Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Alkmaar

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,028 a month against $2,394 in Alkmaar, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Alkmaar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,028 in Lyon versus $2,394 in Alkmaar.

Lyon $2,028
Alkmaar $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Lyon versus $3,536 in Alkmaar.

Lyon $3,130
Alkmaar $3,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,232 in Lyon versus $4,677 in Alkmaar.

Lyon $4,232
Alkmaar $4,677

Living in Lyon costs roughly 15% less than in Alkmaar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Alkmaar 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$29.74 €26.45

-44.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$88.1 €78.3

-22.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$14.67 €13.05

-9.88%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$3.96 €3.52

1.52%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$3.19 €2.83

-16.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.47 €2.20

-29.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$5.75 €5.12

32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$4.57 €4.06

38.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.43 €1.27

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.37 €2.10

-27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$3.45 €3.07

-28.12%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$4.90 €4.36

-3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$14.23 €12.66

61.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$15.08 €13.41

-16.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$16.85 €14.99

40.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.54 €2.26

-4.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.47 €2.20

-1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$1.84 €1.64

89.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$4.25 €3.78

-25.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.94 €1.73

29.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.15 €1.91

43.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.28 €1.13

5.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.80 €0.71

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$12.78 €11.37

8.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$6.89 €6.13

18.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.34 €1.19

98.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.19 €1.95

49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.20 €1.96

5.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$57.9 €51.5

42.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$2.75 €2.44

204.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.63 €1.45

33.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$24.82 €22.07

69.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.24 €1.99

3.57%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$41.3K €36.7K

-14.45%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$38.6K €34.4K

-2.81%

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

$267 €238

$242 €216

10.37%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$20.63 €18.35

-32.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$46.41 €41.28

-35.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$46.05 €40.96

-16.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$6.11 €5.44

351.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$15.00 €13.34

1.93%

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

$637 €566

$726 €645

-12.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$2,393 €2,128

384.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$116 €103

-6.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$46.67 €41.51

-4.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$109 €97.3

12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$118 €105

7.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$778 €692

15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$1,020 €907

-33.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$2,855 €2,539

-36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$1,576 €1,401

-19.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$4,974 €4,424

27.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$4,169 €3,709

-4.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$3,317 €2,950

-7.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

-8.00%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Alkmaar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Alkmaar

$1K 42.6% 50.8% $343

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Alkmaar

$346 14.5% 11.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Alkmaar

$309 12.9% 0.6% $2

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Alkmaar

$390 16.3% 35.2% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Alkmaar

$176 7.3% 3.5% $6.3

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Alkmaar

$78 3.2% 30.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Alkmaar

$76 3.2% 9.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Lyon and $778 in Alkmaar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alkmaar pays 8% 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: $68.0 in Lyon vs $88.0 in Alkmaar. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $346, with Alkmaar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

111,834

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lyon Alkmaar 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Alkmaar

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

Lyon vs Alkmaar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Alkmaar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lyon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Alkmaar. 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: $901 in Lyon versus $778 in Alkmaar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lyon runs roughly 43% less than in Alkmaar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $637 in Lyon versus $726 in Alkmaar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,028 in Lyon versus $2,394 in Alkmaar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lyon but tight or insufficient in Alkmaar. The gap between the two cities makes Lyon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lyon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,028 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lyon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lyon and Alkmaar 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 18% less than in Alkmaar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.