# Considering Moving to Montpellier



## Rosa_F

Hi everyone, I am currently living in Malta and am looking to possibly relocate to France. Montpellier keeps showing up on my radar, so I thought I would come and explore this summer. I have read a thread that is 10 years old about where the nicest areas to live are, but I'm sure things have changed a lot since then! 

I could use some advice about decent neighbourhoods for singles, with good transportation and amenities. 

Also, do you recommend any particular private health insurance company? I will be needing that too. 

Many thanks in advance. 
Rosa


----------



## tardigrade

a few posts or posters might help you on this thread









Montpellier or Lyon, which would you choose?


I have posted before about our move over in this thread: Spouse of French citizen planning a move but keeping US... This is a bit of a shot in the dark but maybe some folks here have some opinions or thoughts. We are inching closer to our move from the US to France this fall...




www.expatforum.com


----------



## papaia

Rosa_F said:


> Hi everyone, I am currently living in Malta and am looking to possibly relocate to France. Montpellier keeps showing up on my radar, so I thought I would come and explore this summer. I have read a thread that is 10 years old about where the nicest areas to live are, but I'm sure things have changed a lot since then!
> 
> I could use some advice about decent neighbourhoods for singles, with good transportation and amenities.
> 
> Also, do you recommend any particular private health insurance company? I will be needing that too.
> 
> Many thanks in advance.
> Rosa


Moved with my wife here, from the US, approx seven months ago. Been to France before, in multiple places, and - so far - I think we made the right choice (climate / area / people / cost of living optimization). They're building like crazy, all over, so even after our last visit (two years ago) we found many new residential spaces, and probably associated dynamics of living hard to capture in an easy description.

We chose (for now) [Nouveau] Saint Roch area, for proximity to the city (down/old town?!?) and train (SNCF). Public transportation as serviced by the city (TAM), then the larger reaching one (LiO) is fantastic (with the note that we were coming from the underdeveloped nation of USA, in this regard, thus maybe the very positive surprise), and once we acquired electrical bicycles, reaching the beach or any of the areas around Herault (department to which Montpellier belongs) became even more exciting (and - again unlike the US - the cycling lanes are very well marked and protected), as could be seen here and here. And talk about walking in the middle of the night, with no fear of getting a gun in our face, as it used to be the risk in Chicago.

I personally love our mayor, also, for what he's doing with the city, and whom I met more than once, in the streets, like a regular guy, walking and willing to talk even with the likes of us, coming from a city where the leadership had to block multiple streets and intersections and bring along many troops, when deciding to descend into the agora.

HTH


----------



## Rosa_F

Many thanks for that information!

May I ask as far as accommodation costs, how much would a 2-bedroom space (flat or house) cost to rent per month (plus utilities) in this [Nouveau] Saint Roch area that you mentioned? (It sounds ideal and personal safety is a huge consideration for a single woman.) Also, would you be able to recommend a realtor who also works with rental properties?

I looked at the links you sent and the green spaces look fantastic, even though I don't ride a bike (I DO walk a lot though).


----------



## Rosa_F

tardigrade said:


> a few posts or posters might help you on this thread
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Montpellier or Lyon, which would you choose?
> 
> 
> I have posted before about our move over in this thread: Spouse of French citizen planning a move but keeping US... This is a bit of a shot in the dark but maybe some folks here have some opinions or thoughts. We are inching closer to our move from the US to France this fall...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.expatforum.com


Thank you! I have looked and the women's group mentioned in that thread looks very promising.


----------



## papaia

Rosa_F said:


> Many thanks for that information!
> May I ask as far as accommodation costs, how much would a 2-bedroom space (flat or house) cost to rent per month (plus utilities) in this [Nouveau] Saint Roch area that you mentioned? (It sounds ideal and personal safety is a huge consideration for a single woman.) Also, would you be able to recommend a realtor who also works with rental properties?
> I looked at the links you sent and the green spaces look fantastic, even though I don't ride a bike (I DO walk a lot though).


