Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,028 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Cambridge

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $3,191 in Cambridge, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Cambridge $3,191

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $4,509 in Cambridge, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Cambridge $4,509

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $5,827 in Cambridge, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Cambridge $5,827

Lyon is about 36% cheaper than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Cambridge sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Cambridge by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$21.56 £16.17

-23.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$88.5 £66.4

-22.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$10.83 £8.12

22.07%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$4.49 £3.37

-10.47%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$2.79 £2.09

-4.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.88 £1.41

-7.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$7.90 £5.93

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$6.54 £4.91

-3.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.64 £1.23

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.79 £1.34

-3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.49 £1.87

-0.40%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$4.53 £3.40

4.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$9.93 £7.45

131.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$9.43 £7.07

32.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$15.44 £11.59

53.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.95 £2.22

-17.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.73 £1.30

41.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$3.70 £2.77

-5.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.39 £2.54

-6.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.84 £1.38

36.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.89 £1.42

63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.24 £0.93

8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.95 £1.47

-42.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$22.36 £16.77

-37.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$10.97 £8.23

-25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.27 £2.45

-18.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.15 £3.11

-21.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$4.07 £3.05

-43.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$95.1 £71.3

-13.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$7.76 £5.82

7.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.70 £2.02

-19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$50.9 £38.18

-17.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.07 £1.55

12.08%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$37.9K £28.4K

-6.74%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$41.1K £30.8K

-8.60%

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

$267 €238

$345 £258

-22.37%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$18.37 £13.78

-23.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$42.78 £32.10

-30.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$65.4 £49.09

-40.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$20.63 £15.48

33.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$17.15 £12.86

-10.85%

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

$637 €566

$2,590 £1,943

-75.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$35.8K £26.9K

-67.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$90.4 £67.8

20.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$47.74 £35.82

-6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$91.4 £68.6

35.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$127 £95.5

-0.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$2,115 £1,587

-57.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$1,736 £1,302

-61.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$3,193 £2,396

-43.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$2,694 £2,021

-52.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$9,107 £6,832

-30.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$5,803 £4,353

-31.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$4,405 £3,305

-30.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

5.04

-26.98%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 157% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Cambridge

$327 10.2% 16.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Cambridge

$406 12.7% 30.3% $94

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Cambridge

$330 10.3% 14.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Cambridge

$161 5% 11.8% $21

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Cambridge

$133 4.2% 19.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Cambridge

$100 3.1% 44.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $2,115 in Cambridge. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 44% higher in Cambridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Lyon versus $88.0 in Cambridge. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Lyon vs $327 in Cambridge – so Cambridge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h behind Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

145,818

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Cambridge 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,042 per month in Lyon and $4,787 in Cambridge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lyon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Lyon and $88.0 in Cambridge. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,028 in Lyon and $3,191 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 57%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lyon, where all-in costs run around $2,028, than in Cambridge at $3,191. In Lyon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lyon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lyon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.