Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Lohja

For one person, living is cheaper in Lohja: $981 a month against $1,775 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Lohja
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Lohja Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,775

/mo nomad

Lohja

🇫🇮 Finland

$981

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Besancon and in Lohja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Besancon versus $981 in Lohja.

Besancon $1,775
Lohja $981

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Besancon versus $2,121 in Lohja.

Besancon $2,568
Lohja $2,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Besancon versus $3,260 in Lohja.

Besancon $3,361
Lohja $3,260

Living in Besancon is roughly 81% more expensive than in Lohja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Besancon is 31% above, Lohja is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 €15.21

$13.40 €11.91

27.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 €50.8

$61.7 €54.9

-7.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$11.81 €10.50

-6.86%

Cappuccino

$3.07 €2.73

$4.76 €4.23

-35.50%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.95 €2.62

-23.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.92 €1.71

-16.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.09

$7.74 €6.88

-11.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$6.80 €6.05

-18.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.21 €1.07

10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.30 €2.05

-26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.49 €2.21

-12.85%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.09

$2.66 €2.37

72.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.47 €18.20

$8.79 €7.82

132.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$13.58 €12.08

-18.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 €16.03

$16.53 €14.70

9.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.18 €1.94

28.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.11 €1.88

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.10 €0.98

149.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$3.97 €3.54

-35.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.28 €1.14

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.91 €1.70

25.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.78 €2.47

-50.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.08 €1.85

-45.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.15 €12.59

$12.80 €11.39

10.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.44 €8.40

$16.22 €14.43

-41.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.84 €4.30

$3.19 €2.84

51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.25 €2.89

1.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.91 €39.06

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.39 €3.91

-29.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.30 €1.16

63.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.79 €27.39

$67.5 €60.0

-54.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.93 €1.72

8.81%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$37.0K €33.0K

-6.52%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$37.3K €33.2K

2.99%

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

$226 €201

$77.1 €68.6

192.99%

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

$14.43 €12.84

$24.87 €22.12

-41.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.38 €30.58

$22.54 €20.05

52.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 €24.08

$33.22 €29.55

-18.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 €17.55

$16.29 €14.49

21.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.12

$15.85 €14.10

-28.20%

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

$342 €304

$331 €295

3.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,267 €6,464

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.0

$95.5 €84.9

4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.29

$33.60 €29.89

14.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.0

$79.2 €70.4

15.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$155 €138

-22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 €583

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €533

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 €884

$1,123 €999

-11.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 €726

$961 €855

-15.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,827 €2,515

$1,338 €1,190

111.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 €2,030

$1,133 €1,008

101.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,133 €1,898

$3,304 €2,939

-35.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

3.51

3.13%

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

Last update for Besancon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lohja: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$600 33.8%

Lohja

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$360 20.3%

Lohja

$346 35.3% 4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$275 15.5%

Lohja

$125 12.7% 54.7% $150

Eating Out

Besancon

$267 15.1%

Lohja

$271 27.7% 1.5% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$158 8.9%

Lohja

$164 16.7% 3.7% $5.9

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Lohja

$11 * 1.1% 83.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$50 2.8%

Lohja

$65 6.6% 30.3% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Lohja pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Besancon vs $62.0 in Lohja. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $346, with Lohja cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇫🇮 Lohja

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h ahead of Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

45,654

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Besancon Lohja 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
Lohja

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

Besancon vs Lohja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lohja wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lohja the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Lohja. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Besancon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Besancon versus $981 in Lohja – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $981 in Lohja versus $1,775 in Besancon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lohja but tight or insufficient in Besancon. The gap between the two cities makes Lohja the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Besancon and Lohja 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 Lohja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Besancon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.