs, like location, price, style, facilities.
3. Click to submit your request to Paris Attitude, then sit back and wait for a dedicated rental consultant to contact you. They will talk you through your options and the process, before starting talks with the owners.
4. If you and the owner agree, then you can start your new life in Paris!

3.  Cost of Living

The cost of your living will depend on which district you are living and the amenities of your apartment. If you’re looking for a luxury apartment in the center of Paris, then you could be paying several thousand Euros per month, whereas a more simple apartment in one of the surrounding neighborhoods will be a lot cheaper. As well as the cost of rent, you’ll need to consider the cost of running the apartment – electric bills, gas, water, internet, all add up and will need to include in your budget.

Of course, the true value of renting an apartment in Paris is going to be in the ability to cook your own food, wash your own clothes, have your own private space and best of all, not to have to ask for permission to do anything or to have hotel staff looking over your shoulder all the time!

4. Transportation

Paris has a great public transportation network which could rival any major city in the world. You can travel the length and breadth of the city and its surrounding areas using the Metro, so there is rarely if ever, need to use a car. As with any major city, public transport is far more convenient than having to find a safe place to park near your apartment, then dealing with traffic and hourly parking as you travel around the city.

5. Nightlife and Safety

As with any city in the world, there are some areas that you just don’t want to stray into whether it’s day or night. The internet is your friend when it comes to figuring these things out, but make sure that you find information from a wide range of sources. Expat and foreign worker forums and social media groups are a great place to start so that you learn about the various areas of your new city and narrow down the areas that you would like to live in. A simple web search of, “Expats in Paris,” will give you plenty of results to get you started. Once you have found a place to live, then make sure to get to know the locals around you, as they will have the best information on where and where not to go, how to stay safe and if there are any other local risks you need to know about. As far as nightlife and general safety go, the same rules apply as for any other place in the word – good common sense will take you far!

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