Living in the South of France sounds -and is – rather luxurious. There’s lots of sunshine, fields of peaches and vineyards, a snow capped mountain over your shoulder, and the Mediterranean off in the distance. Fortunately we can live here, as a family of five, for the same as we live on at home, in a $300,000 detached home in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. Here’s how.
We go to France for the off season, the whole off season, which nicely aligns with the school year, and then we head home for the summer high season.
By doing it that way, basic living costs; housing, food, and in our case, car and kid costs like school lunches and activities, as well as local travel, pretty nearly balanced out with the costs in Canada.
Housing is the big one. By coming to France at the end of the summer season and planning to stay through the quiet “winter” season (hah!), we had our pick of villages, and villas. The redone stone farmhouse we stayed in had a big garden and gorgeous pool. Set in peach fields just outside Thuir, with a big mimosa tree, jasmine, and mulberry trees, for 1200 euros/month plus utilities (up to 250 euros). Or $2160 Cad/month. The home owner made her main income in the summer season, at around $4900 CAD/week or $21,000 per month in summer. In Canada, after mortgage, large heating bill, utilities, property taxes, and insurance we were close to $2400/month (and rented our basement to students to help recoup costs). So, we were if anything a little ahead there.
