Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,999 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$1,999

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Bansko

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 Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,999 per month in Lyon vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Lyon $1,999
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $3,120 per month in Lyon vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Lyon $3,120
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $4,240 per month in Lyon vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Lyon $4,240
Bansko $1,957

Lyon costs about 106% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lyon sits 49% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.06

$8.66 BGN 15.15

94.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$46.63 BGN 81.6

46.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.80

$9.01 BGN 15.77

46.84%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.65

$2.24 BGN 3.92

82.59%

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

$2.79 €2.49

$1.50 BGN 2.63

86.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.86 BGN 1.51

102.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 €6.97

$1.76 BGN 3.07

343.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.35

$2.00 BGN 3.51

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-12.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.81 BGN 1.42

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.52 BGN 2.66

66.45%

Eggs

$4.98 €4.44

$2.30 BGN 4.02

116.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.71 €20.26

$9.60 BGN 16.81

136.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.21

$6.32 BGN 11.06

98.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.40 €20.88

$8.64 BGN 15.12

170.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.28 BGN 2.24

81.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$1.68 BGN 2.95

48.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 €3.13

$1.70 BGN 2.98

105.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.89 BGN 3.30

76.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.93 BGN 1.63

176.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$0.76 BGN 1.32

289.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.54 BGN 0.95

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.58 BGN 1.02

91.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.56

$3.44 BGN 6.02

309.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.22

$5.14 BGN 9.00

57.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.11 BGN 1.94

141.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.70 BGN 2.97

97.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.88 BGN 1.55

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 €74.5

$26.76 BGN 46.83

211.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 €7.37

$1.29 BGN 2.26

540.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.65 BGN 1.14

236.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.44 €37.87

$10.18 BGN 17.81

316.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.50 BGN 2.63

48.00%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

19.32%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

61.56%

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

$271 €242

$91.4 BGN 160

195.98%

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

$14.32 €12.78

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.07 €26.83

$12.07 BGN 21.12

149.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.48 €35.23

$32.28 BGN 56.5

22.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.23 €25.19

$8.60 BGN 15.05

228.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 €13.26

$5.63 BGN 9.86

163.94%

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

$636 €567

$228 BGN 400

178.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.2K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

396.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 €105

$30.48 BGN 53.3

285.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.54 €38.86

$19.01 BGN 33.26

129.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$45.53 BGN 79.7

169.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$48.67 BGN 85.2

164.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 €785

$521 BGN 913

68.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €605

$367 BGN 643

84.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 €1,587

$634 BGN 1,110

180.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$558 BGN 976

133.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,332 €5,651

$1,204 BGN 2,106

426.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,977 €3,549

$971 BGN 1,699

309.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,091 €2,758

$1,670 BGN 2,923

85.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

2.99

23.08%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$678 33.2%

Bansko

$367 38% 45.8% $310

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$392 19.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 50.7% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$315 15.4%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 62.5% $197

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Bansko

$145 15% 50.4% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$186 9.1%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 65.1% $121

Getting Around

Lyon

$112 5.5%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 68.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 37.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $879 in Lyon versus $521 in Bansko. 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 85% higher in Lyon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Lyon versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

09:14 9:14 AM

1 h ahead of Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Bansko 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,999 in Lyon, $970 in Bansko – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,999 per month in Lyon and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Lyon and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,999 in Lyon and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 106%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Lyon at $1,999. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,999 in Lyon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.