Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Lyon versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Lyon $2,050
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,182 in Lyon versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Lyon $3,182
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Lyon versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Lyon $4,315
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Lyon costs roughly 16% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 51% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.10

$17.59 €15.75

-4.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$13.53 €12.12

1.03%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$3.19 €2.86

29.15%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$2.91 €2.61

-5.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.89 €1.70

-12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$4.01 €3.59

89.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.44

$4.53 €4.06

34.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.31 €1.17

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.02 €1.81

-14.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.85 €1.66

32.43%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$4.83 €4.33

-1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.55

$16.74 €14.99

37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.93

$9.12 €8.17

33.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.59

$19.64 €17.59

17.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.98 €2.67

-19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.02 €1.81

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.70 €2.42

27.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.80 €2.51

13.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.09 €1.87

19.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.07 €1.85

42.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.46 €1.31

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.94 €0.84

13.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$6.87 €6.15

102.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$7.89 €7.06

-1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.41 €1.26

88.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.54 €2.27

27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$3.14 €2.82

-22.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$25.45 €22.79

223.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$2.99 €2.68

180.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.49 €1.34

47.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.89

$33.37 €29.89

23.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.80 €1.61

22.78%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

3.60%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

18.52%

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

$268 €240

$180 €162

48.43%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$13.84 €12.39

1.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.06

$33.70 €30.18

-13.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.03

$51.5 €46.13

-28.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.41

$15.96 €14.29

77.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.73

$10.99 €9.85

39.49%

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

$628 €563

$917 €821

-31.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

-32.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$87.0 €77.9

23.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.84

$38.51 €34.49

12.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$106 €94.8

15.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$120 €107

6.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$1,699 €1,522

-47.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$1,355 €1,214

-48.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,683

$2,603 €2,331

-27.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$2,062 €1,847

-33.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,755

$6,915 €6,193

-7.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,866

$5,128 €4,592

-15.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,748

$2,211 €1,980

38.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.28

12.20%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 93% $653

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 16.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 26.7% $83

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 8.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 12.3% $22

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 56.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 8.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Lyon and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Lyon vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Barcelona 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Lyon is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Lyon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $891 in Lyon versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $628 in Lyon versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 69% less than in Lyon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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, Lyon and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.