In this comparison, we’ll express prices in both US dollars and Euros (€).
Hotels: A typical 3-star hotel will run about €200 ($275) per room per night making the cost per person about €600 ($825) for the 6-night week. Drop down to a 2-star hotel and the cost will be about €390 or $535 per person for a week-long stay.
Museum/Attraction Admission: The last thing you want to do is pay admission for each attraction you go into. The better option is to purchase the 6-day Paris Museum Pass at €69 euro ($95) giving no-wait-in-line admission to everything you probably want to see. Most major (and minor) attractions like the Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, etc. are covered on the Museum Pass but you will also want to go on a Seine River Cruise for €10 ($14) and probably to the Eiffel Tower for €15 ($20) making your admission fees for museums and attractions about €94 or $129.
Local Transportation: If you take the RER into the city, that will run about €10 ($14) each way for a total of €20 ($28). You can buy a week-long transportation pass (either the Navigo Decouverte) or Mobilis pass for approximately €30 ($40) that will get you just about anywhere a tourist wants to go.
Dinner: In a reasonable bistro, count on paying about €35 ($48) for dinner. Multiply that by 7 for dinner costs of about €245 or $338.
Lunch: On my list, a delicious lunch means sitting down at a bistro for about €20 ($28) or maybe doing a quick sandwich and drink picnic for about €7 ($10). Let’s call it an average of €15 euro a day ($19) for lunch bringing it to be about €105 or $133 for the week.
Breakfast: Having a breakfast included at the hotel is a benefit that is disappearing fast. Budget €10 ($14) for breakfast making it €70 euro or $98 for a week.
Guides: I strongly recommend getting a guide for at least 2 days on your tour. It can be expensive but I strongly recommend it. Why spend all that money to travel to Paris without getting the most from your trip. For two days of private touring, conservatively look at spending €125 per person per day making the cost of a guide €250 for two full days ($345).
Side Trip: An inexpensive side trip is to Versailles (covered under the Museum Pass). That will only add about €10 ($14) for a train ticket to one of the most opulent chateau in all the world.
Miscellaneous Expenses: Tips are not significant but let’s add in €20 ($28), a couple of taxi rides split between two persons €15 per person ($20), picking up some items at the supermarket (water, snacks, maps) at €30 ($41).
Total cost per person for a trip to Paris staying at a 3-star hotel: €1489 or $2039.
Total cost per person for a trip to Paris staying at a 2-star hotel: €1279 or $1749.