Moving to France, from the US.
An American moving to France in 2026 pays 44% income tax on $1M in Provence with the US federal floor applied, against 43% in New York, and still files a US return. The engine puts Provence first in France for a US citizen leaving New York.
In short, current to October 2026
- For a US citizen leaving New York on $1M a year, the Patrician.ch engine ranks Provence first in France, number 46 of the 83 places outside the 50 states. It weighs tax with the US floor applied, the route in, safety, schools, sun, cost and the flight home.
- In Provence, income tax on $1M for a US citizen comes to 44% with the federal floor applied, against 43% in New York, $15K a year more than New York.
- The local rate in Provence on $1M, 44%, is above the US federal 32%, so the local tax is the figure that applies and the US credit covers the federal share.
- For a US passport, the route into Provence is an application with conditions. The flight from New York is 7h 25m to 8h 10m.
- France has a regime for new arrivals: Impatriate regime under Article 155 B: for up to 8 years, employees and salaried officers recruited from abroad can exempt 30% of pay, and half of dividends, interest and securities gains from treaty countries is exempt from income tax. Whether it applies depends on the income and the person, and the US federal floor applies to a US citizen either way.
Each address on this page was last checked against its official sources between and . The sources for each are named on its page.
Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated . Cite as: Patrician.ch, Moving to France from the US 2026: tax, visa and 7 places, patrician.ch/answers/moving-to-france-from-the-us/, October 2026.
