Moving to France — the nitty gritty
In “Moving to France — Trying, Anyway” I chronicled the steps I took to be able to live in France for a year, and my first steps in finding a rental apartment and setting up a bank account.
I’m over one month in now and can provide more of the nitty-gritty, although it’ll probably take another 6 months for everything to run smoothly, and not waste money because of beginner errors.
I’m not wealthy, but I was pretty much priced out of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s impossible to buy real estate if you don’t have a good Silicon Valley income, and renting is also expensive, and risky, as rents go up more often than they go down. I am praying that the dollar doesn’t succumb to the political battles taking place in Washington DC. The US Dollar is lower than it was last year, and for the first time, I realized that getting your income in another currency than that of the country you are living in, can be risky.
The city of Nice feels like home, despite the challenges. I was raised in Europe (or Europe-influenced countries) during my childhood and teenage years, and European culture is what I’m still accustomed to. New York City is wonderfully multicultural, but having lived there for 22 years, I don’t feel like going back, except to see my friends. I lived in big cities for most of my life, but now, although I still like city life, I’d like something less hectic, and Nice fits the bill.
However, there are many challenges.
Banking
It’s quite a battle to open a bank account as an American. As a matter of fact, even if you have another passport — which is not my case — you still need to let the financial institution know that you are American (too). US laws have become incredibly difficult to follow because of FATCA — Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. Most banks don’t want to touch Americans with a ten-foot pole. The Société Générale sent us packing, and directed us elsewhere. Banks we know/have heard of who take on US clients: HSBC (soon to change ownership) and Crédit Agricole.
Note: There is a person who, it seems, assists foreigners with opening French bank accounts. If you need her contact, please send me a message.
Housing
As for housing, after finishing up my guest points on HomeExchange — which was great, as I was able to sample three different neighborhoods: Vauban/Riquier, Meridia (in a totally new neighborhood all the way west, with cranes all over), and St. Laurent du Var (right outside Nice, to the west), I found it impossible to rent a home. BEP Logement was a huge (and costly) disappointment; after the first few days, there was nothing new coming up. I tried a few other websites that didn’t charge in advance, but it was so daunting to find anything that we rented an Airbnb (in yet another neighborhood, close to the Promenade) for a few weeks, and then we’ll move into a studio belonging to friends for a couple of months.
Buying appears to be easier than renting for an outsider. We found a realtor from Arthurimmo, by coincidence, walking by the agency on Av. de la République in Riquier, while we were waiting for another realtor to finally get back to us. Carmen Gabriele understood our needs immediately and volunteered to look for homes within our guidelines. We visited apartment after apartment, and may have made a choice. Again — if you need her contact information, please let me know.
If you don’t speak good French, you will need to pay a translator during the contract(s) signing at the notaire’s office. Notaires, in France, handle the work of attorneys (in the USA) when it comes to real estate, family law…
Note: When purchasing property, you may need to prove your personal situation, with paperwork proving marriage, widowhood, divorce, separation.
Other note: In some buildings, drains can be stinky. I’ve been using the boiling water then baking soda + vinegar method to keep the smell at bay.
Exchange rates
You have to do your homework before trying to get cash at an ATM, a bank, or a money change office. Rates and fees change from one bank ATM to another. I was burned by the fee at BNP-Paribas, but Société Générale didn’t charge any; instead I chose between having them provide an exchange rate or letting my US bank do it. I chose my bank, and it turned out to be the right choice (I was able to verify the same day). I tried LCL and cancelled the transaction after I saw their fee.
Even wiring money will have different fees from one US bank to the other. You may not incur a fee while sending, but the recipient might be dinged upon receipt of the funds. Again, trial and error, and homework.
Public transportation
Within Nice, there are currently 3 tramway lines. Single tickets cost €1.70 but since July 1, 2023, you need to purchase a refillable 2 euro “La Carte,” the ticket can be used by more than one person. The same ticket takes you on bus trips outside the city on the Lignes d’Azur lines, as long as you don’t exceed 74 minutes and only go in one direction. The SNCF train goes along the coast.
