Explosion in France: the anger of the French at a basic basket that is increasingly unattainable

The cost of living, measured by the consumer price index (CPI), increased by 3.1 percent in a year to September 2026. Anticipated average inflation for the whole of 2026 was estimated at around 2.1 percent by the government. France figure in the 48th place of the most expensive countries in the world.

To Argentine eyes these indices may seem insignificant. But they don’t tell the whole story. The increases They are different by sector of activity.. Energy, for example, increased by 21.3 percent due to the price of gas and fuel, linked to geopolitical tensions.

In metropolitan France, the average annual price of diesel (diesel) was €1.44 per liter in 2021. Now it ranges between 2.25 and 2.70 euros per liter in Paris. But in the rest of the country the average is 2.34 euros.

It is the explosion of the floor of energy, transport and food products of current consumption that has transformed the quality of life in France in a pinch, when they were used to stability and a style without inflation.

The energy crisis, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the war in Iran They are the engine of the risewith an increase in energy rates from 16.7 to 16.8 percent only in the year 2026. An effect of tensions in the global hydrocarbon market and the disruption to its distribution.

Public transport raised the price of the metro to 2 euros and the monthly Navigo pass to 90.90 euros this year alone. Inflation on food is 1.2 percent in one year and that on services, at 2.3 percent, is still moderate. But the increase in logistics and raw material costs is beginning to have an impact on manufactured products.

Although France is moderately dependent on oil—approximately 14 percent—it has multiple and larger consequences becausee touches on its economy, its public finances, security and geopolitics.

A basic salary in France or SMIC amounts to 1,426 euros net per month. In France, around 2.1 million private sector employees receive the interprofessional minimum wage, which represents just under 12% of employees.

Nearly 60% of employees who receive the SMIC they are women. Hotels and restaurants, food trade and personal services are the most affected sectors.

To live in France a single person needs between 2,400 and 3,400 euros after taxes, according to their way of life and their neighborhood, according to statistics from the Expatriate Movement. But in Paris you need minimum between 3,000 and 3,800 euros for him high cost of accommodation.

A family of four requires between 5,277 and 6,500 euros to live in France. A couple without children needs at least 3,578 euros per month.

The poverty line It is established at 1,102 euros for a single person.

A studio for a student costs between 700 euros in the provinces to 1,200 in Paris or a major city. In rural areas, a single person can live on between 1,500 and 1,800 euros, and a couple on between 2,200 and 2,800 euros. But A car becomes indispensable.

Spending on food, not counting restaurants, means between 300 and 400 euros per month.

Electricity costs around 170 euros per month and can be paid annually. A Navigo pass in The metro costs 90.80 euros per month. Transportation is highly subsidized.

France subsidizes health. A visit to the doctor costs 30 euros and 70 percent is reimbursed by the State. The French have a mutual fund to compensate for the remaining 30 percent, if they make the respective social contributions. People with long-term illnesses are covered at 100 percent.

Excluding rent, a single person in France can spend 930 euros monthly on supermarkets, transportation and entertainment. In medium-sized cities, these expenses would reach 1,440 euros and in Paris at least 2,000 euros per month.

To find accommodation, a studio in a French city can cost between 1,100 and 1,500 euros, a two-room apartment between 1,200 and 2,000 euros, depending on the neighborhood in a city other than Paris. In Paris, a single person has a cost of living of 2,500 to 3,500 euros.

The family basket It is increasingly expensive, and the figures confirm it. The food price index, calculated by INSEE, It has risen nearly 35 points in ten years. This escalation fuels discontent against expensive living and protests.

Purchase tickets are increasingly higher. Each month, INSEE records the prices of a basket of representative products to accurately follow the evolution of food costs. The curve has not stopped rising during the last decadewith notable accelerations in recent years.

Fruits and vegetables show the greatest increase from the basket.

INSEE’s basket of fruit and vegetable products – which includes tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and pumpkins – has experienced an increase of more than 110 points in a decadewith more pronounced peaks each winter. This increase is largely due to the cost of agricultural labor, as well as inclement weather that weaken crops.

Agroeconomics consultant Jean-Marie Séronie points out that “differences in price increases” can be “extremely variable” from one product to another. For example, drought has recently caused a rise of more than 10% in the price of certain summer fruits.

Another daily consumption product that has become unattainable for the family budget is the butter. Its price curve skyrocketed from 2022, despite the fact that it is mainly manufactured in France.

The reason? A strong dependence on export markets. In the context of the post-COVID economic recovery, export prices became very attractive. This led some dairy producers to prioritize shipments abroad compared to the supply of French stores, causing greater tension in prices within the national market.

Added to this are diseases that affect dairy cattleheat waves and the decrease in the number of agricultural holdings. Two years after COVID, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 also had a strong impact on food prices, disrupting global grain and energy markets.

As a result of this decade of food inflationthe French today pay much more for the same basket from the purchase ten years ago, without salaries having necessarily followed the same rhythm.

It is precisely this gap between the cost of living and purchasing power what fuels the cost of living mobilizationin a social climate already marked by several weeks of blockades in secondary schools.

This list explains the anger and protests over expensive living in France, in an increasingly impoverished middle class and when 12 percent of private sector employees earn the basic and minimum wage. These are the foods consumed daily by a French family that do not stop increasing.

Why are food prices still so high in 2026?

Several structural factors explain this lasting increase: the energy crisis of 2022-2023, the war in Ukraine – which interrupted the supply of grains and oils -, recurrent droughts that have affected harvests, increased transport costs and the sharp rise in raw materials, such as cocoa. These impacts have accumulated and, generally, Prices do not return to their initial level after a crisis.

Will food inflation decrease in 2026?

Inflation is slowing (+2.8% in 2025, compared to +12-15% in 2022-2023), but prices remain structurally high. Experts predict a stabilization around +2-3% annually, without a return to pre-2021 levels. INSEE confirms a cumulative increase of +22.3% since January 2021.