Living in France could cost around €90 a month more due to inflation

Rising inflation is costing households in France an average of €90 per month, a consumer association has warned.

In an analysis published on June 1, consumer magazine 60 Millions de consommateurs said that most of the extra money was going on fuel, supermarket shopping costs, and to “absorb the general rise in prices”.

According to the magazine’s inflation observatory and the NielsenIQ institute, a third of this extra cost is a result of rising energy costs, another third on transport costs, and another third on rising supermarket prices.

The magazine explains on its website that it arrived at its figures by considering the real effects of spending on fuel, energy and supermarket costs on household budgets, and how much each family or household normally spends on average.

The study said: “With a 20% increase, fuel prices are already forcing people to pay an average of €27 more per month.”

It added: “[Energy bills, which are up 25%] are causing extra deductions of an average amount of €32 per month”, while “a general 7% rise in the price of everyday consumer goods, expected this summer, will lead to an additional expenditure of €30 per household each month".

This extra consumer good spend varies considerably based on the household, it conceded, with a family paying around €38 more per month, compared to a couple without children paying €21.

Sophie Coisne, editor-in-chief of the magazine, told FranceInfo: “Most people in France are very worried about this inflation. Some families are having to be extremely careful with their food budget.

“If you imagine that a family is living on a food budget of €300 per month, and you take away €30, that’s 10% of their budget. That’s huge!”

She said that “pleasure items” or treats including clothes, but also food, were likely the first to disappear. Fresh meat, fish, and fruit and vegetables could also be at risk, Ms Coisne said.

It comes as inflation rose again in France in May, at 5.2% over a year. This is the first time that it has risen above the 5% mark in 37 years, said the national statistics bureau, Insee.

The trend is set to continue; Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire this week said that high inflation rates are “going to last several months”.

Ms Coisne added that fuel prices had started to rise in France even before the war in Ukraine.

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