Just Move to Paris

    Paris, France — your playbook for visa, housing, community, and building.

    Personalize this guide
    I'm moving to

    Showing tips specific to Paris alongside general European resources.

    Fast-growing hub with Station F, deep tech momentum, and government backing.

    Cost

    €€€

    Avg Rent

    €1,200–€1,800/mo

    Visa

    Medium

    Ecosystem

    Large (fast-growing)

    Prices are approximate and vary by neighborhood and season. Rent assumes a room in a shared flat or coliving and may exclude utilities. Snapshot as of 17 March 2026.

    1

    Sort your visa

    French Tech Visa is founder-friendly; Talent Passport for skilled workers

    2

    Find your first home

    Budget €1,200–€1,800/mo for a room or coliving.

    3

    Register your address & open a bank account

    Required in most EU countries within 2 weeks of arrival.

    4

    Plug into the community

    Luma, Meetup, or local Slack/Telegram — just show up.

    5

    Start building

    Ship something in your first week. Builders attract builders.

    Your First 30 Days in Paris

    Week-by-week playbook with tips, local registration, and banking.

    Read guide →
    16

    Hit the official overview first, then dig into the common paths below.

    Start here

    Official overview or main portal for visas and residence.

    Freelance / self-employed

    Residence permits for freelancers and self-employed.

    Hire across borders (EOR platforms)

    If an employer doesn't have an entity in your country, these platforms can hire you compliantly on their behalf. Useful to suggest to companies as an operational path.

    12

    Paris is expensive but well-served by coliving. Station F offers housing for its residents. Budget €1,200–€1,800/mo for a studio or room in central arrondissements.

    SeLoger, LeBonCoin, and PAP (no agent fees) are the main apartment platforms
    The 10th, 11th, and 13th arrondissements are popular with founders
    HackerHouse Paris offers coliving for geeks and founders; Garantme for rent guarantor
    25

    Free credits and discounts from cloud providers, AI platforms, dev tools, and more. Perks apply regardless of where you're based. Start with the directories below.

    17

    Paris's tech scene is centered around Station F, La French Tech, and a growing AI open-source community. Increasingly English-friendly.

    Station F community events are open to non-residents too
    France Digitale and La Mission French Tech run regular meetups
    Hugging Face community is EU-based and very active in Paris
    10

    Regular meetups, AI events, and local tech gatherings.

    14

    Paris hosts major hackathons anchored by Station F and top engineering schools. AI and deep tech themes dominate.

    Hi!ckathon by Hi! PARIS is the flagship AI and data science challenge
    ETHGlobal Paris draws 1,000+ builders for crypto weekends
    HackEurope runs annual 1,000+ student events across Paris, Dublin, and Stockholm
    18

    Europe's flagship tech conferences: great for fundraising, recruiting, and visibility. Most are worth traveling to from any city — so we list them Europe-wide.

    11

    Paris is home to Station F, the world's largest startup campus. Many accelerators are co-located there, plus standalone deep tech and health tech programs.

    Station F hosts 30+ programs including F/ai for AI builders
    Genopole — France's biotech biocluster with Shaker, ATIGE & Gene.iO programs
    Agoranov — deep tech incubator, strong in AI
    Wilco accelerator focuses on French startups going global
    16

    Paris's startup job market is booming, especially in AI, deep tech, health tech, and climate. French language helps but many startups operate in English.

    Welcome to the Jungle is the #1 startup job board in France
    Senior engineer salaries: €55K–€85K, higher at well-funded startups
    La French Tech Visa makes it easy for non-EU tech workers to join
    11

    Paris's VC scene has exploded. Bpifrance (government bank) co-invests in many rounds, extending runway. I-Lab and I-Nov competitions add non-dilutive capital.

    Bpifrance co-invests alongside VCs — great for extending rounds
    France Digitale lists French investors and ecosystem resources
    IR-PME (Loi Madelin) gives angel investors 18–25% tax relief (up to 50% for JEI startups)
    15

    Government grants, EU programs, and non-dilutive funding sources across Europe.

    EU grants apply to EU cities. London and Zurich have separate national programs.

    14

    AI tools that let you go from idea to working product in hours. No engineering team required.

    14

    The Métro is fast, cheap, and goes everywhere. Paris also has excellent bike infrastructure with Vélib' and dedicated lanes.

    Navigo pass: ~€86/mo for unlimited Métro, RER, bus, and tram
    Vélib' bike-share is €37/year — one of Europe's best deals
    RER trains connect to suburbs and airports; Citymapper works perfectly
    3

    Paris is a food capital. From boulangeries and bistros to world-class fine dining, eating well is a way of life here.

    Boulangeries are everywhere — budget €1.20 for a fresh baguette
    Marché d'Aligre and Marché des Enfants Rouges are top food markets
    Lunch menus (formules) at bistros: €12–18 for 2 courses. Too Good To Go and Le Fooding for savings and tips
    4

    Parisian cafe culture is iconic. While traditional cafes are more for espresso and people-watching, a growing number of specialty spots welcome laptop workers.

    Le Marais and the 10th/11th arrondissements have the best work cafes
    Anticafé offers pay-by-the-hour coworking with drinks included
    La Felicità near Station F is a food court where founders work all day
    10

    Museums, theaters, cinema, fashion — Paris is one of the world's great cultural cities. First Sundays of the month, many museums are free.

    Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Centre Pompidou are must-visits
    Under-26 EU residents get free entry to national museums
    Sortiraparis and Time Out Paris are the best guides for events and things to do
    6

    Stay current on European tech, funding rounds, ecosystem shifts, and annual reports.

    16

    Deep dives, weekly digests, and community discussions on European tech.

    13

    Founder interviews, VC insights, and European tech stories in audio and video.

    21

    Founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders shaping European tech.

    How to Move to Europe & Build Your Startup – The Complete 2026 Guide