How Much Emily Makes Vs. What She Spends On Emily In Paris

It’s no secret that Emily Cooper’s life on Emily in Paris is aspirational — not only does she uproot her life in Chicago to move to the city of love, but she also does it in style. Emily is always dressed to the nines, lives in a cute flat in the center of Paris, and enjoys a swanky social life. The show returned for its third season on Dec. 21 and begs the question: how much would all of this actually cost? Would she be able to afford her lifestyle on her marketing assistant salary, or is she very much in the red to maintain this lavish lifestyle?

Turns out that if Emily were real, she’d likely be in major credit card debt. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for her job in Paris is only €35,873 (NewCasinos places her income slightly higher at €45,251 — $46,981 in US dollars). Meanwhile, in a NewCasinos study, her yearly spending is estimated to be upwards of $120,000 across essentials like housing and dining as well as nice-to-haves like shopping.

Emily’s wardrobe is enviable — filled with designer clothing and accessories — so it’s no surprise that most of her fictional money goes toward shopping. NewCasinos estimates that the character spends $76,795 on her clothing alone to have the likes of Valentino, Prada, Christian Louboutin, and Balmain in her wardrobe. With the rise of thrifting and clothing rental companies, we *hope* Emily is taking advantage of subsidized prices instead of buying these pieces at full price.

Rent is Emily’s second biggest expense, clocking in at approximately $33,128 — which is more than half of her estimated annual salary. But the price tag makes sense for her location near the famed Paris Pantheon on Place de l’Estrapade in the 5th arrondissement. Getting from her apartment to work costs another $2,947 annually, much of which can be attributed to her penchant for taxis over the city’s metro system, and another $2,372 goes toward utilities.

Paris is the home of fine dining, but Emily doesn’t seem to be splurging in the food category. The young marketing maven’s estimated annual expenditure is only just over $3,000 (about $250 per month), though coffee is estimated to be another $228. It probably helps that she gets many of her meals comped from her romance with chef Gabriel, played by Lucas Bravo. Similarly, her nightlife outings with her friend Mindy or boss Camille only reportedly cost her about $1,300.

When you crunch the numbers, Emily’s lifestyle doesn’t seem attainable for the average (and real) person. “Emily in Paris is a show in which extravagance is at the core but it’s interesting to see just how unrealistic the luxurious living of Emily is,” a spokesperson for NewCasinos said in a press release. “The findings are a friendly reminder that her lifestyle isn’t exactly one to admire.” At least, not in a practical sense.