Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Caen

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,671 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Caen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,028 in Lyon versus $1,671 in Caen.

Lyon $2,028
Caen $1,671

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

Lyon $3,130
Caen $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,232 in Lyon versus $3,466 in Caen.

Lyon $4,232
Caen $3,466

Living in Lyon is roughly 21% more expensive than in Caen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Caen 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$16.56 €14.73

-0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$55.2 €49.11

23.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$13.50 €12.01

-2.07%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$2.84 €2.53

41.55%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$3.05 €2.71

-12.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.05 €1.82

-15.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$8.38 €7.46

-9.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$5.49 €4.88

15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.35 €1.20

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.78 €1.59

-3.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.98 €1.76

25.25%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.81 €3.39

24.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$9.96 €8.86

130.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$11.74 €10.44

6.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$16.28 €14.48

45.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.10 €2.76

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.01 €2.68

-18.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$1.51 €1.34

131.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$4.17 €3.71

-23.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.80 €1.60

39.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.97 €1.76

56.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.65 €1.47

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.15 €0.13

646.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$13.15 €11.70

5.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$5.59 €4.98

45.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.48 €1.32

79.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.65 €1.47

98.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.78 €1.58

30.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$49.59 €44.11

66.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$2.25 €2.00

272.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.12 €0.99

93.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$32.41 €28.83

29.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.10 €1.86

10.48%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$34.3K €30.5K

2.96%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$36.4K €32.4K

3.22%

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

$267 €238

$138 €123

93.67%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$32.70 €29.08

-57.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$31.85 €28.33

-6.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$31.94 €28.41

21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$22.48 €20.00

22.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$10.13 €9.01

50.94%

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

$637 €566

$879 €782

-27.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$108 €96.3

0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$38.80 €34.52

15.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$101 €89.8

22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$151 €135

-15.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$760 €676

18.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$600 €534

12.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,566 €1,393

16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$1,042 €927

22.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$4,496 €3,999

41.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$2,553 €2,270

56.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$2,379 €2,116

28.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.79

-2.90%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Caen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Caen

$600 35.9% 11.3% $76

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Caen

$292 17.5% 25% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Caen

$203 12.1% 34.9% $109

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Caen

$280 16.8% 2.8% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Caen

$180 10.8% 1.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Caen

$65 3.9% 42% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Caen

$52 3.1% 24.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Lyon and $760 in Caen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 29% 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 $55.0 in Caen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $292 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Caen

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

108,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Caen 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Caen

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 Caen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon and Caen differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,028 vs $1,671 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $760 in Caen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Caen runs roughly 67% 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 $879 in Caen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,671 in Caen versus $2,028 in Lyon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Caen 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 Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.