In 2025, this is the income needed to belong to the middle class in France

Where does the middle class begin?

According to the Inequality Observatory, one enters the middle class with a net monthly income between  €1,683 and €3,119  for a single person. The median standard of living is around  €2,147  : half of the French population earns less than this amount each month.

Below €1,100 , we speak of poverty, and between  €1,100 and €1,683 , we belong to the working classes.

In other words, a single person earning  €1,800  lives in the “lower” middle class, while another earning  €3,000  is in the “upper” middle class. These differences, while real, reflect the same reality: that of always being “just on the edge.”

Different thresholds depending on family composition

Of course, everything also depends on the size of the household. The Observatory specifies:

• Single person  : between €1,600 and €2,900 net per month.
• Couple without children  : between €2,400 and €4,400.
• Couple with two children over 14 years old  : between €4,000 and €7,400.

Let’s take a concrete example: a couple in their thirties living in Lyon with two teenagers, earning a  combined net income of €4,500,  perfectly embodies the middle class. They pay off a mortgage, go on vacation once a year, keep a close eye on their spending, and occasionally treat themselves to a restaurant or a movie. In short, they’re not rolling in money, but they don’t deprive themselves of everything either.

A middle class under pressure

This category, often referred to as the “forgotten one,” is paradoxically the largest. It’s the one that drives consumption, pays the most taxes, and receives the least public assistance. A gray area where people juggle bills while trying to save a little “for later.”

And if this middle class sometimes feels like it’s “losing out,” it’s because it sees each month the gap between its efforts and the concrete result on its purchasing power. The price of the average shopping basket has skyrocketed, unavoidable expenses (housing, energy, transportation) absorb more than half of its income, and the rest is often used to “get by” rather than for enjoyment.

A useful guideline, but not an absolute truth.

These figures remain averages: living on  €2,500 in Paris  is obviously nothing like living on the same amount in Limoges. The standard of living also depends on expenses, housing, lifestyle, and the number of children. Being “middle class” in 2025 is therefore as much a question of income as it is of perception: the feeling of having just enough to live, but rarely enough to truly relax.

In summary

In 2025, the  French middle class  starts at  €1,683 net per month  and extends up to  €3,119  for a single person.

A couple with two children falls into this category starting at  €4,000 .

A fragile balance, a symbol of a country where comfort is earned — and measured, at the end of each month, by a few euros.