Guest bil h Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 We've recently talked to a British person who lives in France and regularly comutes back to the UK plus all over the continent. It was said that eating in France is now more expensive than the UK. I'm not sure if buying fresh is the same. It seems the French like the UK have people moving out of towns and buying property. They have more cash available and the trend is adding to rising prices. They are also aware that the Brits are moving in, adding more fuel to the rises. The biggest downside is beurocrasy from the local Mayor to city Town Halls. And it does not improve GG for bil h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Billh , That's interesting and so is the GG and the one you had last night what does it mean ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W3526602 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hi, I find that eating/drinking out is more expensive in France. But my wife reckons that her housekeeping bill is very much lower. House (hovel) prices shot up when they converted to Euros. The peasants had to find a way of losing all the francs stashed under their matresses, without having to explain where they came from. Buying a derelict house was one favourite. Naw, probably an urban myth with just a bit of truth in it. 602 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I must contradict what has been said previously. We have lived in France for nearly 7 years and have been coming here for 20 years. The cost of living HAS increased but only the same as in the UK. As far as house prices are concerned they have increased with inflation as normal. The young people are more likely to go for a newly built property now which don't cost as much to buy as an old stone property. The law changed not long ago and you can now get a mortgage for more than 10 years, which is why so many new properties are being built. I have just had my Daughter's house valued and it is a 3 bedroomed stone semi with 2 barns ready to move into and the price is 130000/140000 euros which is still under £100000. As far as restaurants are concerned you can still get a 3 or 4 course meal at lunchtime with wine for 11 euros and the evening meals are still very reasonable for the amount of courses you are getting. Obviously in the popular seaside places you are always going to pay more as you would in the UK. We have a local Chateau and the restaurant in there is expensive, the prices range for a set meal from 14 euros to 25 euros. I do find, however, that our local weekly market for fruit and veg is a little dearer than the supermarket but the quality is better. As far as bureaucracy is concerned we have found that using the local May or's Secretary, if there is a problem or for advice, is no problem at all. Our house is situated facing the Mairie (Town Hall) and if any papers needed signing, for example when we installed the swimming pool, we left the papers with the Secretary and at the end of the working day she knocked on the window and handed them back to us signed by the Mayor. We have sorted building permits out for friends of ours who live in another Departement and again the same thing. The Mayor's office is there to help not to hinder. As far as building permits are concerned there is a 56 day rule that you must have an answer back from the Building Department. I am sorry that this is such a long post but bil h's post really got my goat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I visit France a lot, and I have found that prices in proper restaurants are far lower than comparable ones in England. Food prices are about the same, clothing more expensive. House prices are still a lot lower than UK. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrytraveller Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hi Sylvia, As you are domiciled in France I wonder if you have any thoughts on the attitude of French MH'ers to their foreign visitors when using the aires d' services for overnight stops. Is the attitiude in the French press changing towards camping cars in general ? and has it been recognised in French Camping Car magazines, the changing charging regimes on aires, ie charges where there were no charges, inclusive charges abandoned, extra charges for water etc.. I am sorry if the above seems like an inquisition, but its not often we meet a British MH'er resident in France, and I think you are very fortunate to live in such a wonderful country. Regards Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Terry, We have only had a motorhome since October, but the outings we have had and the Aires we have used the other motorhomer have been very friendly, and as you may know the French like to talk, thats why there are 4/5 words to every English word. We do buy Camping Car magazines occasionally, although our French isn't that good, but you can usually decipher whats going on. As far as we are aware there is no animosity against foreign visitors, they seem to welcome them with open arms. Of course in the cities people don't seem to have time to chat (as in the UK), but the rest of France and especially in the "sticks" as we are they are very friendly and ask you where you are going and why we do certain things. In one of the magazines each month there are write-ups of new Aires. We were on an Aire in a small village, way off the beaten track, last week and the facilities were free even to the electric hookup, but only being one it was first come first served. One of our new neighbours, who is a motorhomer of longstanding, was telling us that he arrived at an Aire with free electric and plugged in only to see a French motorhomer arrive and promptly bring out a double adapter for the electric point so they could both use it. Viva Entente Cordiale. It seems there are a few forum contributors that live over here so it would be nice to have their view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Well you have sold it to me but then it wouldn't need much selling we love france . If we could go tommorrow we would as for the eating out I think that it is dearer in England . Where can you go in England that gives you a three course meal for 11 euro's . Where can you go in england that you can park or even just pull up to the supermarket and no one stares at you because you are in a motor home . And where in England canyou go with what they have explained above to an Aire in a little town and plug in for free use the facilities I can't wait to go again . I loved the relaxed way of life and the market's selling fresh produce you can shop daily . Yes you may pay a slight bit extra but seeing the garlic and fresh carrotts and stuff that is all laid out infront of you fresh is worth it . Viva La Francis Will the last one out of England turn off the light please . ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hi all, We have owned a house in france for over 7 years, And yes the price of food as gone up, but on the whole it tastes much better then one can buy here in the UK. The taxes on the house are lower by a 3rd then we pay for are house in exmouth, the price of car insurrance is lower and of course there is no road tax, nowever we did work out that over a year, taking all things in, that if we lived in france full time, it would cost as much as living in the UK, this is due to us having to take out heath insurrance cover after the 1st year. We have found that the france enjoy their motorhoming and that services are better and in the most part free, apart from a euro or two for elec. The french will not but up with their freedom being taken from them, so I can,t see any change from the way things are for some time. As far as house prices go, there are a lot of houses for sale at lower prices then here in the UK, but prices are as allover the world going up, but I think its fair to say that our house in france over the our time of ownership as gone up by £30,000. our house in exmouth as gone up the same in two years. France as the freedom due to less people, etc. England as the better beer. terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 The good beer's in the Nort East, near the Belgian frontier, Terry! Nord and Pas de Calais. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hi, The thing is that its a long way to travel for a pint from bayeux. I always take boxes of the stuff, as I don,t like wine. On returning to the UK, its fish and chips in dorcester, very good, a curry, and a few real beers in east bud, thats the UK done for me. terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Well, Terry, you've got all that Normandy cider and calvados to play with around Bayeux.Back to the original question about costs, I don't really think one can generalise too much about the cost of fresh or restaurant food. Overall, (he says, generalising!) the cost of buying fresh food is about the same as in UK, with the proviso you adapt your diet a bit to suit the season and the region. Our supermarkets food is far less seasonal than seems the norm in France, so trying to get, for example, strawberries in December, assuming they are available at all, is a much more expensive passtime than would generally be the case in UK.In restaurants, there are quite big regional variations in prices. Leaving aside Paris, where it is possible to find reasonably proced meals if you look hard, we have found Alsace and Burgundy, and anywhere around Lyon, more expensive than average, with areas around the Loire being be better that average value. However, within that pattern there is such variation it is difficult to nail it down. The "tourist" menus are almost invariably good value but can vary from 10/12 Euros up to 35/40 Euros. However the upper limit is almost always the "Menu Gourmand" with 4 or more courses. I just can't eat that much! However, we saw a restaurant in Alsace last year that was pushing 50 Euros for a main course a la carte, which I did think was trying it on.Where I do think you generally still win over UK, is in the quality of the meal for the same price. The French don't really do light meals well, but they do provide proper, grown up, sit down meals extremely well, serve them professionally, and present them beautifully. You do, generally (again!!) feel you have been taken seriously as a customer and that they want you to enjoy what you eat.Sorry, font's gone loopy and I can't edit it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 hI, One can eat out like a king, but one needs someone local to show you the places. But picking muscles in the am and cooking them the same day in a little wine, with good mates around the table is priceless. terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bil h Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 bil h...........is making bicycles in his workshop. He asks his other half to send messages sos's I can edit them first, he gets carried away cos he's getting ancient now. (but he knows a lot) He can be a really grumpy person so don't ask him about more aiport taxes or how's the climate or he'll ask if you believe in god, if you do he says you'll believe anything. He says the object of future business is dependent on the populace becoming totaly gullable as it sells more goods. (Iraq etc) The comments on France are fair and about right. Last year we stayed at a Dutch owned Camp Site in the centre of France. It was very expensive !! Food was available in the Chataux on site. It was really crap. We had better next door for a few euros. I would avoid all Dutch sites in future. As for me, I'm GG or BB depending on which key I press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Hi, just don,t see the point in using pay sites when there are 100,s of free sites in france/germany and so on. buy the food from the markets like all the rest of the locals, and that cuts out the rip offs of fixed sites. terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Brian Kirby - 2007-03-11 1:01 PM The good beer's in the North East, ........ same as here then :-> B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 We love France and the way of life. But for us its rural France not towns. My Mrs is fluent in the lingo and I listen well! Diesel is still cheaper than the UK. Roads magnificent, open and interesting. Climate WARMer than over here by far especially as you get closer to the Med. The people are warm and welcomming (not as depicted by Charles De Gaulle at all!) But we just spent two days in the New Forest on a camp site with the MH and the Mrs and two motorbikes and trailer. £10.46. Now that takes some beating as well! Summer is comming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A W Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 To answer the post about aires. The French are very gregarious towards motorhomers of all nations which comes through loud and clear at aires,especially if you can converse in French.Despite the popular misconception they do like the Brits because of WW2 but some of the older motorhomers are not too keen on people from another certain European country. I'm always asked by the French why so few Brits use aires and I normally say its because of the fear of crime which causes a few raised eyebrows. As far as the cost of food is concerned how long is a piece of string.Some things are very expensive and others very cheap such as a kilo of prawns for 7-8€ Utilities are generally the same or slightly cheaper especially the equivilant of council tax.Secondhand cars are very very expensive. The vast majority of Brits living here will say its the best thing they've ever done. Happy travelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixter Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 For AW. Hi Alan. We are coming to Brittany shortly. Would you please send me a PM? Vixter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 The price of cars is expensive due to the tax being placed on them, but sevicing etc is around 50% or more less then here in the UK. A full 2nd service for my terrican is £120 at the main dealers, As to german motorhomers I see lots on their travels, and not all french old people dislike them, some dislike the brits, depends on their views, but thats history after all. The odd thing is going back to WW11, my french mate.s mum who is in her late 70,s as a picture of herself handing out cherrys to a groupe of tommys just outside caen, The picture is from an old newpaper clipping and its clearly shows the battalions regt, the glosters, my dads old battalion, I wonder to this day if he was one of the man in the picture, he was a boy of 16 when he landed on D-day, and he would never go back to france, he liked the germans hated the french, odd terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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