It’s a common complaint but one I don’t share.
I find Paris to be one of the more reasonable world capitals provided you show some modest restraint and creativity.
Sure, you can easily blow the budget with a couple of long taxi rides, a single meal in a Michelin three star, or an impetuous purchase on the Boulevard Saint Germain. However, if you take the Métro, a ticket can cost as little as a $1.40 and it will take you within blocks of just about any address. That beats the IRT and rings loops around the London Underground.
As for restaurants, bargains abound. They all offer a “prix fixe”, “plat du jour”, or “formule”, prices based on app and main course or main course and dessert. These deals are clearly on display without having to enter the establishment, and there are never any hidden fees as the Value Added Tax (V.A.T) is included in the price along with the tip. A quarter or half-liter of house wine won’t set you back either.
Except at the snootiest of addresses, merchants are happy for you to browse and admire their wares. Just remember to say “bonjour madame” and “merci monsieur” as manners count for a lot.
As for entertainment, nothing beats the people-watching from a café along a busy thoroughfare. For the price of a ticket on Broadway, I can sip 50 espressos on the Boulevard Haussmann and observe la comédie humaine.
Have I convinced you?
Steve, mon chere!
Having spent two of the past 3 years in NYC, I will submit that Paris has many more pleasures to offer and is more welcoming to dithering wanderers such as myself (it is not really possible to “dither” in New York).
Even elderly dowagers (I’m referring to my relatives here) find the Metro to be hospitable but the NYC subway system to be terrifying. Ah, the scale of Paris!
Prix fixe, s’il vous plait!
(forgive any errors in my lapsed schoolgirl French grammar