Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Bourges

For one person, living is cheaper in Bourges: $1,946 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lyon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
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Bourges Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Bourges

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Lyon versus $1,946 in Bourges.

Lyon $2,050
Bourges $1,946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,182 in Lyon versus $3,021 in Bourges.

Lyon $3,182
Bourges $3,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Lyon versus $4,097 in Bourges.

Lyon $4,315
Bourges $4,097

Living in Lyon is roughly 5% more expensive than in Bourges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 51% above, Bourges 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.11

$17.13 €15.35

-1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$79.4 €71.2

-14.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$13.63 €12.22

0.29%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$5.27 €4.72

-21.82%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$4.44 €3.98

-37.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.72 €2.44

-39.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.81

$7.95 €7.13

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.45

$6.77 €6.07

-10.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.14 €1.02

37.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.47 €2.22

-30.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.18 €1.95

12.39%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$4.36 €3.90

8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.56

$22.27 €19.95

3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.94

$13.88 €12.44

-12.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.60

$21.97 €19.69

4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.22 €2.88

-25.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.19 €1.96

14.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.89 €2.59

18.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$4.13 €3.70

-22.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.80 €1.61

38.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.53 €2.27

16.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.84 €1.65

-23.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.96 €0.86

11.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$14.42 €12.92

-3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$9.19 €8.23

-15.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$2.77 €2.49

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$3.63 €3.25

-10.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.86 €1.66

30.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$48.86 €43.78

68.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$8.77 €7.86

-4.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.44 €1.29

52.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.92

$46.73 €41.87

-11.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.26 €2.03

-2.21%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$34.7K €31.1K

-0.88%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$38.0K €34.0K

-1.03%

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

$268 €240

$245 €220

9.25%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$7.81 €7.00

79.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.07

$30.25 €27.11

-3.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.05

$36.16 €32.40

1.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.43

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.74

$14.64 €13.12

4.71%

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

$628 €563

$1,816 €1,628

-65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$26.5K €23.7K

-57.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$111 €99.6

-3.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.86

$52.0 €46.61

-16.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$121 €108

1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$156 €140

-18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$626 €561

42.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$609 €546

15.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,684

$1,166 €1,045

61.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$1,126 €1,009

21.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,758

$4,080 €3,656

57.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,869

$3,031 €2,716

42.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,750

$2,788 €2,498

10.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.4

8.24%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bourges: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Bourges

$609 31.3% 13.2% $93

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Bourges

$395 20.3% 2.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Bourges

$283 14.6% 8.9% $28

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Bourges

$323 16.6% 10.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Bourges

$198 10.2% 10% $18

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Bourges

$72 3.7% 35.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Bourges

$65 3.4% 3.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Lyon and $626 in Bourges. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Lyon vs $79 in Bourges for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $395 per month, with Lyon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Bourges

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

63,702

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Bourges 240 km

From you

Lyon
Bourges

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 Bourges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bourges wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bourges the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $626 in Bourges. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lyon – a meal for two runs $68 versus $79 in Bourges. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,050 per month in Lyon versus $1,946 in Bourges – Bourges is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Bourges wins on affordability, Lyon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.