Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,999 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$1,999

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,999 in Lyon versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Lyon $1,999
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,120 in Lyon versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Lyon $3,120
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,240 in Lyon versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Lyon $4,240
Bucharest $2,715

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 49% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.05

$14.46 RON 68.9

16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$57.7 RON 275

18.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.79

$7.50 RON 35.72

76.40%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.65

$3.43 RON 16.32

19.24%

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

$2.79 €2.48

$2.46 RON 11.72

13.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.33 RON 11.09

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 €6.96

$3.80 RON 18.10

105.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.35

$4.10 RON 19.56

46.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.65 RON 7.85

-5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.35 RON 6.44

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.78 RON 8.48

42.13%

Eggs

$4.98 €4.44

$3.66 RON 17.46

36.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.71 €20.25

$8.57 RON 40.84

164.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.20

$6.80 RON 32.41

84.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.40 €20.86

$11.72 RON 55.8

99.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.29 RON 6.16

79.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.56 RON 7.43

59.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 €3.12

$1.54 RON 7.34

127.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.48 RON 11.84

34.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.83 RON 3.95

209.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$0.80 RON 3.80

270.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.84 RON 4.01

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.93 RON 4.42

19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.55

$6.44 RON 30.68

118.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.21

$6.32 RON 30.13

28.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.26 RON 5.99

112.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.60 RON 7.65

110.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.06

$0.81 RON 3.88

186.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 €74.4

$21.13 RON 101

295.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 €7.37

$0.60 RON 2.88

1276.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.61 RON 2.93

259.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.44 €37.84

$6.17 RON 29.41

587.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.96 RON 9.34

13.27%

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

$34.4K €30.6K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

22.12%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

31.83%

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

$271 €241

$197 RON 938

37.49%

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

$14.32 €12.77

$8.34 RON 39.74

71.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.07 €26.81

$9.19 RON 43.80

227.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.48 €35.20

$49.87 RON 238

-20.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.23 €25.17

$24.99 RON 119

12.97%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 €13.25

$8.46 RON 40.31

75.65%

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

$636 €567

$639 RON 3,046

-0.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.2K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-20.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 €105

$90.6 RON 432

29.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.54 €38.82

$38.05 RON 181

14.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$79.7 RON 380

53.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$93.2 RON 444

37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 €784

$673 RON 3,209

30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €604

$449 RON 2,139

50.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 €1,586

$1,098 RON 5,234

61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,159

$729 RON 3,474

78.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,332 €5,646

$3,740 RON 17.8K

69.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,977 €3,546

$2,189 RON 10.4K

81.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,091 €2,756

$1,323 RON 6,306

133.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

6.74

-45.40%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$678 33.2%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 33.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$392 19.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 43.4% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$315 15.4%

Bucharest

$214 16% 31.9% $101

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 23% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$186 9.1%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 26.9% $50

Getting Around

Lyon

$112 5.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 74.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 3.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $879 in Lyon and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 134% 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 $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

1 h ahead of Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lyon Bucharest 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon and Bucharest differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,999 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 134% 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: $879 in Lyon versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,999 per month in Lyon versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 295% less than in Lyon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,999 in Lyon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.