Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Boulogne-Billancourt

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,025 a month against $2,673 in Boulogne-Billancourt, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Boulogne-Billancourt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lyon
🇫🇷 France
$2,025
/mo nomad
Boulogne-Billancourt
🇫🇷 France
$2,673
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Boulogne-Billancourt

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 Boulogne-Billancourt actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,025 in Lyon versus $2,673 in Boulogne-Billancourt.

  • Lyon $2,025
  • Boulogne-Billancourt $2,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Lyon versus $3,893 in Boulogne-Billancourt.

  • Lyon $3,130
  • Boulogne-Billancourt $3,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Lyon versus $5,113 in Boulogne-Billancourt.

  • Lyon $4,236
  • Boulogne-Billancourt $5,113

Living in Lyon costs roughly 24% less than in Boulogne-Billancourt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Boulogne-Billancourt 98% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.87 €15.00
$16.67 €14.83
1.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.0 €59.6
$56.6 €50.4
18.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.32 €11.85
$13.63 €12.13
-2.27%
Cappuccino
$4.11 €3.66
$5.19 €4.62
-20.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 €2.55
$4.56 €4.05
-37.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$2.71 €2.41
-36.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.00 €7.12
$7.84 €6.98
2.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.31 €5.61
$5.44 €4.84
15.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 €1.34
$1.33 €1.18
13.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 €1.53
$2.25 €2.00
-23.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 €2.21
$2.74 €2.44
-9.12%
Eggs
$4.63 €4.12
$3.84 €3.42
20.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.54 €20.05
$16.64 €14.80
35.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.38 €11.01
$11.65 €10.36
6.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.55 €20.95
$20.31 €18.07
15.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 €2.13
$3.25 €2.89
-26.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.41 €2.14
$2.16 €1.92
11.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.54 €3.15
$2.24 €1.99
58.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 €2.73
$4.25 €3.78
-27.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$1.82 €1.62
39.56%
Onion (1kg)
$3.08 €2.74
$2.19 €1.94
40.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.79 €1.59
-24.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 €0.94
$0.66 €0.59
60.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.90 €12.36
$13.02 €11.58
6.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.04 €7.15
$8.90 €7.92
-9.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 €2.45
$0.93 €0.83
195.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 €2.95
$1.61 €1.43
106.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.29 €2.03
$2.29 €2.04
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$83.6 €74.4
$47.66 €42.40
75.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.92 €7.04
$2.19 €1.95
261.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.11 €0.99
95.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.68 €37.08
$32.47 €28.88
28.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 €1.99
$2.17 €1.93
2.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K €31.0K
$34.5K €30.7K
0.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.9K €31.0K
$35.1K €31.2K
-0.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$270 €240
$248 €221
8.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.35 €12.76
$22.14 €19.70
-35.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.64 €25.48
$32.28 €28.71
-11.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.31 €34.96
$34.94 €31.08
12.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.36 €24.34
$22.49 €20.01
21.65%
Cinema Ticket
$14.64 €13.02
$14.46 €12.86
1.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$619 €550
$835 €743
-25.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €10.0K
$9,936 €8,838
13.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$109 €96.8
$109 €96.9
-0.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.48 €38.67
$45.48 €40.45
-4.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 €109
$102 €91.0
20.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$159 €141
-21.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$886 €788
$1,323 €1,177
-33.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$672 €598
$1,398 €1,244
-51.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,804 €1,604
$2,710 €2,411
-33.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,285 €1,143
$2,374 €2,111
-45.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,364 €5,661
$3,857 €3,431
65.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,953 €3,516
$2,984 €2,654
32.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lyon
Boulogne-Billancourt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,062 €2,723
$4,221 €3,754
-27.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.68
3.9
-5.64%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Last update for Boulogne-Billancourt: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lyon
$672
Boulogne-Billancourt
$1.4K 108% $726
Groceries & Markets
Lyon
$385
Boulogne-Billancourt
$341 11.4% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lyon
$313
Boulogne-Billancourt
$303 3.3% $10
Eating Out
Lyon
$295
Boulogne-Billancourt
$316 6.9% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Lyon
$180
Boulogne-Billancourt
$187 4% $7.2
Getting Around
Lyon
$112
Boulogne-Billancourt
$65 42.1% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Lyon
$69
Boulogne-Billancourt
$64 6.9% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $886 in Lyon and $1,323 in Boulogne-Billancourt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boulogne-Billancourt pays 38% 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: $67.0 in Lyon vs $57.0 in Boulogne-Billancourt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $341 per month, with Boulogne-Billancourt cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Lyon
🇫🇷 Boulogne-Billancourt
🕒 Local time
03:45 3:45 AM
03:45 3:45 AM
Same time as Lyon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
522,250
119,808
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lyon Boulogne-Billancourt 390 km
From you
  • Lyon
  • Boulogne-Billancourt

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 Boulogne-Billancourt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boulogne-Billancourt cheaper than Lyon?
Lyon is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lyon or Boulogne-Billancourt?
On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Boulogne-Billancourt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Lyon and Boulogne-Billancourt?
Rent for a central apartment: $886 in Lyon versus $1,323 in Boulogne-Billancourt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $619 in Lyon versus $835 in Boulogne-Billancourt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Lyon and in Boulogne-Billancourt?
Shoppers in Boulogne-Billancourt pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Lyon or in Boulogne-Billancourt?
At $2,025 in Lyon versus $2,673 in Boulogne-Billancourt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lyon but tight or insufficient in Boulogne-Billancourt. The gap between the two cities makes Lyon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Lyon or Boulogne-Billancourt more family-friendly?
For families, Lyon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Boulogne-Billancourt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Lyon or Boulogne-Billancourt?
Safety-wise, Lyon and Boulogne-Billancourt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Lyon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Boulogne-Billancourt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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