Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alkmaar and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,028 a month against $2,394 in Alkmaar, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,394

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alkmaar 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 Alkmaar and in Lyon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Alkmaar versus $2,028 in Lyon.

Alkmaar $2,394
Lyon $2,028

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,536 in Alkmaar versus $3,130 in Lyon.

Alkmaar $3,536
Lyon $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,677 in Alkmaar versus $4,232 in Lyon.

Alkmaar $4,677
Lyon $4,232

Living in Alkmaar is roughly 18% more expensive than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alkmaar 77% above, Lyon 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 €26.45

$16.52 €14.70

80.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.3

$68.2 €60.7

29.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.67 €13.05

$13.22 €11.76

10.97%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.52

$4.02 €3.57

-1.49%

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

$3.19 €2.83

$2.66 €2.37

19.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.73 €1.54

42.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.12

$7.62 €6.78

-24.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.06

$6.33 €5.63

-27.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.56 €1.39

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.72 €1.53

37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.48 €2.20

39.11%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.36

$4.73 €4.21

3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 €12.66

$22.97 €20.43

-38.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.08 €13.41

$12.54 €11.16

20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 €14.99

$23.68 €21.07

-28.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.42 €2.15

4.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.44 €2.17

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.49 €3.11

-47.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 €3.78

$3.17 €2.82

34.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.51 €2.23

-22.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.09 €2.75

-30.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.13

$1.35 €1.20

-5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.12 €0.99

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 €11.37

$13.89 €12.35

-7.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$8.16 €7.26

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.66 €2.37

-49.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.27 €2.91

-33.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.32 €2.07

-5.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 €51.5

$82.7 €73.6

-30.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 €2.44

$8.38 €7.46

-67.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.17 €1.93

-24.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.82 €22.07

$42.11 €37.46

-41.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.32 €2.06

-3.45%

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

$41.3K €36.7K

$35.3K €31.4K

16.90%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$37.5K €33.4K

2.89%

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

$242 €216

$267 €238

-9.40%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$14.02 €12.47

47.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.41 €41.28

$29.85 €26.55

55.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 €40.96

$38.65 €34.38

19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.11 €5.44

$27.56 €24.51

-77.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.00 €13.34

$15.29 €13.60

-1.90%

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

$726 €645

$637 €566

13.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,393 €2,128

$11.6K €10.3K

-79.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €103

$109 €97.0

6.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.67 €41.51

$44.77 €39.83

4.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.3

$123 €110

-11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$127 €113

-6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 €692

$901 €802

-13.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 €907

$676 €602

50.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 €2,539

$1,819 €1,618

56.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 €1,401

$1,274 €1,133

23.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,974 €4,424

$6,353 €5,651

-21.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,709

$3,982 €3,542

4.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,317 €2,950

$3,066 €2,727

8.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

8.70%

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

Last update for Alkmaar: 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

Alkmaar

$1K 42.6%

Lyon

$676 33.4% 33.7% $343

Eating Out

Alkmaar

$390 16.3%

Lyon

$288 14.2% 26% $102

Groceries & Markets

Alkmaar

$346 14.5%

Lyon

$389 19.2% 12.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alkmaar

$309 12.9%

Lyon

$311 15.4% 0.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Alkmaar

$176 7.3%

Lyon

$182 9% 3.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Alkmaar

$78 3.2%

Lyon

$111 5.5% 43.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Alkmaar

$76 3.2%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $778 in Alkmaar and $901 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alkmaar pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Alkmaar vs $68.0 in Lyon. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $389, with Alkmaar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

Same time as Alkmaar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,834

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alkmaar Lyon 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alkmaar
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

Alkmaar vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Alkmaar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lyon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Alkmaar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $778 in Alkmaar versus $901 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lyon runs roughly 43% less than in Alkmaar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $726 in Alkmaar versus $637 in Lyon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,028 in Lyon versus $2,394 in Alkmaar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lyon but tight or insufficient in Alkmaar. The gap between the two cities makes Lyon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lyon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,028 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lyon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alkmaar and Lyon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lyon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Alkmaar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.