83: The Cost of Living in France and a Preview for Our Drive Across France with Family

Welcome to the 83rd weekly post of our Baby Boomers Move to France blog.

We are into our 55th week in France 8/16-8/22/26 having spent 3 months in Duras and then roughly a month and a half in St Germaine de Confolens before settling in Chabanais.

We have been in our home in the village of Chabanais in the Charente department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region of France since the middle of December 2025. You might remember that we actually closed on the house on Thanksgiving Day, but it took a couple of weeks to get fully moved in.

Our home in Chabanais, France

Things on the agenda this week:

• A long list of to-dos to get ready for our family visit
• Lunch at Cafe Lillian on Monday
• Pick up the van for the family vacation in Bordeaux
• French class
• Golf
• Clean house
• Pack

Weather forecast:

Definite cooling trend is forecasted for Chabanais. Forecasted high temp of 34C (93F). Overnight lows getting down to 15C (59F). Slight chance of rain and a little breezy. When we pick up the rental van on Saturday we are looking at a high of 23C (73F). I can definitely live with that.

Why this Blog?

Long story short, we are Mark and Elizabeth Beiley, “Baby Boomers” that have moved from Venice, Florida to the beautiful French countryside as retirees. After a little over a year of planning and fretting we sold everything in Venice and made the move on 1 August 2025.

We publish a brief update of our adventures every Sunday to share our experiences, tips and mistakes.

If you are wondering what got into our head and inspired us to make the move, check out some of our earlier posts. Again, if you have questions about our adventure, drop your questions in the comment section below.

This Weeks Daily Update

Sunday: Cindy and Don arrive in Paris, then fly on to Geneva. Rain overnight so the weather cooled off a bit Sunday morning, and the veggie garden got a good soaking.

Coffee and some cantaloupe for breakfast then time to check off some to-dos after our Duolingo French lessons.

EB wanted to stain the small table tops this morning and my job was to make a run to the glass bottle recycling station and start taking down some of the shade sails. We don’t want to leave the shade sails up while we are gone. If it rains, we are concerned that they will fill up with water and possibly get damaged. It is an easy task to take them down and put them back up when we are ready.

EB used the same stain that we used on the Coop since we had plenty of it. The table tops look better than ever.

Saturday night was stiflingly hot, so sleep was not easy. Elizabeth decided to take a nap and Rosie joined her. I wanted to get a little banjo practice in. It cooled off nicely in the evening, so we went up to the terrasse and relaxed and played a game of Rummikub. There was a lot of cloud cover so no star gazing. We stretched out on the couches and I fell asleep. When I woke up the sky was clear and the stars were out. Beautiful!

Monday: Cool morning and we got a couple of chores done

After coffee and a cantaloupe for breakfast on the terrasse it was time for Duolingo.

EB had made reservations for lunch at Cafe Lillian. We walked over and had Gammon steak and an oeuf and frits (ham and egg and French fries), and a coke. Delicious. Then we had a piece of homemade pie and coffee. EB had coffee American and I had a Cafe au Lait. Good stuff.

Tonight we put out trash for pick up Tuesday morning. We are trying not to generate too much trash before our trip next week. Next Monday we drive to Aix les Bains.

Elizabeth kicked my butt on Marbles. We played with the crazy red marble.

Tuesday: Nice morning. EB volunteers at the CSF shop.

EB volunteered at the CSF shop and I did a couple of chores. Rosie kept me company. EB had stopped by the post office to mail our absentee ballot requests. Unfortunately, there was some hiccup with the postage, so she brought it all back home. She says it will be better if we give it to Cindy and have her send it while in the states. Postage is free from anywhere in the states.

After lunch we went to the Brico Depot in Confolens we were looking for some rocks so that I can fill in some thin areas on the terrasse. Wow, for a 25 kg bag they want 15 euros for matching rock. We went for the 6 euro bag, it doesn’t match but it will work.

We wanted to get a timer for the veggie patch watering. We decided that the timer is not worth it. We are expecting rain (not to mention that the ONLY timer they had was 50 euros!).

We then went to the really cheapy store, I forgot the name and picked up some decorator pillows and a couple of small end tables for the terrasse. Then we did a little grocery shopping.

We finished our Duolingo lessons and decided to have a refreshing drink. EB mixed what is called a Limoncello to enjoy in the Coop. Nice evening for it.

Speaking of French lessons, EB found a very short immersive class that just started in Chabanais. We will check into it after we get back from our vacance (vacation). I got a message from the car rental agency that was asking about what we needed. We already booked a 7 passenger van. I reiterated what we wanted and that we already booked it. I mentioned that we could pick the van up in Limoges or Angouleme if that would be better. I got a message back and they said they were working on an option to pick up in Angouleme, but it would be an additional 400 euros at least. WHAT?? That is crazy! I told them, “No way tres cher” (very expensive).