You can also buy an annual subscription, if you’re living here. That in my experience is more complicated and may or may not work online. I had to go to the Espaces Mobilité Lignes d’Azur at 33 Bd. Dubouchage (entrance is on Rue Blacas). In july it was mayhem, but a month later things had calmed down, and I paid 180 euros, plus 12 for the card itself, as a senior over 65, for an annual card (Ma Carte). You need an ID photo (that they scan). I managed to lose my card a week later; I went back as soon as I noticed, and they replaced it for 12 euros (and canceled the old one).
Garbage and recycling
Dear readers, you may find it strange that this is an important subject for me! The city of San Francisco trained me well (SF does compost, paper-cardboard-plastic-metal-glass, and whatever is left over).
In France, most buildings have bins for regular garbage and others, with yellow covers, for “emballages,” i.e. plastic, metal, cardboard; but not paper and glass. Those go into containers on the street, that you’ll find all over a city; and do not put cardboard into the paper receptacle!
I haven’t figured out how to scrutinize the symbols on plastic wrappings to be sure where to put it, regular garbage or emballages. It’s also sometimes to difficult to make the difference between cardboard and paper. I assume catalogs, including their covers, are paper. A suivre!
Buying food
One thing that will put joy in anyone’s heart is food in France, and in the south you have the added benefit of often nice, fresh, local produce.
- Bread is usually purchased in a boulangerie (bakery) and the boulangerie will often also have a pâtisserie (pastry shop), and lunchtime meals such as sandwiches, quiches, etc. I found that even if you wrap up your bread and store it, it still gets hard in a couple of days, so if you buy too much for your meal, then it’s a good idea to freeze it. Then you can defrost it and toast it (pain grillé); if it’s good quality bread, it’ll taste very good, too. You can make pain perdu (“lost bread” i.e. French toast) or bread pudding, too.
- Cheese is usually very affordable. I never understood why California-produced cheese was often more expensive than imported cheese. If you buy Brie or Camembert at the supermarket, it’ll usually be too firm, and you should leave it on the counter for a few hours, if not more, before cutting into it.
- There are many farmers’ markets, but sometimes I’m disappointed. The one item I’ve really been enjoying from Nice markets is tomatoes.
- Mangoes are expensive, and even avocados come all the way from South America. Bananas, on the other hand, either come from Africa or Martinique/Guadeloupe.
- I haven’t found decent fresh celery yet. Kale is hard to locate, maybe it’ll be easier in the winter.
- Meat and fish are tasty and not ruinous.
- You won’t always find your favorite American cereal brand.
… We could go on and on about food in France, of course…
To sum some confusing issues up:
- Americans have trouble opening bank accounts in France (and in other countries too)
- Any person arriving without contacts will have trouble finding a non-Airbnb rental, especially approaching the summer months, or even an Airbnb in Nice in general for that matter. There are temporary rental agencies, it takes some time to find the right one.
- Real estate sales laws are different here. Bids above the asking price are illegal. Buyers either make an offer below the posted price or at the price. If there are several offers, the owner decides who gets the home. They don’t have to let you know their reasoning. They may find it safer to sell to a local person, or at least to a French person, because it might appear less complicated. They may prefer to sell to someone who doesn’t need a mortgage, as mortgages can fall through.
- Real estate selling norms are also different. Nobody bothers to stage their home. The prospective buyer needs to use their imagination to look beyond the old furniture, the bric à brac, the hoarding (in some cases!), etc.
- Everything needs patience and perseverance! (And it’s useful to speak French, too.)
And the inexpensive Sunday fun breaks! By public transportation!
- From Nice you can take the SNCF train to Ventimiglia, just over the Italian border. The seashore is not especially interesting, and the restaurants near the seashore even less. But you can cross the river and climb up to the old city, which is fascinating. The gelato doesn’t hurt, either!
- The 19 bus (starting in the Vauban bus station) will take you to Tourrette-Levens. On a Sunday, all the restaurants were closed, except for The Kiosque (a food-truck style snackbar offering sandwiches, crêpes, waffles, coffee, soft drinks, and more, all very good and not expensive). The castle is open; you go up a hill, over paths and stairs, and reach the top where the Château is located. The view is fabulous; there is a room that shows all the wildlife in the region according to altitude; and a small, free museum in the tower, that shows the history of Tourrette-Levens within the regional history and an enormous collection of butterflies, moths, beetles, and more: absolutely fascinating.