As always, the right answer is "it depends". For the likes of us, coming here with no (at least last xx years, since the wife left France, originally) French financial/tax history, acquiring a rental was very difficult, and no normal trajectory worked (a lot of rental agencies chase folks with reliable data). Add to this the fact that (not clear from your original post) you may have an extra challenge for a visa of sorts, if not associated somehow with France, via some family ties, and I would be very cautious before getting to actual numbers. I will let the much, much more experienced folks point you to maybe old articles here, on what all this entails. If you just want a cost estimate - I'd say a 2 bedroom (+ dining room, separate from the two, or what it's called here a T3) could be anywhere between €700-€1000+/month, before any utilities. If you qualify for some low income criteria, rent could be lower, maybe a little outside the city. 

But *PLEASE* do not use my comments as data to count on, when deciding to move - I am way too much of a newbie, still trying to understand the mechanisms here, to bet a move from another country on single few months observations.


----------



## Rosa_F

papaia said:


> As always, the right answer is "it depends". For the likes of us, coming here with no (at least last xx years, since the wife left France, originally) French financial/tax history, acquiring a rental was very difficult, and no normal trajectory worked (a lot of rental agencies chase folks with reliable data). Add to this the fact that (not clear from your original post) you may have an extra challenge for a visa of sorts, if not associated somehow with France, via some family ties, and I would be very cautious before getting to actual numbers. I will let the much, much more experienced folks point you to maybe old articles here, on what all this entails. If you just want a cost estimate - I'd say a 2 bedroom (+ dining room, separate from the two, or what it's called here a T3) could be anywhere between €700-€1000+/month, before any utilities. If you qualify for some low income criteria, rent could be lower, maybe a little outside the city.
> 
> But *PLEASE* do not use my comments as data to count on, when deciding to move - I am way too much of a newbie, still trying to understand the mechanisms here, to bet a move from another country on single few months observations.


Thank you for your willingness to share what you do know with someone who knows less than you. 

I am an European citizen (also a Canadian citizen) and I have lived in the European Union for the past 6 years (in Spain and Malta). So, there is no need for a visa, as I can legally work and live anywhere in the E.U.

If anyone is familiar with a rental agency they can recommend, I would be grateful. I assume first and last month is what is required for a rental, plus a letter from the current landlord confirming you are a reliable person? (As an aside, none of these are required to rent in Malta!)


----------



## davegreen

Hello,
I think papaia assessment is fairly accurate, especially around price. Montpellier is a sort of all year round town with tourists in the summer and students in the winter, because of that accommodation can be tricky to find with agencies charging a finders fee. I believe they want references, proof of income and a someone to act as a guarantee, not 100% on the last part but we needed one for our place when we 1st moved over and we have acted as one for our son recently.

My son just took a very small apartment, 1 bedroom with a very small salon/kitchen. He is paying €460 + €100 for secure parking, that includes services and water but not electricity, the agency fee for that was €450. This is the agency he went through: Medialoc Personally I find it expensive for what it is, but it is in a secure residence in an old converted hospital that is rather stunning. hôpital saint-charles

I live outside of town, so i can't really recommend areas. What I can say is, like all cities, there are good and bad. As mentioned, public transport especially the tram, is excellent, so maybe a satellite village would be interesting for you. Les beaux arts and Place Albert 1er are in fairly central and nice parts of town. Port Marianne is up and coming modern with a line into town and down near the beach. Lots of different districts and personalities.

To get an idea of price and to find agencies then have a look on https://www.leboncoin.fr/v/montpellier_34000

Good luck, and I hope you find the right place.

D


----------



## Bevdeforges

Rosa_F said:


> I assume first and last month is what is required for a rental, plus a letter from the current landlord confirming you are a reliable person? (As an aside, none of these are required to rent in Malta!)


