[fornever]

Paris is one of the few places I would go out of my way to live in (at least without the current unrest), but the rent really kills it for me. That would be an instant downgrade in life quality that I wouldn't want long term.

[erowtom]

It kills me a lot also. I'm planning to buy something this year / next year, I still don't know yet if it's gonna be in Paris or not. For the same price, in Paris I would get a 50m2, while in province (the rest of France), I would have a new 300m2 house with garden. It really kills me also. But you don't have to stop at this detail,

[digikata]

How are the prices outside of Paris, say a 30m away by train?

[tom_mellior]

Maybe a third cheaper. Cheaper still if you're not actually close to the train. There are only 2 million people living in Paris proper, but 12 million within such commuting distance. So there's still a lot of competition for living space.