Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bourges and Lyon

For one person, living costs are similar in Bourges and in Lyon: $1,937 and $2,025 a month, rent and utilities included.

94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
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Bourges Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,937

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,937 in Bourges versus $2,025 in Lyon.

Bourges $1,937
Lyon $2,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,009 in Bourges versus $3,130 in Lyon.

Bourges $3,009
Lyon $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,081 in Bourges versus $4,236 in Lyon.

Bourges $4,081
Lyon $4,236

Living in Bourges costs roughly 4% less than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bourges 43% above, Lyon 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.67 €14.83

$16.87 €15.00

-1.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 €71.2

$67.0 €59.6

19.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.81

$13.32 €11.85

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$5.09 €4.52

$4.11 €3.66

23.84%

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

$4.60 €4.09

$2.87 €2.55

60.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.73 €1.54

63.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.01

$8.00 €7.12

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 €6.13

$6.31 €5.61

9.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.51 €1.34

-24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.72 €1.53

43.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.49 €2.21

-11.65%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$4.63 €4.12

-5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.00 €19.57

$22.54 €20.05

-2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 €12.17

$12.38 €11.01

10.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.35 €19.88

$23.55 €20.95

-5.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.40 €2.13

38.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.41 €2.14

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$3.54 €3.15

-18.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$3.07 €2.73

40.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.54 €2.26

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$3.08 €2.74

-19.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.35 €1.20

41.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.06 €0.94

-16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.92

$13.90 €12.36

4.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 €7.85

$8.04 €7.15

9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.75 €2.45

-2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 €3.11

$3.32 €2.95

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.29 €2.03

-18.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.81 €43.41

$83.6 €74.4

-41.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.23 €8.21

$7.92 €7.04

16.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.17 €1.93

-30.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.30 €40.30

$41.68 €37.08

8.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.23 €1.99

0.90%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$34.8K €31.0K

-1.98%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$34.9K €31.0K

-0.98%

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

$243 €216

$270 €240

-10.08%

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

$7.81 €6.95

$14.35 €12.76

-45.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.20 €26.86

$28.64 €25.48

5.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.97 €32.00

$39.31 €34.96

-8.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 €24.34

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 €12.96

$14.64 €13.02

-0.48%

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

$1,795 €1,597

$619 €550

190.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,018

$11.3K €10.0K

-10.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.4

$109 €96.8

-0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 €46.03

$43.48 €38.67

19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$123 €109

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €142

$124 €111

28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$886 €788

-29.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 €542

$672 €598

-9.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 €1,055

$1,804 €1,604

-34.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €997

$1,285 €1,143

-12.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,900 €3,469

$6,364 €5,661

-38.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,026 €2,691

$3,953 €3,516

-23.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,821 €2,510

$3,062 €2,723

-7.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.68

-7.61%

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

Last update for Bourges: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bourges

$609 31.5%

Lyon

$672 33.2% 10.3% $63

Groceries & Markets

Bourges

$394 20.4%

Lyon

$385 19% 2.3% $9

Eating Out

Bourges

$317 16.4%

Lyon

$295 14.6% 6.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bourges

$281 14.5%

Lyon

$313 15.5% 11.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Bourges

$198 10.2%

Lyon

$180 8.9% 9% $18

Getting Around

Bourges

$73 3.8%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 52.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bourges

$65 3.4%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 5.3% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Bourges and $886 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 9% 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: $80.0 in Bourges vs $67.0 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $385 per month, with Lyon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bourges

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

Same time as Bourges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,702

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

Bourges Lyon 240 km

From you

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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

Bourges vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bourges wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bourges the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Lyon. 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: $627 in Bourges versus $886 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bourges – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $67.0 in Lyon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,937 per month in Bourges versus $2,025 in Lyon – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,937 in Bourges versus $2,025 in Lyon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bourges but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Bourges the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bourges delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,937 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bourges hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bourges 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 Bourges gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.