Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Brest, France

Name: Brest
Address: Brest, FR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,385 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,385

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Brest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Lyon versus $1,385 in Brest.

Lyon $2,050
Brest $1,385

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,182 in Lyon versus $2,163 in Brest.

Lyon $3,182
Brest $2,163

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Lyon versus $2,941 in Brest.

Lyon $4,315
Brest $2,941

Living in Lyon is roughly 48% more expensive than in Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 51% above, Brest 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.10

$15.75 €14.11

7.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$43.99 €39.40

53.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$11.15 €9.99

22.60%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$2.91 €2.61

41.58%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$2.92 €2.62

-5.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.11 €1.89

-21.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$6.76 €6.05

12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.44

$5.24 €4.70

16.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.14 €1.02

37.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.60 €1.44

7.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.52 €2.26

-2.78%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$3.63 €3.25

30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.55

$18.30 €16.39

25.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.93

$10.22 €9.15

19.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.59

$14.01 €12.55

64.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.01 €2.70

-19.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.91 €1.71

31.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.57 €2.30

33.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.79 €2.50

14.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.73 €1.55

44.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.12 €1.90

38.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.32 €1.18

6.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.34 €0.31

214.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$13.59 €12.17

2.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.53 €5.85

18.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$2.67 €2.39

-0.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.77 €2.48

17.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.85 €1.65

30.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$40.15 €35.96

104.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$8.12 €7.27

3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.03 €2.71

-27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.89

$31.43 €28.15

31.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.09 €1.88

5.74%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$35.7K €32.0K

-3.79%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$33.9K €30.4K

10.74%

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

$268 €240

$138 €123

94.25%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$28.25 €25.30

-50.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.06

$30.40 €27.23

-4.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.03

$35.19 €31.51

4.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.41

$15.11 €13.54

87.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.73

$13.91 €12.46

10.21%

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

$628 €563

$224 €201

179.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$11.6K €10.4K

-3.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$70.2 €62.9

53.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.84

$30.19 €27.04

43.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$79.5 €71.2

53.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$72.1 €64.5

76.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$508 €455

75.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$381 €341

84.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,683

$864 €774

117.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$737 €660

85.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,755

$2,809 €2,516

128.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,866

$2,453 €2,197

76.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,748

$2,594 €2,323

18.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.82

-3.66%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Brest

$381 27.5% 45.7% $321

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Brest

$302 21.8% 21.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Brest

$197 14.2% 36.8% $114

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Brest

$259 18.7% 11.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Brest

$113 8.2% 37.1% $67

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Brest

$71 5.1% 36.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Brest

$63 4.6% 6.7% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Lyon and $508 in Brest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 18% 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 in Lyon vs $44 in Brest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $302 per month, with Brest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Brest

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

139,619

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Brest 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% 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 $508 in Brest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $44 versus $68 in Lyon. 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 $1,385 in Brest – Brest is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Brest 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 Brest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.