Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Chamonix

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,025 a month against $2,223 in Chamonix, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chamonix outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Chamonix
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Chamonix Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Chamonix

🇫🇷 France

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Chamonix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,025 in Lyon versus $2,223 in Chamonix.

Lyon $2,025
Chamonix $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Lyon versus $3,501 in Chamonix.

Lyon $3,130
Chamonix $3,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Lyon versus $4,778 in Chamonix.

Lyon $4,236
Chamonix $4,778

Living in Lyon costs roughly 9% less than in Chamonix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Chamonix 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.00

$16.68 €14.84

1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €59.6

$56.7 €50.5

18.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.85

$13.28 €11.82

0.30%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.66

$3.33 €2.97

23.42%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$2.34 €2.08

22.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.54 €1.37

12.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.00 €7.12

$6.59 €5.86

21.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 €5.61

$6.67 €5.93

-5.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.15 €1.02

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.71 €1.52

0.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.52 €2.24

-1.19%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.12

$3.68 €3.27

25.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.54 €20.05

$20.68 €18.40

8.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.38 €11.01

$11.03 €9.81

12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.55 €20.95

$18.25 €16.24

29.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.76 €2.46

-13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.19 €1.95

10.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.99 €2.66

18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.53 €2.25

21.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.47 €2.20

2.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.40 €2.14

28.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.43 €1.27

-5.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.98 €0.87

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 €12.36

$13.89 €12.36

0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 €7.15

$9.33 €8.30

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 €2.45

$4.01 €3.57

-31.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.95

$4.55 €4.04

-27.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.93 €1.72

18.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 €74.4

$44.86 €39.91

86.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 €7.04

$3.15 €2.80

151.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.10 €1.87

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.68 €37.08

$29.68 €26.40

40.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.94 €1.73

14.95%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$34.1K €30.4K

2.02%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.66%

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

$270 €240

$274 €243

-1.38%

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

$14.35 €12.76

$10.94 €9.73

31.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.64 €25.48

$34.48 €30.67

-16.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 €34.96

$34.87 €31.02

12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 €24.34

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.02

$15.32 €13.63

-4.44%

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

$619 €550

$608 €541

1.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$7,308 €6,501

54.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €96.8

$87.1 €77.5

24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 €38.67

$33.79 €30.06

28.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$67.9 €60.4

81.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$91.0 €81.0

36.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 €788

$757 €673

17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 €598

$1,017 €904

-33.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,604

$1,399 €1,244

28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 €1,143

$2,250 €2,001

-42.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,364 €5,661

$3,963 €3,525

60.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,516

$2,993 €2,662

32.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,062 €2,723

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.91

-5.88%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chamonix: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$672 33.2%

Chamonix

$1K 45.7% 51.3% $345

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 19%

Chamonix

$354 15.9% 8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$313 15.5%

Chamonix

$319 14.4% 2% $6.2

Eating Out

Lyon

$295 14.6%

Chamonix

$275 12.4% 6.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.9%

Chamonix

$126 5.7% 30% $54

Getting Around

Lyon

$112 5.5%

Chamonix

$66 3% 40.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Chamonix

$66 3% 4.5% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $886 in Lyon and $757 in Chamonix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Lyon vs $57.0 in Chamonix for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $354 per month, with Chamonix cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Chamonix

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

8,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Chamonix 160 km

From you

Lyon
Chamonix

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 Chamonix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,038 in Lyon and $3,335 in Chamonix to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $886 in Lyon versus $757 in Chamonix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $619 in Lyon versus $608 in Chamonix. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chamonix pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,025 in Lyon versus $2,223 in Chamonix, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lyon but tight or insufficient in Chamonix. The gap between the two cities makes Lyon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lyon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chamonix, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lyon and Chamonix 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 Lyon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Chamonix. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.