Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,022 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,022

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $2,022 per month in Lyon vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lyon $2,022
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Lyon vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lyon $3,156
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,290 per month in Lyon vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lyon $4,290
Cape Town $3,306

Lyon costs about 32% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.21

$12.01 R 197

42.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.5

$42.92 R 703

58.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.52 €12.04

$6.15 R 101

119.84%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.56

$2.37 R 38.81

68.78%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.27 R 20.84

115.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.94 R 15.37

84.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 €6.91

$2.96 R 48.48

162.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 €5.51

$3.69 R 60.5

67.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.32 R 21.61

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.21 R 19.75

41.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.20 R 36.05

18.18%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.10

$3.10 R 50.8

48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.55 €20.09

$8.73 R 143

158.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.44 €11.08

$6.89 R 113

80.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.01 €20.50

$9.26 R 152

148.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.83 R 29.90

31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.95 R 31.94

27.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.14

$1.66 R 27.16

112.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.14 R 34.99

41.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.58 R 25.86

55.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.47 R 24.15

100.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.35 R 22.05

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 R 18.75

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.30

$3.58 R 58.6

285.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.99

$6.05 R 99.2

29.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.39 R 22.82

96.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.98

$2.18 R 35.69

53.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.40 R 22.88

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.7 €72.8

$60.8 R 995

34.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 €3.00

$0.93 R 15.18

262.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.90 R 14.75

151.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.12 €41.09

$4.96 R 81.3

829.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.54 R 25.23

48.05%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-1.33%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$33.4K R 546.7K

12.39%

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

$263 €234

$117 R 1,918

124.69%

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

$14.04 €12.51

$25.71 R 421

-45.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.06 €25.88

$39.41 R 646

-26.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.96 €33.81

$51.6 R 846

-26.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 €24.97

$11.35 R 186

146.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 €13.29

$8.89 R 146

67.83%

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

$629 €561

$308 R 5,040

104.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$8,141 R 133.4K

51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.4

$57.4 R 940

88.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 €38.98

$31.75 R 520

37.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$116 R 1,900

4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$101 R 1,650

26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 €821

$1,047 R 17.1K

-11.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €609

$669 R 11.0K

2.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,702

$1,861 R 30.5K

2.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 €1,209

$1,407 R 23.1K

-3.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,450 €5,745

$2,410 R 39.5K

167.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,768

$1,570 R 25.7K

169.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,268 €2,911

$1,630 R 26.7K

100.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

10.89

-66.21%

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

Last update for Lyon: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$684 33.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 2.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$384 19%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 41.9% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$306 15.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 40.5% $124

Eating Out

Lyon

$294 14.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 40.8% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 23.7% $43

Getting Around

Lyon

$106 5.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 32% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.4% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $922 in Lyon versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lyon are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lyon versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

1 h ahead of Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lyon Cape Town 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 32% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,033 per month in Lyon and $2,291 in Cape Town. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $922 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,022 in Lyon and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,022 in Lyon and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,022 in Lyon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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