Wednesday: Cool in the morning and stayed pretty mild all day. I see our old stomping grounds in Venice, Florida have a heat advisory and a heat index up to 112F until 7PM, Thank goodness for AC in Florida! Hope all are peeps are well in the Sarasota area!

After coffee in the coop and a light breakfast EB agreed to fill in for another volunteer who was under the weather at the CSF shop from 10AM to 1PM.

I did my Duolingo lesson and went to the dechetterie. They were closed for the day, so I’ll have to wait until Thursday. I did some other chores and little projects and just about the time I was finished EB got home. We had some lunch and just chilled.

French class

We had a couple of people absent this week, but we had a lively lesson. EB mentioned that after we get back from our vacation that we would like to have the class at our house one time for the lesson and Apero. We will see how it goes.

We had a beer at Cafe des Sport after class and Stewart joined us and we had a brief discussion about how he doesn’t understand how the US elected Trump again. I said, well he promised no wars and to lower cost of living. He basically said that he rests his case. Of course I get it, I didn’t vote for Trump no matter what he promised. Didn’t vote for him the first go ’round either even though I was a registered Republican. I changed back to Democrat after he won the first time.

Thursday: A little rain overnight and a cooler morning

After coffee in the Cocktail Coop, I walked over to the boulangerie for a baguette and EB picked some tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers from the veggie patch for our salad.

I finally got the dechetterie run done. Wow the place was busy. There was a line of cars out into the street. A lot of cars with trailers full of stuff kind of clogged up the system.

I also went over to Saint Junien to talk with the representative at the Orange store. I cancelled our internet service that we had with them a couple of months ago (at least I thought we had) and turned in all of the equipment back then, but they are still sending us an invoice every month. These things are always a little daunting because of my lack of French language. I was able to explain my issue then the agent started getting into stuff that I didn’t understand. He typed what he wanted me to understand on his translate app and we got it straightened out. Bottom line, he is not able to cancel our internet. I have to call the help line for that. He gave me the phone number to call the English speaking rep. I don’t know why the guy that we talked to months ago didn’t explain that. Anyway, I think it is all resolved now.

While I did that EB worked on the “Summer House”. By the way the insurance guy officially calls it a “veranda” for insurance purposes. EB got it looking great and we are all ready for our guests.

Golf

Ron and I played 36 holes of golf. Ron had something like 3 or was it 4 Birdies and a bunch of pars. I did manage a couple of pars but I’m struggling a bit around the greens. Ron suggested an improvement for around the green and it instantly helped. It was another one of those days where some other golfer showed up in my place. All of you golfers know what I mean.

We made a pizza and EB made her awesome salad and we played a game of Mexican train on the terrasse until it got too dark.

We watched one episode of Ted Lasso, and we were ready for bed.

Friday: Beautiful day for getting some chores done and getting ready for our trip.

I ran over to the boulangerie and we had a snack for breakfast and got to work.

We cleaned up the house, took down the remaining shade sails, and dismantled the terrasse umbrella in preparation for our leaving on Monday.

Afterwards we had some lunch and by 15:30 (3:30PM) we were relaxing.

Saturday: Cool morning 10C (50F)

First thing in the morning is pick up the travel van in Bordeaux then Ron and Michelle are coming over for Apero.

I was apprehensive about the actual vehicle. Will they follow through and set us up with a 7 passenger van with room for luggage? Will it be comfortable? We are renting from a company called Sixt. They assured us it will be all fine. Fingers crossed.

We left the house at about 7:30 and after roughly a 2 hour drive to the rental site we pulled into the parking area and saw the van. It is a “VW Multivan”, and I must say that it definitely met with our expectations. It is a very nice vehicle comfortable with plenty of room and a ton of bells and whistles that we will have to figure out. I was able to set up AppleCar Play and got Maps running and connected to listen to the Sticky Fingers Banjo podcast during the drive home. EB drove the Dacia home while I drove the VW.

We got home after noon, had lunch then headed over to Super U for some groceries. We took the VW so EB could get a look at it.

We were looking forward to Ron and Michelle coming over for a round of Rummikub. They had not played the game before, and we were super happy to show them how to play. Michelle struggled in the early rounds but on the very last round she pulled out all of the stops and was victorious. Conveniently, I don’t remember the final score but Michelle beat us all. Beginners luck? Or just smart play? A little of both? The rest of us played well just not well enough. All had fun which of course is the main objective.

Russ came over while the game was underway and he watched Michelle’s victory. He also shared very interesting information about game theory. He did his PhD thesis on the subject. I don’t know anything about game theory so was intrigued by his discussion. It makes me want to do a little research. It is always a treat to have Russ come over.

