If you compare with other major capitals, like SF, NYC or London, housing is quite cheap (around twice as less expensive). And although the transportation system is far from being flawless, it's not worse than any other one.
Untrue.
I've lived in Paris, London and SF and Paris is definitely the cheapest (even by the surface).
I'm paying $1100/month in Paris for a 300sq foot appartment (in a nice neighborhood). I was paying $3000/month in SF for a 400sq foot appartment...
I might be wrong, but I found the kind of room that $1000 pays for in NYC to be way nicer and larger than the one you can get for a similar price in Paris (though the usd/eur has increased 20% since I checked).
