Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,775 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Besancon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,028 in Lyon versus $1,775 in Besancon.

Lyon $2,028
Besancon $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Lyon versus $2,568 in Besancon.

Lyon $3,130
Besancon $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,232 in Lyon versus $3,361 in Besancon.

Lyon $4,232
Besancon $3,361

Living in Lyon is roughly 14% more expensive than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Besancon 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$17.10 €15.21

-3.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$57.1 €50.8

19.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$11.00 €9.78

20.18%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$3.07 €2.73

30.94%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$2.27 €2.02

17.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.61 €1.44

7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$6.85 €6.09

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$5.52 €4.91

14.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.34 €1.19

16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.70 €1.51

1.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.17 €1.93

14.29%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$4.60 €4.09

2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$20.47 €18.20

12.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$11.05 €9.83

13.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$18.02 €16.03

31.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.80 €2.49

-13.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.16 €1.92

12.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.74 €2.44

27.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$2.58 €2.30

22.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.56 €2.27

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.40 €2.13

28.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.38 €1.23

-2.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.13 €1.01

-0.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$14.15 €12.59

-1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$9.44 €8.40

-13.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$4.84 €4.30

-45.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.30 €2.94

-0.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.77 €1.58

31.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$43.91 €39.06

88.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$3.08 €2.74

172.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.13 €1.90

1.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$30.79 €27.39

36.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.10 €1.87

10.48%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

1.94%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$38.4K €34.2K

-2.27%

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

$267 €238

$226 €201

18.32%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$14.43 €12.84

-2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$34.38 €30.58

-13.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$27.07 €24.08

42.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$19.72 €17.55

39.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$11.38 €10.12

34.36%

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

$637 €566

$342 €304

86.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$7,267 €6,464

59.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$100 €89.0

8.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$38.55 €34.29

16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$91.1 €81.0

35.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$121 €108

5.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$655 €583

37.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$600 €533

12.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$994 €884

82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$816 €726

56.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$2,827 €2,515

124.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$2,282 €2,030

74.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$2,133 €1,898

43.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.62

1.66%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Besancon

$600 33.8% 11.3% $77

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Besancon

$360 20.3% 7.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Besancon

$275 15.5% 11.7% $36

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Besancon

$267 15.1% 7.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Besancon

$158 8.9% 13.3% $24

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 41.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Besancon

$50 2.8% 28% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Lyon and $655 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 44% 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 $57.0 in Besancon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $360 per month, with Besancon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

119,198

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Besancon 190 km

From you

Lyon
Besancon

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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $901 in Lyon versus $655 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 88% less than in Lyon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $637 in Lyon versus $342 in Besancon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,775 in Besancon versus $2,028 in Lyon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lyon and Besancon 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 Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.