You may find that rental practices are somewhat different here in France. Especially if you're looking for "student apartments" which are sort of their own world.

In general, if you go through a rental agent, you'll be quoted a fee for their services, payable on any apartment you take if they showed it to you. And the agents don't always have an exclusive so be careful not to let a second agent show you the same apartment or house you've already seen. If you want to rent it you will owe fees to both agents.

And in many cases, neither the agents nor the landlords are all that interested in "references" especially if they are from foreign landlords. The main "reference" they are interested in is proof that your income covers the rent by at least 3 times - so, job contract, bank statements and very often (for those coming from outside France) a guarantor. There is then a deposit - which can be one or even two months' rent - and cannot be applied to the last months' rent. The deposit is for potential damage done to the flat - so pay careful attention when doing the "état des lieux" before moving in, and then again on moving out.


----------



## Rosa_F

Many thanks for the information. No, I am not looking at "student apartments", however the job contract may be an issue as I am self-employed. Every country certainly has their own peculiar way of doing things when it comes to rentals! Does that law stipulate that landlords cannot charge more than a certain amount for deposit on rentals? Sounds like so much of it is left up to each landlord's discretion.

I also wanted to ask if there is a shortage of rental places in Montpellier? I know for many large cities in the world this is now a problem (including Malaga where I used to live, which isn't even that large). This would drive prices up due to scarcity and much more difficult to actually find something affordable.


----------



## Rosa_F

davegreen said:


> Hello,
> I think papaia assessment is fairly accurate, especially around price. Montpellier is a sort of all year round town with tourists in the summer and students in the winter, because of that accommodation can be tricky to find with agencies charging a finders fee. I believe they want references, proof of income and a someone to act as a guarantee, not 100% on the last part but we needed one for our place when we 1st moved over and we have acted as one for our son recently.
> 
> My son just took a very small apartment, 1 bedroom with a very small salon/kitchen. He is paying €460 + €100 for secure parking, that includes services and water but not electricity, the agency fee for that was €450. This is the agency he went through: Medialoc Personally I find it expensive for what it is, but it is in a secure residence in an old converted hospital that is rather stunning. hôpital saint-charles
> 
> I live outside of town, so i can't really recommend areas. What I can say is, like all cities, there are good and bad. As mentioned, public transport especially the tram, is excellent, so maybe a satellite village would be interesting for you. Les beaux arts and Place Albert 1er are in fairly central and nice parts of town. Port Marianne is up and coming modern with a line into town and down near the beach. Lots of different districts and personalities.
> 
> To get an idea of price and to find agencies then have a look on https://www.leboncoin.fr/v/montpellier_34000
> 
> Good luck, and I hope you find the right place.
> 
> D


Thank you for the detailed information. It's useful to know the tram service is good because I don't plan on owning a car, although I hope to be able to rent one occasionally. So it is easy to access the city from one of the satellite villages? The tram runs frequently?


----------



## papaia

Rosa_F said:


> Thank you for the detailed information. It's useful to know the tram service is good because I don't plan on owning a car, although I hope to be able to rent one occasionally. So it is easy to access the city from one of the satellite villages? The tram runs frequently?


I provided a link to TAM services in an earlier response. From that one you could find any info you could possibly ever need:

consolidated/portal
lines and stops (buses and tram)
hours of service with specifics from that point on, like here
- itinerary/ies
- disruptions
etc., etc.

TAM is not only tram! Look also the LiO (I also sent earlier) - that is outside the TAM areas, and still useful for public transportation.

HTH


----------



## jweihl

Montpellier is very nice. Quite a lot going on there with a nice vibe. The tram/bus system is good (I hope they extend the tram to the airport). All that said, we opted for "one city over" and landed in Nîmes. Montpellier is 30 minutes by train. In my opinion Nîmes offers some things that Montpellier doesn't. It's a bit smaller and more manageable, but still has great activities year round. It's got really excellent roman buildings. Prices are much more reasonable than in Montpellier. One encounters less english spoken on the streets (which, for me is nice), but there's a very active english speaking expat organization for friendship and support (look up BritsNîmes on Facebook). Decent public transport, but no tram. Montpellier is, I think better for cycling and has easier access to the seaside. Honestly, I think they're both excellent choices.


