Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajaccio and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajaccio: $1,852 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Ajaccio
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Ajaccio Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Ajaccio

🇫🇷 France

$1,852

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajaccio and in Lyon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ajaccio and in Lyon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,852 per month in Ajaccio vs $2,028 in Lyon, rent included.

Ajaccio $1,852
Lyon $2,028

A couple spends around $2,882 per month in Ajaccio vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Ajaccio $2,882
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $3,911 per month in Ajaccio vs $4,232 in Lyon, rent included.

Ajaccio $3,911
Lyon $4,232

Ajaccio is about 9% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ajaccio and Lyon sit above the global median – Ajaccio by 37%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €14.95

$16.52 €14.70

1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.1

$68.2 €60.7

-2.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.11 €11.66

$13.22 €11.76

-0.83%

Cappuccino

$3.59 €3.19

$4.02 €3.57

-10.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.78

$2.66 €2.37

17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.73 €1.54

5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 €6.55

$7.62 €6.78

-3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.33 €5.63

-13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.56 €1.39

21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.72 €1.53

9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.48 €2.20

0.40%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.64

$4.73 €4.21

-13.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 €17.03

$22.97 €20.43

-16.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 €10.98

$12.54 €11.16

-1.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.49 €20.01

$23.68 €21.07

-5.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.42 €2.15

29.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$2.44 €2.17

15.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$3.49 €3.11

-18.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.84

$3.17 €2.82

0.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.51 €2.23

-22.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.09 €2.75

-28.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.35 €1.20

7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.60

$1.12 €0.99

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 €11.64

$13.89 €12.35

-5.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.83

$8.16 €7.26

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.77

$2.66 €2.37

16.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.92

$3.27 €2.91

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.32 €2.07

-26.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.52 €38.71

$82.7 €73.6

-47.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$8.38 €7.46

-37.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.17 €1.93

2.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.25 €32.24

$42.11 €37.46

-13.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.32 €2.06

-10.34%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.5K €29.8K

$35.3K €31.4K

-5.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K €35.7K

$37.5K €33.4K

6.99%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$206 €184

$267 €238

-22.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.48 €13.77

$14.02 €12.47

10.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.34 €27.88

$29.85 €26.55

4.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.46 €31.54

$38.65 €34.38

-8.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 €12.12

$15.29 €13.60

-10.92%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$814 €724

$637 €566

27.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,701

$11.6K €10.3K

-5.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 €122

$109 €97.0

26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.95 €37.31

$44.77 €39.83

-6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 €129

$123 €110

17.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$127 €113

7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$901 €802

-17.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 €538

$676 €602

-10.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,033

$1,819 €1,618

-36.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,016

$1,274 €1,133

-10.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,027 €3,582

$6,353 €5,651

-36.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,071 €2,732

$3,982 €3,542

-22.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,116 €2,772

$3,066 €2,727

1.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.68

2.99%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ajaccio: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ajaccio

$605 32.7%

Lyon

$676 33.4% 11.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Ajaccio

$373 20.1%

Lyon

$389 19.2% 4.6% $17

Eating Out

Ajaccio

$284 15.4%

Lyon

$288 14.2% 1.4% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajaccio

$253 13.7%

Lyon

$311 15.4% 23% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ajaccio

$208 11.2%

Lyon

$182 9% 12.3% $26

Getting Around

Ajaccio

$67 3.6%

Lyon

$111 5.5% 66.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Ajaccio

$63 3.4%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 10.4% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Ajaccio versus $901 in Lyon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Ajaccio, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Ajaccio versus $68.0 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $389 – making Ajaccio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Ajaccio

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Ajaccio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,822

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ajaccio Lyon 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ajaccio
Lyon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ajaccio vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 9% more than Ajaccio, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,778 per month in Ajaccio and $3,042 in Lyon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajaccio, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Ajaccio. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $814 per month in Ajaccio and $637 in Lyon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ajaccio, where all-in costs run around $1,852, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Ajaccio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ajaccio costs $1,852 versus $2,028 in Lyon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ajaccio. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.