paris is a city of renters. i asked about rents, and our guide gave me figures that were maybe a third or fourth of london and manhattan. paris is rent controlled by the government. once a lease is signed, rents can only be raised a miniscule amt determined by the gov. our guide said lots of families cram into apts because of cheap rent and own vacation homes out in the country with the money savings. a studio apt in paris may run $1200 per/mo while in london or manhattan the same studio would be $3 to 4,000 per/mo. france leans toward a socialist model of government and do many things for citizens to insure equality. most healthcare is provided as are generous safety net and unemployment benefits. gasoline taxes fund some of this.
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