Tariffs — and the economic havoc that has accompanied their introduction — may radically shift the cost of your Paris vacation. Here’s how.
As I write this, the tariffs affecting EU nations are on hold, as are the retaliatory tariffs EU leaders proposed against the U.S. (For an official summary, the Salt Lake Tribune: “The Trump administration pressed pause on a “reciprocal” 20% tariff on all goods from the EU for 90 days — a move that Trump says will give the White House time to negotiate a better deal. The EU had announced retaliatory plans — now also shelved — hours earlier.”)
Higher prices are French goods sold in the U.S. are only one result. When we pull out a bit, what many experts see is a reordering of the global economic landscape — and one where the U.S. dollar is no longer preeminent. Among many, many accompanying problems (at least for those involved in the American economic system, which is…a lot of people) is the fall of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies — including the euro. [Reuters explains why this is happening.]
Those of us who lives cross-culturally have already felt this: As I pay rent in euros and earn dollars, my rent has effectively gone up 10% in the past six weeks, an uncomfortable and unsettling situation. While good for U.S. exporters, a weak dollar is, obviously, bad for anyone planning to travel.
Let’s look at a basket of travel goods — all things that might be purchased by an American traveler in France, coming to visit Paris for a lovely seven-day stretch:
- One week in a one-bedroom Marais apartment (€1800)
- A one-week métro pass (€31.60)
- 7 baguettes (gotta live) (€8.50)
- 7 moderately priced lunches, at €15 each (€105)
- 5 moderately priced dinners, at €30 each (€150)
- 1 absolutely banger meal, at €150 (€150)
- Tickets to the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Marmattan (€48)
- One excursion to Giverny, including admission and train fare (€34)
- Two late-night Ubers back to the Airbnb (€30)
- Round-trip to the airport via Uber (€130)
I want to point out that obviously this basket is extremely changeable, and there are many way to reduce it without resorting to currency arbitrage. Most Paris museums offer occasional free entry (the Louvre is free after 6 p.m. the first Friday on months that aren’t July or August), you can walk nearly anywhere in Paris without stepping on the métro, the RER is a good substitute for an Uber to the airport and much less expensive. This is is a relative measure, and we’re going with it.
This trip adds up to: €2487.10.
Using a straight conversion (and not adding fees, either from a bank or credit card), here’s how much you would pay on the first of each month in 2025:
- January 1 (1 EUR = 1.03514 USD): $2575
- February 1 (1 EUR = 1.03634 USD): $2577
- March 1 (1 EUR = 1.03798 USD): $2582
- April 1 (1 EUR = 1.0787 USD): $2683
- Today, April 14 (1 EUR = 1.13743 USD): $2,829
That’s an increase of nearly 10% (9.8%, to be specific) — basically since March 1.
We’ll keep updating this until it feels like things have settled down (hopefully, with the dollar and euro closer to parity, and calm.)