----------



## Rosa_F

papaia said:


> I provided a link to TAM services in an earlier response. From that one you could find any info you could possibly ever need:
> 
> consolidated/portal
> lines and stops (buses and tram)
> hours of service with specifics from that point on, like here
> - itinerary/ies
> - disruptions
> etc., etc.
> 
> TAM is not only tram! Look also the LiO (I also sent earlier) - that is outside the TAM areas, and still useful for public transportation.
> 
> HTH


Thank you very much! I didn't have a chance to look at the links you had sent before. Very appreciated!


----------



## Rosa_F

jweihl said:


> Montpellier is very nice. Quite a lot going on there with a nice vibe. The tram/bus system is good (I hope they extend the tram to the airport). All that said, we opted for "one city over" and landed in Nîmes. Montpellier is 30 minutes by train. In my opinion Nîmes offers some things that Montpellier doesn't. It's a bit smaller and more manageable, but still has great activities year round. It's got really excellent roman buildings. Prices are much more reasonable than in Montpellier. One encounters less english spoken on the streets (which, for me is nice), but there's a very active english speaking expat organization for friendship and support (look up BritsNîmes on Facebook). Decent public transport, but no tram. Montpellier is, I think better for cycling and has easier access to the seaside. Honestly, I think they're both excellent choices.


Thank you so much for the information. I had not considered Nimes but had seen the name in the Internations.org group. Good to know there is more than one option in the area!


----------



## Rosa_F

Hi everyone, I'm back with a question regarding coming into France as a "self-sufficient" person. 

I am a European citizen and have relocated to Spain in this way before. In Spain, I had to prove that I had sufficient funds to sustain myself (without employment or a pension) and I also needed to acquire private health insurance. The Spanish government didn't request a specific amount of money was necessary to show I could sustain myself (and not require anything from them) but it worked well for me while I was there. I also did not have to pay taxes in Spain, because I file and pay taxes in Canada and there is a tax agreement between Canada and most European countries. Every two years I had to fill out a form confirming this arrangement and so I was not requested to pay any taxes in Spain. 

I am sure the French government is more exacting and I am wondering if any one of you know the following:

(1) Is there a similar provision in France where you can move there as a "self-sufficient" (as I described above)
(2) Does anyone know how much money would be required as proof of this status and whether it would have to be brought over (or some of it?) into France (most of it is invested in Canada at the moment)
(3) Do I need to speak to some government agency to get more information? I was advised that I need to contact www.ursaff.fr, but I'm not sure if this where I need to go. 

Many thanks!


----------



## Bevdeforges

If you are an EU national, you don't need to prove much of anything in order to move to France. Your EU home country national i.d. serves as your "carte de séjour" but you do need to have health insurance.

As far as taxes are concerned, if you have living in France or "conducting business" in France or have your centers of interest in France, then you are covered by French laws regarding taxes, cotisations and other things. Any tax agreements with Canada involve reducing the risk of double taxation, but you pay your taxes where you are considered resident.


----------



## Rosa_F

Bevdeforges said:


> If you are an EU national, you don't need to prove much of anything in order to move to France. Your EU home country national i.d. serves as your "carte de séjour" but you do need to have health insurance.
> 
> As far as taxes are concerned, if you have living in France or "conducting business" in France or have your centers of interest in France, then you are covered by French laws regarding taxes, cotisations and other things. Any tax agreements with Canada involve reducing the risk of double taxation, but you pay your taxes where you are considered resident.





