Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
Learn more

Johnson City, TN Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
Learn more

Saint-Etienne Living Index

Jump to prices

Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johnson City, TN and in Saint-Etienne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Johnson City, TN and in Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,138 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $1,436 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $2,138
Saint-Etienne $1,436

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $2,264 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $3,133
Saint-Etienne $2,264

A family of three spends $4,129 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $3,092 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $4,129
Saint-Etienne $3,092

Johnson City, TN costs about 49% more than Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Johnson City, TN and Saint-Etienne sit above the global median – Johnson City, TN by 57%, Saint-Etienne by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$16.56 €14.84

-16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$56.7 €50.8

-4.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.54 €12.13

-27.03%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$2.07 €1.86

148.31%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$3.42 €3.06

-15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.70 €1.52

19.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$5.07 €4.54

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$5.75 €5.15

5.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.29 €1.15

-24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.10 €0.99

240.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.09 €1.88

89.95%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$3.05 €2.73

1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$17.01 €15.24

-55.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 $13.67

$11.17 €10.01

22.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$16.35 €14.65

-19.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.59 $7.59

$3.27 €2.93

132.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.54 €2.28

-31.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.45 €2.19

67.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.71 €2.43

34.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.57 €1.41

116.56%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.73 €1.55

150.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.10 €0.98

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.30 €2.06

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.01 $9.01

$12.15 €10.88

-25.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 $13.14

$10.14 €9.09

29.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.32 €2.98

-51.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.26 €2.92

35.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.81 €1.62

-46.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.13 $25.13

$39.87 €35.73

-36.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.83 €2.54

97.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.19 $15.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.11 €1.89

-60.66%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$20.1K €18.0K

49.39%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$32.0K €28.7K

-22.72%

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

$172 $172

$164 €147

4.77%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$29.01 €26.00

78.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$19.04 €17.06

228.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.20 $47.20

$29.86 €26.76

58.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$6.61 €5.92

204.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 $11.88

$9.89 €8.86

20.12%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$996 €892

18.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$15.8K €14.2K

-7.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.41 $37.41

$72.1 €64.7

-48.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 $30.80

$30.47 €27.31

1.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$103 €92.1

-14.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 $94.4

$151 €135

-37.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 $1,178

$515 €462

128.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$370 €332

164.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 $1,992

$873 €783

128.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$716 €642

125.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$1,677 €1,502

45.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,033 $2,033

$1,619 €1,451

25.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 $3,584

$2,255 €2,021

58.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.67

76.84%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9%

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8% 62.3% $610

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1%

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6% 12.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4%

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8% 25.9% $74

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8% 1.1% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3%

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2% 42.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 30.1% $21

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$42 2%

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5% 19.4% $8.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,178 in Johnson City, TN versus $515 in Saint-Etienne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 59% higher in Johnson City, TN. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN versus $57 in Saint-Etienne. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Johnson City, TN vs $339 in Saint-Etienne – so Saint-Etienne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

02:23 2:23 AM

5 h ahead of Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

172,718

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johnson City, TN Saint-Etienne 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, TN
Saint-Etienne

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

Johnson City, TN vs Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Johnson City, TN is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,207 per month in Johnson City, TN and $2,154 in Saint-Etienne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Etienne, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $515 there versus $1,178 in Johnson City, TN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN and $57 in Saint-Etienne. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,138 in Johnson City, TN and $1,436 in Saint-Etienne. That makes Saint-Etienne about 33% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Saint-Etienne – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Saint-Etienne. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johnson City, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.