France expences?

Question

I'm going to be entering a study abroad progrma in august of 2008. I was wondering, what sorts of items will be more expensive. I'm only attending high school, so any like little everyday items.. deoderant, make-up, advil, ect imput would be great:)

Answer 1

You don't say where you are from so I will simply assume you are American.

The retail cost of almost everything was slightly higher than in America to begin with because of distributional inefficiencies relative to the American market and generally higher costs related to higher taxes in France.

These have been made considerably worse by the fall of the Dollar relative to the Euro.

So expect just about everything to be more expensive than in the USA.

Answer 2

Just returned from Paris and areas in Northern France. France is not terribly expensive. And Paris is not near as expensive as London. On everday items - go to an apothecary (drugstore) anywhere in France.  They have many reasonably priced, everyday items that you might need.  Easy to shop and friendly people. Just make sure to greet people that you want to talk to. Say "Bonjour" - they will appreciate any attempt you make to speak French.

The only things that I found in France that was pricey were some of the restaurants and shows.  

Basically, you get what you pay for just like anywhere else.