Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,050 in Lyon.

Barcelona $2,453
Lyon $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,182 in Lyon.

Barcelona $3,509
Lyon $3,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,315 in Lyon.

Barcelona $4,564
Lyon $4,315

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Lyon 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$16.86 €15.10

4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

-0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.67 €12.25

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.12 €3.69

-22.57%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.76 €2.47

5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.65 €1.48

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.60 €6.80

-47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.08 €5.44

-25.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.57 €1.41

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.72 €1.54

17.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.45 €2.20

-24.49%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.74 €4.25

1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$22.95 €20.55

-27.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.21 €10.93

-25.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$22.99 €20.59

-14.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.41 €2.16

23.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.51 €2.24

-19.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.43 €3.07

-21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.19 €2.85

-12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.50 €2.24

-16.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.94 €2.64

-29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.41 €1.27

3.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.07 €0.96

-12.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$13.89 €12.44

-50.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.77 €6.96

1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.66 €2.38

-46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.25 €2.91

-21.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.42 €2.16

29.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$82.3 €73.7

-69.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.39 €7.52

-64.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.20 €1.97

-32.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$41.20 €36.89

-19.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.21 €1.98

-18.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.4K €30.8K

-3.48%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.6K €33.6K

-15.62%

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

$180 €162

$268 €240

-32.63%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$14.01 €12.55

-1.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$29.09 €26.06

15.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$36.88 €33.03

39.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$28.38 €25.41

-43.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.33 €13.73

-28.31%

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

$917 €821

$628 €563

45.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.2K €10.0K

47.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$108 €96.5

-19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$43.36 €38.84

-11.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$122 €109

-13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$127 €114

-5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$891 €798

90.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$702 €629

93.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,879 €1,683

38.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,369 €1,226

50.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$6,425 €5,755

7.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$4,317 €3,866

18.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,069 €2,748

-27.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.68

-10.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 48.2% $653

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 19.5% $63

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 9.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 36.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 14% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 8.1% $6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 130% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $891 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $385 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Lyon 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,050 in Lyon, so Lyon is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $891 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $628 in Lyon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 69% less than in Lyon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lyon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Lyon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.