Louise Sallé 10:33 a.m., August 16, 2022, modified at 10:33 a.m., August 16, 2022

In a survey published Monday, the Unef, student union, notes a 6.47% increase in the cost of student living.

Students must pay 428 euros more per year.

All expenditure items are increasing, with the exception of transport.

Europe 1 followed Salomé, a 22-year-old Parisian law student, who is struggling to fill her shopping basket.

Unef has unveiled its annual barometer on the cost of student living.

Result: the rise in the price of rent, food, gasoline and electricity weighs on the portfolio of young French people.

For a 6.47% increase in the cost of student living according to Unef.

And even 7.38% according to Fage, another student union.

This is more than inflation, which stands at 6.1%.

“Before, I allowed myself sweets”

A more expensive life, for more and more limited expenses.

Europe 1 followed Salomé, a 22-year-old Parisian law student, who is struggling to fill her shopping basket at the supermarket.

"So already, I necessarily buy the cheapest brand and I buy the bare minimum," she explains.

"Before, I used to allow myself sweets and stuff like that. And it's really something that I don't do anymore because I know that at the end of the month it's going to be tense. I think mostly I eat pasta with sauces. It's cheaper."

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"Better to have a full stomach than an empty one"

Salomé noticed that the price of pasta had increased.

"They are 99 cents. So I'm going to take the penne at 85 cents rather than the spaghetti at 99 cents," she explains.

And she buys the cheapest tomato sauce.

"It's one euro for the 420 gram jar. So that gives me at least three meals".

The student recognizes that it is "very tiresome" for her to eat the same thing, but prefers to put it into perspective.

"Better to have a full stomach than an empty one," she says.

She explains that she has changed her eating habits: "Before, I ate cereals for breakfast," says Salomé.

She realized that sandwich bread was much cheaper for her.

"That's the one I take, so it's 99 cents for fourteen slices. I know I take two in the morning. Obviously the bread from the bakery is better, but it would make me a euro per baguette, which would obviously be much more expensive," laments the young woman.