Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chamonix and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,025 a month against $2,223 in Chamonix, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chamonix outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Chamonix
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Chamonix Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Chamonix

🇫🇷 France

$2,223

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Chamonix versus $2,025 in Lyon.

Chamonix $2,223
Lyon $2,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,501 in Chamonix versus $3,130 in Lyon.

Chamonix $3,501
Lyon $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,778 in Chamonix versus $4,236 in Lyon.

Chamonix $4,778
Lyon $4,236

Living in Chamonix is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chamonix 65% above, Lyon 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.84

$16.87 €15.00

-1.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.5

$67.0 €59.6

-15.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.82

$13.32 €11.85

-0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.33 €2.97

$4.11 €3.66

-18.98%

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

$2.34 €2.08

$2.87 €2.55

-18.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.73 €1.54

-10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.86

$8.00 €7.12

-17.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 €5.93

$6.31 €5.61

5.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.51 €1.34

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.72 €1.53

-0.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.49 €2.21

1.20%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.27

$4.63 €4.12

-20.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.68 €18.40

$22.54 €20.05

-8.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 €9.81

$12.38 €11.01

-10.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.24

$23.55 €20.95

-22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.40 €2.13

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.41 €2.14

-9.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.54 €3.15

-15.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.07 €2.73

-17.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.54 €2.26

-2.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$3.08 €2.74

-22.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.35 €1.20

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.06 €0.94

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.36

$13.90 €12.36

-0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 €8.30

$8.04 €7.15

16.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$2.75 €2.45

45.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.04

$3.32 €2.95

37.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.29 €2.03

-15.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.86 €39.91

$83.6 €74.4

-46.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 €2.80

$7.92 €7.04

-60.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.17 €1.93

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.68 €26.40

$41.68 €37.08

-28.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.23 €1.99

-13.00%

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)

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.9K €31.0K

-0.66%

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

$274 €243

$270 €240

1.40%

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

$10.94 €9.73

$14.35 €12.76

-23.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 €30.67

$28.64 €25.48

20.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.87 €31.02

$39.31 €34.96

-11.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 €24.34

Cinema Ticket

$15.32 €13.63

$14.64 €13.02

4.64%

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

$608 €541

$619 €550

-1.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,308 €6,501

$11.3K €10.0K

-35.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €77.5

$109 €96.8

-19.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.79 €30.06

$43.48 €38.67

-22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 €60.4

$123 €109

-44.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 €81.0

$124 €111

-26.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 €673

$886 €788

-14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 €904

$672 €598

51.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 €1,244

$1,804 €1,604

-22.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 €2,001

$1,285 €1,143

75.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,963 €3,525

$6,364 €5,661

-37.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,993 €2,662

$3,953 €3,516

-24.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,062 €2,723

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

3.68

6.25%

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

Last update for Chamonix: 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

Chamonix

$1K 45.7%

Lyon

$672 33.2% 33.9% $345

Groceries & Markets

Chamonix

$354 15.9%

Lyon

$385 19% 8.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chamonix

$319 14.4%

Lyon

$313 15.5% 1.9% $6.2

Eating Out

Chamonix

$275 12.4%

Lyon

$295 14.6% 7.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chamonix

$126 5.7%

Lyon

$180 8.9% 42.8% $54

Getting Around

Chamonix

$66 3%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 68.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chamonix

$66 3%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 4.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $757 in Chamonix and $886 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Chamonix vs $67.0 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $385 per month, with Chamonix cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Chamonix

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

Same time as Chamonix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,900

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Chamonix Lyon 160 km

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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

Chamonix vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Chamonix and $3,038 in Lyon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $757 in Chamonix versus $886 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $608 in Chamonix versus $619 in Lyon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chamonix pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,025 in Lyon versus $2,223 in Chamonix, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lyon but tight or insufficient in Chamonix. The gap between the two cities makes Lyon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lyon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chamonix, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chamonix 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 Lyon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Chamonix. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.