Paris Olympics 2024: The Most Expensive Ever? Prepare For Medal-Worthy Prices

24.04.2024 - 20:49 / forbes.com / Paris Olympics

Among studies analyzing the costs of the Jeux Olympiques in Paris this summer, there are vast differences, many showing that the event overall will be the most expensive in Olympics history and others claiming precisely the opposite.

That said, there’s widespread agreement that the prices paid by spectators, sports fans and tourists between July 26 to August 11 in the City of Lights—glittering in its splendor for the world’s premier sports event—will “appropriately” experience an Olympic-style increase for tickets, housing, food and transportation, not to mention the costs of getting into the most in-demand sports competitions.

“Beer, chips, condoms, wine are among many products whose sales will explode during the Olympic Games,” writes Le Parisien. “According to a study on the impact of the Olympic Games on the sector, the challenge is significant for restaurateurs, businesses and large brands located in the host cities.”

Le Point adds coffee, sodas, chocolate bars, cookies, pizzas and snacks to the list of items that will shoot up in price due to “extremely strong demand for ‘pleasure products’ that are among the great classics for sports events.”

Let’s hear from the French consumer’s association UFC-Que Choisir: “If we suspected that hotel prices would increase in Paris during the Olympic Games, we could not imagine that it would be to such proportions!”

A study by the organization reviewed 80 establishments—mainly 3- and 4-star—located near the opening ceremony that will run for several kilometers along the Seine river in the heart of the capital. The analysis revealed an average increase of 226% requiring at least two nights, with some demanding at least five nights to book any lodging. “In fact, in this configuration, the night costs €391 on average,” the study finds. “The average number of nights imposed was 3.4.”

Hotels in 3- or 4-star chains such as the French Ibis charge €400 to €700 a night for a basic double room with Wi-Fi and breakfast, compared with €90 to €200 in normal times. At more upscale places, prices skyrocket to €1,500 a night compared to the normal average of €300.

A 3-star hotel, Hôtel Des Marronniers in the 6th arrondissement, for example, charges €5,600 for a week for two adults, while a one-bedroom apartment near the Eiffel tower runs a cool €6,o38, also for a week, according to Booking.com.

Even at “less expensive” accommodations on the outskirts of Paris and beyond the city’s limits, the average price can get close to €400 a night.

“Be ready for sticker shock,” warns the New York Times. Citing the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, the paper reports that “the average cost of a one-night stay in the Île-de-France region that rings Paris is about €700 during the