Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,050 in Lyon.

Lisbon $2,210
Lyon $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,182 in Lyon.

Lisbon $3,275
Lyon $3,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,315 in Lyon.

Lisbon $4,341
Lyon $4,315

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Lyon 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.86 €15.11

-1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$67.5 €60.5

-8.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$13.67 €12.25

-16.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.12 €3.69

-27.91%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.76 €2.47

-17.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.65 €1.48

5.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$7.60 €6.81

-55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.08 €5.45

-45.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.57 €1.41

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.72 €1.54

11.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.45 €2.20

-38.37%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.74 €4.25

-15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$22.95 €20.56

-43.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.21 €10.94

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$22.99 €20.60

-22.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.41 €2.16

-4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.51 €2.25

-31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.43 €3.07

-45.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.19 €2.85

-18.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.50 €2.24

-27.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.94 €2.64

-32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.41 €1.27

4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.07 €0.96

-32.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$13.89 €12.44

-52.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.77 €6.96

-27.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.66 €2.39

-48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.25 €2.91

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.42 €2.16

-3.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$82.3 €73.7

-45.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$8.39 €7.52

-54.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.20 €1.97

-51.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$41.20 €36.92

-60.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.21 €1.98

-0.45%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.4K €30.8K

-0.57%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$37.6K €33.7K

3.08%

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

$161 €144

$268 €240

-39.79%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.01 €12.55

31.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$29.09 €26.07

12.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$36.88 €33.05

20.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$28.38 €25.43

-32.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.33 €13.74

-37.38%

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

$668 €598

$628 €563

6.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.2K €10.0K

57.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$108 €96.6

-5.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$43.36 €38.86

2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$122 €110

-19.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$127 €114

-2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$891 €798

80.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$702 €629

69.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,879 €1,684

49.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,369 €1,226

47.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$6,425 €5,758

22.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$4,317 €3,869

5.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,069 €2,750

-48.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.68

4.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 41% $488

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 41.2% $112

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 20.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 46.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 8.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 6% $3.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 76.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $891 in Lyon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $68 in Lyon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $385 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Lyon 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,050 in Lyon, so Lyon is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $891 in Lyon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $628 in Lyon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lyon 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, Lisbon and Lyon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.