Budgeting App for Expats in France

France uses the euro.¹ If a bank turns you down for an account, the Banque de France can designate one that must open a basic account for anyone living in France, whatever their nationality.² The tax-free Livret A savings account is open to anyone, with no nationality or French tax residence condition.³ A French current account for daily life plus an account in your home currency covers most of what you'll need.

Borderless Budget connects to major French banks including BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, La Banque Postale, and BoursoBank through secure bank connections, and your accounts in the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein connect too.

Major banks for expats

• BNP Paribas
• Crédit Agricole
• Société Générale
• La Banque Postale
• BoursoBank

Cash vs. card culture

Cards now lead in French shops: in 2024 card payments outnumbered cash payments at points of sale for the first time.⁴ Keeping a few euros in cash for markets and small cafés does no harm.

Housing is where Paris stands apart. Private rents came to €12.80 per m² in the Bordeaux area and €13.70 in Montpellier in 2025, against €27.30 in Paris.⁵ Overall consumer prices were up 3.1% in the year to September 2026.⁶

The European Central Bank publishes euro reference rates every working day¹⁰. If you earn in dollars, a move of a few percent in that rate changes what the same month in France costs you.

Transferring money to France

• Within the EU, a bank must charge the same for a euro payment to another EU country as for the same payment at home, transfers between accounts included.¹¹ Moving euros from a German or Spanish account to a French one costs what a domestic transfer does.
• Dollars, pounds and other currencies are a different story. Compare your bank's exchange rate with a specialist transfer service before each transfer, and look at the rate, not only the fee.
• Keep enough euros in your French account at the start of the month so rent never depends on that day's rate.
• If you're paid in another currency, one fixed monthly transfer is easier to budget than several small ones.

Borderless Budget tracks all of your accounts, your home-country bank, your French bank, and services like Wise or Revolut, in a single dashboard. Exchange rates update daily, so your budget always reflects where things actually stand.

• French income tax is progressive. The 2026 scale for 2025 income is 0% up to €11,497, then 11%, 30% and 41%, and 45% above €180,294.¹²
• The scale applies per share (part) of the household: a household's taxable income is divided by its number of shares, so a couple with €84,000 is taxed as two shares of €42,000.¹²
• Income tax is withheld from salaries and pensions as you receive them.¹³ Budget from your net pay after withholding.
• The US taxes its citizens on worldwide income from all sources, wherever they live.¹⁴ The United States has an income tax treaty with France.¹⁵

1. Budget your French life in euros. Rent, groceries and the Navigo pass are all in EUR, and converting each one in your head adds noise, not clarity.
2. Set aside the deposit before you sign. For an unfurnished flat it can't exceed one month's rent excluding charges, and for a furnished flat two months.¹⁶
3. If you're employed in France, your employer must offer every employee a top-up health plan (mutuelle) and pay at least 50% of its cost.¹⁷ Check your payslip so you don't pay for a second one.
4. If you're employed in the Paris region, claim your employer's half of the Navigo pass, which brings €90.80 down to €45.40.⁷
5. A Livret A savings account pays 1.7% a year, tax-free, on up to €22,950.³ It works well as an emergency fund in euros.
6. Keep your home-country bills, like subscriptions, loans and phone plans, in their own currency so you can see what France actually costs you.

Connect your French and home-country banks

Link your BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, or other French bank alongside your home-country bank. Transactions from all accounts sync automatically into one dashboard.

Budget in EUR and your home currency

Your budget is set in your home currency, and Borderless Budget automatically converts every transaction, whether it's in euro or your home currency. You can toggle any transaction to see the original currency amount. Exchange rates update daily, so your budget always reflects reality.

Automatic categorization

Transactions from French merchants are automatically categorized. Categorization improves as you use the app, learning your patterns across both currencies, so you spend less time sorting transactions and more time living your life in France.

See the impact of exchange rates

When exchange rates shift, your combined budget view updates automatically. You'll see exactly how currency movements affect your overall spending, no surprises, no guesswork.