Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caen and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,671 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,671

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,671 in Caen versus $2,028 in Lyon.

Caen $1,671
Lyon $2,028

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Caen versus $3,130 in Lyon.

Caen $2,568
Lyon $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,466 in Caen versus $4,232 in Lyon.

Caen $3,466
Lyon $4,232

Living in Caen costs roughly 18% less than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Caen 23% above, Lyon 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$16.52 €14.70

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.11

$68.2 €60.7

-19.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.01

$13.22 €11.76

2.12%

Cappuccino

$2.84 €2.53

$4.02 €3.57

-29.35%

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

$3.05 €2.71

$2.66 €2.37

14.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.73 €1.54

18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.38 €7.46

$7.62 €6.78

9.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$6.33 €5.63

-13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.56 €1.39

-13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.72 €1.53

3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.48 €2.20

-20.16%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$4.73 €4.21

-19.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.86

$22.97 €20.43

-56.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 €10.44

$12.54 €11.16

-6.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 €14.48

$23.68 €21.07

-31.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.42 €2.15

28.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.44 €2.17

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$3.49 €3.11

-56.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$3.17 €2.82

31.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.51 €2.23

-28.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.09 €2.75

-36.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.35 €1.20

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.15 €0.13

$1.12 €0.99

-86.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.15 €11.70

$13.89 €12.35

-5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$8.16 €7.26

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.66 €2.37

-44.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$3.27 €2.91

-49.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.32 €2.07

-23.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.59 €44.11

$82.7 €73.6

-40.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 €2.00

$8.38 €7.46

-73.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 €0.99

$2.17 €1.93

-48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.41 €28.83

$42.11 €37.46

-23.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.32 €2.06

-9.48%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$35.3K €31.4K

-2.87%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$37.5K €33.4K

-3.12%

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

$138 €123

$267 €238

-48.37%

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

$32.70 €29.08

$14.02 €12.47

133.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.85 €28.33

$29.85 €26.55

6.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.94 €28.41

$38.65 €34.38

-17.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 €20.00

$27.56 €24.51

-18.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 €9.01

$15.29 €13.60

-33.75%

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

$879 €782

$637 €566

38.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.3

$109 €97.0

-0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.80 €34.52

$44.77 €39.83

-13.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$123 €110

-18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$127 €113

18.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 €676

$901 €802

-15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €534

$676 €602

-11.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$1,819 €1,618

-13.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,274 €1,133

-18.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,496 €3,999

$6,353 €5,651

-29.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,553 €2,270

$3,982 €3,542

-35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,379 €2,116

$3,066 €2,727

-22.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.68

2.99%

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

Last update for Caen: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caen

$600 35.9%

Lyon

$676 33.4% 12.7% $76

Groceries & Markets

Caen

$292 17.5%

Lyon

$389 19.2% 33.4% $98

Eating Out

Caen

$280 16.8%

Lyon

$288 14.2% 2.9% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caen

$203 12.1%

Lyon

$311 15.4% 53.6% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Caen

$180 10.8%

Lyon

$182 9% 1.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Caen

$65 3.9%

Lyon

$111 5.5% 72.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Caen

$52 3.1%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 32.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $760 in Caen and $901 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 29% 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: $55.0 in Caen vs $68.0 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $389 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Caen

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

Same time as Caen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,200

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caen Lyon 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caen
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

Caen vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caen and Lyon differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,671 vs $2,028 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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: $760 in Caen versus $901 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Caen runs roughly 67% less than in Lyon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $879 in Caen versus $637 in Lyon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,671 in Caen versus $2,028 in Lyon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Caen 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, Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.