Bevdeforges said:


> If you are an EU national, you don't need to prove much of anything in order to move to France. Your EU home country national i.d. serves as your "carte de séjour" but you do need to have health insurance.
> 
> As far as taxes are concerned, if you have living in France or "conducting business" in France or have your centers of interest in France, then you are covered by French laws regarding taxes, cotisations and other things. Any tax agreements with Canada involve reducing the risk of double taxation, but you pay your taxes where you are considered resident.


Thank you for the information. I have an ID card from Malta, but that is not my country of birth. I don't have an ID card from my country of birth (Romania), but I do have a valid European passport. 

So, do I need to speak to www.ursaff.fr and register with them, or how does that work? I have been trying to figure out which category I fit into, according to their website, but I am rather confused..


----------



## Bevdeforges

If by "self-sustaining" you mean you have a home business you operate, then you "register with URSSAF" when you set up your business entity here in France. Contact your local CCI on arrival - they have lots of information about setting up single person businesses.

If by "self-sustaining" you mean you have savings or investments you live off, then you don't directly register with URSSAF, but you will need to have private health cover for at least the first three months you're in France. At that point, you can enroll in the French health care system - but you need to contact CPAM for that.


----------



## Rosa_F

Bevdeforges said:


> If by "self-sustaining" you mean you have a home business you operate, then you "register with URSSAF" when you set up your business entity here in France. Contact your local CCI on arrival - they have lots of information about setting up single person businesses.
> 
> If by "self-sustaining" you mean you have savings or investments you live off, then you don't directly register with URSSAF, but you will need to have private health cover for at least the first three months you're in France. At that point, you can enroll in the French health care system - but you need to contact CPAM for that.


Thanks a lot again! Your advice is very appreciated!


----------



## Rosa_F

Bevdeforges said:


> If by "self-sustaining" you mean you have a home business you operate, then you "register with URSSAF" when you set up your business entity here in France. Contact your local CCI on arrival - they have lots of information about setting up single person businesses.
> 
> If by "self-sustaining" you mean you have savings or investments you live off, then you don't directly register with URSSAF, but you will need to have private health cover for at least the first three months you're in France. At that point, you can enroll in the French health care system - but you need to contact CPAM for that.


Hi Bev, one more clarification question, please. My online business is registered in Canada and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. Do you know how that might affect my tax situation in France, etc? Do I still need to contact CCI (may I ask what that stands for?) in this case? It's all rather complicated and I thank you for your patience...


----------



## Bevdeforges

You will still need to set up a French business entity (as a branch or subsidiary of your Canadian business) in order to operate in France. Or, your Canadian business will have to register with URSSAF as a French employer with no physical presence in France in order to establish a French payroll and make sure the appropriate taxes and social insurances are being paid in France. You employ staff in France while located abroad - Urssaf.fr

CCI = Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie. It's a government agency in France that offers assistance to businesses, especially small businesses and start ups. Example here: https://www.cci.fr/

As far as your tax situation in France is concerned, if you are physically present in France while doing the work, then you are tax resident in France and need to be satisfying French tax and labor regulations.


----------



## Rosa_F

Bevdeforges said:


> You will still need to set up a French business entity (as a branch or subsidiary of your Canadian business) in order to operate in France. Or, your Canadian business will have to register with URSSAF as a French employer with no physical presence in France in order to establish a French payroll and make sure the appropriate taxes and social insurances are being paid in France. You employ staff in France while located abroad - Urssaf.fr
> 
> CCI = Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie. It's a government agency in France that offers assistance to businesses, especially small businesses and start ups. Example here: https://www.cci.fr/
> 
> As far as your tax situation in France is concerned, if you are physically present in France while doing the work, then you are tax resident in France and need to be satisfying French tax and labor regulations.


Ok, thank you for explaining. There are no employees; I am a solo entrepreneur. The Chamber of Commerce will be very helpful, I'm sure.


----------



## Rosa_F

I am now researching private health insurance companies that provide good coverage and hopefully the premiums don't break the bank? Any recommendations? Thank you in advance.


----------

