Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bordeaux and Lyon

For one person, living costs are similar in Bordeaux and in Lyon: $2,079 and $2,025 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
Learn more

Bordeaux Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index

Jump to prices

Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,079

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,079 per month in Bordeaux vs $2,025 in Lyon, rent included.

Bordeaux $2,079
Lyon $2,025

A couple spends around $3,202 per month in Bordeaux vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Bordeaux $3,202
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $4,324 per month in Bordeaux vs $4,236 in Lyon, rent included.

Bordeaux $4,324
Lyon $4,236

Bordeaux costs about 3% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bordeaux and Lyon sit above the global median – Bordeaux by 54%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €18.21

$16.87 €15.00

21.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.1

$67.0 €59.6

17.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 €12.59

$13.32 €11.85

6.23%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$4.11 €3.66

-2.19%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$2.87 €2.55

0.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.73 €1.54

-16.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 €6.90

$8.00 €7.12

-3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$6.31 €5.61

6.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.51 €1.34

-21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.72 €1.53

12.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.49 €2.21

22.89%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.09

$4.63 €4.12

-24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 €12.37

$22.54 €20.05

-38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 €14.47

$12.38 €11.01

31.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.22 €17.99

$23.55 €20.95

-14.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$2.40 €2.13

34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.41 €2.14

-9.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.54 €3.15

-0.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 €3.93

$3.07 €2.73

43.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.54 €2.26

-10.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$3.08 €2.74

-5.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.35 €1.20

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$1.06 €0.94

-47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.10 €11.65

$13.90 €12.36

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 €8.84

$8.04 €7.15

23.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.75 €2.45

47.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 €3.69

$3.32 €2.95

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.29 €2.03

-4.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.01 €41.81

$83.6 €74.4

-43.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$7.92 €7.04

-71.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.17 €1.93

-16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.26 €33.14

$41.68 €37.08

-10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.23 €1.99

-5.38%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$34.8K €31.0K

-0.27%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

0.00%

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

$257 €229

$270 €240

-4.69%

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

$15.66 €13.93

$14.35 €12.76

9.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.26

$28.64 €25.48

6.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.36 €29.67

$39.31 €34.96

-15.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.15 €25.04

$27.36 €24.34

2.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.73 €10.44

$14.64 €13.02

-19.88%

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

$801 €713

$619 €550

29.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$11.3K €10.0K

20.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 €106

$109 €96.8

9.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.31 €40.30

$43.48 €38.67

4.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.4

$123 €109

-12.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$124 €111

16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €812

$886 €788

3.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 €677

$672 €598

13.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,747 €1,554

$1,804 €1,604

-3.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 €1,228

$1,285 €1,143

7.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 €6,054

$6,364 €5,661

6.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,667 €4,151

$3,953 €3,516

18.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,893 €2,573

$3,062 €2,723

-5.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.68

6.52%

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

Last update for Bordeaux: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bordeaux

$761 36.6%

Lyon

$672 33.2% 11.7% $89

Groceries & Markets

Bordeaux

$379 18.2%

Lyon

$385 19% 1.5% $5.9

Eating Out

Bordeaux

$324 15.6%

Lyon

$295 14.6% 8.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bordeaux

$304 14.6%

Lyon

$313 15.5% 3.1% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bordeaux

$188 9%

Lyon

$180 8.9% 4.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Bordeaux

$67 3.2%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 66.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Bordeaux

$57 2.7%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 20.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $913 in Bordeaux versus $886 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 6% higher in Lyon, 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 $79.0 in Bordeaux versus $67.0 in Lyon. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Bordeaux vs $385 in Lyon – so Bordeaux wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Bordeaux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,804

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bordeaux Lyon 440 km

From you

Bordeaux
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

Bordeaux vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bordeaux costs about 3% more than Lyon, 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 $3,119 per month in Bordeaux and $3,038 in Lyon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 78% less in Lyon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $801 per month in Bordeaux and $619 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 Lyon, where all-in costs run around $2,025, than in Bordeaux at $2,079. In Lyon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bordeaux it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lyon costs $2,025 versus $2,079 in Bordeaux. 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 Lyon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bordeaux makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.