After everyone left, Elizabeth and I had one more glass of wine then called it a night. Sunday would be a busy day of packing, doing laundry and last-minute details before our Monday drive to Aix les Bain and the French Alps. This will be the start of our trip with Cindy, Don, Dan and Rhonda.

Our trip will include meeting up with Don and Cindy in Aix les Bains where Cindy will compete in the 2026 IBCPC International Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Festival. After roughly a week in Aix the four of us will jump into the VW van and drive to Annecy to spend a couple of days, then to the Geneva airport to pick up Dan and Rhonda after their flight from Los Angeles International airport via Paris Charles de Gaull airport and then on to Dijon. The six of us will drive to the pickup point for our five day river barge trip in the Burgandy area of France (many thanks to Don). Then the gang will drive back to Chabanais for a few days at our house. Don and Cindy had stayed with us back in February, so they pretty much know the village. We are looking forward to showing Dan and Rhonda our little village, introducing them to Ron and Michelle and also Ian and Penny at the Cafe Lillian. EB and I are thinking we will drive the six of us to the very pretty village of Rochechourt and maybe the historic Oradour sur Glane and generally recharge in Chabanais. Then we will go to Loubes Bernac for a couple of days. It will be our base camp for trips into Duras, and the surrounding area. Then on to the beautiful city of Bordeaux on the Garone River. Overall, a trip east across France to the French Alps and then back west back to the west coast and Bordeaux.

So that was our week.

We got some chores checked off of the list. We attended French class, chatted with fellow students at Cafe des Sport, got the house ready for our guests, I played golf with Ron. EB and I picked up the van in preparation for our adventure.

French Lifestyle and Culture

Cost of living if retiring in France

I have talked about this topic in previous postings but as we settle into our new life in France, we are beginning to understand our actual expenses and our budget. I’m not saying that we have it all figured out, but we are getting there. Since we have been in France for just over a year now, I thought that it is a good time to revisit our current situation and this might be of interest to anyone thinking about retiring to France.

As I have mentioned before, a person wanting to retire to France full time must be able to show a minimum income of around 1478 euros per person per month. That is the French minimum wage and is about USD 1730. So, a couple needs about USD3500 per month to qualify for the long-term visitor visa. Can you live on that? That might be a little tight if you have to pay rent or a mortgage and have a monthly car payment and insurances and etc. That said, expenses in France for housing, transportation and insurances tend to be much lower when compared to the states although as with everywhere the prices rise annually.

If you want to retire to France you need to budget for the upfront costs of visas, health insurance, home purchase and settling in costs. As you know we hired a “hand holding service” to help us navigate the French bureaucracy and also help us get our feet on the ground. There are so many things other than the visa to consider, and you will want to be sure that you pick the correct visa for your situation. I highly recommend checking a service out, especially if you don’t speak French fluently. There are a lot of such service companies and if you go that route you will want to find one that fits your style and that you are comfortable with. This will take a little research.

For the French people the cost of medical care is part of the income taxes and is universal. There is almost no out of pocket at the point of care. Even expats from the United States benefit from the French universal health care system. We know that the current cost of universal health care for the French government is not sustainable so we expect our medical expenses as American expats will eventually not be free. We will have to participate financially. That said, all predictions and projections suggest that the cost will still be reasonable as compared to the states and have almost no out of pocket cost at the point of care. This makes sense and we are happy to participate in paying for one of the best health care systems in the world. France is also VERY pro active on healthcare and want you to be healthy and not wait to have things checked out. Every 2 years once you reach 60 you get a Bilan de Sante which is a health screening.

Our lifestyle is pretty simple and low key, but comfortable. Our average monthly expenses are roughly 3500 euros that is roughly USD4100 at today’s exchange rate. We think that we can get that down a little, but it currently fits within our budget.

We are lucky in that the proceeds from the sale of our home and cars in Florida paid for our home and car here in France. Yes, we have only one car now, but it works for our retired life in France. Actually, we were able to invest a good portion of those proceeds and are pretty much still living off of what remains of those proceeds now. The bottom line is that if you want to live abroad it is possible and there are plenty of places in the world that are very welcoming.

All that said, the experience of living in France is priceless for us.

Next Week (la Semaine Prochaine)

• TRAVEL WITH FAMILY IN FRANCE

Weather forecast for next week

The cooling trend continues for Chabanais. Forecasted high temp of 32C (89F). Overnight lows getting down to 15C (59F). There is a high percentage chance of rain throughout the week in Chabanais. Pretty much the same in Aix, where we will be for the next week.

Signing off for the week

As always, we sign off wishing you all a good week and remind you to take care of yourselves and your family.

Keep in touch and leave questions, suggestions and comments below. We really enjoy hearing from you all.

Wishing you a good week (Bonne Semaine)

Mark and Elizabeth Beiley

Babyboomersmovetofrance.com