Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontainebleau and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Fontainebleau: $1,127 a month against $2,025 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Fontainebleau
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Fontainebleau Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Fontainebleau

🇫🇷 France

$1,127

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $2,025 in Lyon.

Fontainebleau $1,127
Lyon $2,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Fontainebleau versus $3,130 in Lyon.

Fontainebleau $2,529
Lyon $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Fontainebleau versus $4,236 in Lyon.

Fontainebleau $3,931
Lyon $4,236

Living in Fontainebleau costs roughly 44% less than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fontainebleau is 17% below, Lyon is 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.64

$16.87 €15.00

4.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.0

$67.0 €59.6

-0.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.82

$13.32 €11.85

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$3.85 €3.42

$4.11 €3.66

-6.33%

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

$3.13 €2.79

$2.87 €2.55

9.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.73 €1.54

-4.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 €7.15

$8.00 €7.12

0.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$6.31 €5.61

-10.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.51 €1.34

-12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.72 €1.53

14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.49 €2.21

12.45%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$4.63 €4.12

-12.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.50 €19.12

$22.54 €20.05

-4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$12.38 €11.01

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 €20.90

$23.55 €20.95

-0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.40 €2.13

38.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.41 €2.14

-12.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$3.54 €3.15

-32.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.07 €2.73

3.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.54 €2.26

-24.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.08 €2.74

-33.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.35 €1.20

12.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.06 €0.94

-35.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.37

$13.90 €12.36

0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 €6.89

$8.04 €7.15

-3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.75 €2.45

-12.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.32 €2.95

28.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 €74.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$7.92 €7.04

-71.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.85

$2.17 €1.93

-3.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.36 €21.67

$41.68 €37.08

-41.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.23 €1.99

-0.90%

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

$33.9K €30.2K

$34.8K €31.0K

-2.57%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$34.9K €31.0K

-1.87%

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

$206 €184

$270 €240

-23.51%

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

$15.25 €13.57

$14.35 €12.76

6.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.23 €27.78

$28.64 €25.48

9.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 €20.11

$39.31 €34.96

-42.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.32 €11.85

$27.36 €24.34

-51.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.36

$14.64 €13.02

-28.14%

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

$633 €563

$619 €550

2.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,147 €7,247

$11.3K €10.0K

-27.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$109 €96.8

-19.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 €35.83

$43.48 €38.67

-7.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.7

$123 €109

-17.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.4

$124 €111

-16.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €833

$886 €788

5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 €598

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 €1,485

$1,804 €1,604

-7.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 €1,250

$1,285 €1,143

9.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,364 €5,661

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,516

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 €2,709

$3,062 €2,723

-0.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.68

-4.89%

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

Last update for Fontainebleau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fontainebleau

$371 32.9%

Lyon

$385 19% 3.8% $14

Eating Out

Fontainebleau

$297 26.4%

Lyon

$295 14.6% 0.7% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontainebleau

$253 22.4%

Lyon

$313 15.5% 23.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Fontainebleau

$150 13.3%

Lyon

$180 8.9% 20% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Fontainebleau

$44 3.9%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 57.1% $25

Getting Around

Fontainebleau

$13 * 1.1%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 778% $99

Accommodation & Living

Fontainebleau

- * 0%

Lyon

$672 33.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $936 in Fontainebleau and $886 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 1% 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: $66.0 in Fontainebleau vs $67.0 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $385 per month, with Fontainebleau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Fontainebleau

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

Same time as Fontainebleau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,945

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Fontainebleau Lyon 340 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

Fontainebleau vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontainebleau wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fontainebleau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1% 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: $936 in Fontainebleau versus $886 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lyon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,127 per month in Fontainebleau versus $2,025 in Lyon – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $2,025 in Lyon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fontainebleau but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Fontainebleau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fontainebleau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,127 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fontainebleau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fontainebleau 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 Fontainebleau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.