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In The French Capital, Brazilians In Paris Accept To Share Micro Apartments Of 9 Square Meters, Pay High Rent, Give Up Comfort And Intimacy And Wait In Line For Tiny Rooms To Not Abandon The French Dream Of Studying, Working And Saving Money For The Family In Brazil Even Far From Violence
In 2023 and 2024, as the housing crisis deepened in the French capital, Brazilians in Paris started reporting life squeezed into micro apartments of 9 square meters, rent that consumes almost the entire income and a routine of constant moving between small rooms, improvised shared housing and insecure contracts. The figure of the student or worker arriving with a backpack and a dream of speaking French has come to coexist with the real fear of not having a place to sleep the following month.
In those same years, with landlords imposing increasingly stringent requirements, Brazilians in Paris started facing lines with dozens of candidates for a single studio, often with timed visits and required documents that a newcomer can hardly present. Between a job interview, a language course, and hours on housing apps, the French dream has boiled down, for many, to fitting into a few square meters and keeping their name on the lease.
Micro Apartments Of 9 M² And Rent That Swallows The Salary
The most common picture among Brazilians in Paris today is that of a micro apartment of about 9 square meters, with a bed that folds into a sofa, a kitchen wedged into the same wall, and a tiny bathroom, often separated from the rest only by a thin door.
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Every centimeter needs to be accounted for to fit clothes, luggage, pots, a computer, and, when possible, a piece of social life.
The rent for this type of unit is often described by the residents themselves as “absurd” in relation to the space offered.
In repeated accounts, Brazilians in Paris say they work the entire month to pay for the room, the electricity bill, the transport pass, and are left with a few euros for leisure or any emergency margin.
The idea of saving money to take back to Brazil becomes a distant goal that is pushed to the following year.
Routine Of Pressure, Loneliness And Forced Adaptation
The physical squeeze adds up to the emotional.
Many Brazilians in Paris share the building with other foreign students and workers, but spend much of their time alone in the micro apartment, studying, working remotely, or trying to rest after long shifts in restaurants, hotels, and deliveries.
The feeling of loneliness in such a small space appears in testimonies from those who spend days without seeing sunlight through the narrow window.
To save money, some people agree to share spaces that barely fit a bed, improvising curtains, screens, and shifts for kitchen use.
Other Brazilians in Paris report that they avoid receiving visitors to not expose the precariousness of their housing and the fact that, in practice, they live in something closer to a permanent hotel room than a real home.
The city seen in tourist photos seems distant from the reality that fits into a few square meters.
Housing Crisis And The Funnel That Squeezes Immigrants
The housing crisis in Paris does not only affect foreigners, but Brazilians in Paris feel the funnel of requirements, financial guarantees, and credit history more strongly.
Without a French family, without local guarantors, and with employment contracts often temporary, the group tends to remain at the weakest part of the queue.
When visits appear for a new studio, dozens of interested parties crowd at scheduled times, presenting dossiers of documents, letters of introduction, and proof.
Those who came from Brazil recently need to compete with young French people who already have a history of income and family support.
It is not uncommon to hear reports from Brazilians in Paris who were rejected in a series of properties before managing to secure a tiny room in an old, poorly insulated building.
Between Studying, Working And Paying The “Price Of The French Dream”
For many Brazilians in Paris, staying in the country requires a delicate balance.
On one side is the goal of studying French, completing technical or university training, and taking advantage of professional opportunities that did not exist in Brazil.
On the other is the daily math to pay for rent, transport, food, and fees, almost always in jobs that require physical effort and long hours.
Some accept jobs below the qualification they had in Brazil to ensure they can at least continue to afford a roof.
Other Brazilians in Paris take on two shifts of work, one during the day and another at night, and use the micro apartment just to shower, sleep a few hours, and return to the street.
The idea that “anything goes to not give up on the French dream” appears as a justification to accept housing conditions that would not be tolerated in other phases of life.
Adults Back To Shared Rooms And Unstable Contracts
Even those over 30 or 40 years old experience a sort of student life again, sharing kitchens, bathrooms, and sometimes even bunk beds with strangers.
Brazilians in Paris report that, after a few years, the wear is more psychological than financial, because the feeling is of always being “just passing through”, unable to decorate, renovate, or truly transform the space into a real home.
The instability of contracts also puts pressure.
With every renewal, there is the fear of rent increases that make the micro apartment unfeasible.
In more extreme cases, Brazilians in Paris report that they received short notices to vacate, having to search for another place in a hurry, often more expensive and even smaller.
The constant cycle of moving prevents neighborhood ties from consolidating.
When The Question Comes Back Is It Still Worth It To Stay
Amid conversations in cafes, video calls with family in Brazil, and complaints on social media, the recurring question is whether it still makes sense to insist.
Brazilians in Paris admit they think about returning, but almost always with a tone of doubt, as if returning meant failure in relation to the French dream cherished for years.
At the same time, the cost of starting over in Brazil, after investing in courses, visas, and moves, weighs heavily on the decision.
Some choose to stay another year to “try to save a little more”, while others plan to move to another European country where they believe the relationship between salary and housing is less suffocating.
The answer is rarely simple and changes based on mood, the current job, and the last conversation with the landlord of the micro apartment.
In Your Opinion, Given Micro Apartments Of 9 Square Meters, High Rent, And A Routine Of Pressure, Should Brazilians In Paris Insist On The French Dream Or Start Planning A Permanent Return To Brazil?
Infelizmente tenho a dizer q essas pessoas são fracas da mente, pois e muito sacrifício para uma vida curta!