Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest, France and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,385 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Brest
Learn more

Brest Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index

Jump to prices

Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,385

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,385 in Brest versus $2,050 in Lyon.

Brest $1,385
Lyon $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,163 in Brest versus $3,182 in Lyon.

Brest $2,163
Lyon $3,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,941 in Brest versus $4,315 in Lyon.

Brest $2,941
Lyon $4,315

Living in Brest costs roughly 32% less than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brest 2% above, Lyon 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.75 €14.11

$16.86 €15.10

-6.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.99 €39.40

$67.5 €60.5

-34.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$13.67 €12.25

-18.43%

Cappuccino

$2.91 €2.61

$4.12 €3.69

-29.37%

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

$2.92 €2.62

$2.76 €2.47

5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.65 €1.48

27.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 €6.05

$7.60 €6.80

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.70

$6.08 €5.44

-13.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.57 €1.41

-27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.44

$1.72 €1.54

-6.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$2.45 €2.20

2.86%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.25

$4.74 €4.25

-23.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.30 €16.39

$22.95 €20.55

-20.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 €9.15

$12.21 €10.93

-16.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.01 €12.55

$22.99 €20.59

-39.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.70

$2.41 €2.16

24.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.51 €2.24

-23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$3.43 €3.07

-25.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$3.19 €2.85

-12.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.50 €2.24

-30.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.94 €2.64

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.41 €1.27

-6.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.31

$1.07 €0.96

-68.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.59 €12.17

$13.89 €12.44

-2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$7.77 €6.96

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.66 €2.38

0.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.48

$3.25 €2.91

-14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.42 €2.16

-23.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 €35.96

$82.3 €73.7

-51.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 €7.27

$8.39 €7.52

-3.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 €2.71

$2.20 €1.97

37.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.43 €28.15

$41.20 €36.89

-23.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.21 €1.98

-5.43%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$34.4K €30.8K

3.94%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$37.6K €33.6K

-9.70%

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

$138 €123

$268 €240

-48.52%

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

$28.25 €25.30

$14.01 €12.55

101.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.23

$29.09 €26.06

4.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 €31.51

$36.88 €33.03

-4.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 €13.54

$28.38 €25.41

-46.76%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 €12.46

$15.33 €13.73

-9.26%

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

$224 €201

$628 €563

-64.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$11.2K €10.0K

3.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.2 €62.9

$108 €96.5

-34.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.19 €27.04

$43.36 €38.84

-30.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 €71.2

$122 €109

-34.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 €64.5

$127 €114

-43.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 €455

$891 €798

-42.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 €341

$702 €629

-45.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$864 €774

$1,879 €1,683

-54.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 €660

$1,369 €1,226

-46.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,809 €2,516

$6,425 €5,755

-56.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,453 €2,197

$4,317 €3,866

-43.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,594 €2,323

$3,069 €2,748

-15.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.68

3.80%

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

Last update for Brest: 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

Brest

$381 27.5%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 84.2% $321

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$302 21.8%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 27.5% $83

Eating Out

Brest

$259 18.7%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 13.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$197 14.2%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 58.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$113 8.2%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 58.9% $67

Getting Around

Brest

$71 5.1%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 57.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$63 4.6%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 7.2% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brest and $891 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 18% 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: $44 in Brest vs $68 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $385 per month, with Brest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Brest

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,619

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brest Lyon 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

Brest vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Brest. 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: $508 in Brest versus $891 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $44 versus $68 in Lyon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,385 per month in Brest versus $2,050 in Lyon – Brest is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Brest 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, Brest and Lyon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.