Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Chartres

For one person, living is cheaper in Chartres: $1,745 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Chartres
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Chartres Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Chartres

🇫🇷 France

$1,745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Chartres

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $1,745 in Chartres, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Chartres $1,745

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $2,654 in Chartres, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Chartres $2,654

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $3,562 in Chartres, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Chartres $3,562

Lyon costs about 17% more than Chartres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Chartres sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Chartres by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.15

$14.66 €13.17

15.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$49.78 €44.72

35.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.28

$10.72 €9.63

27.52%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.70

$2.65 €2.38

55.47%

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

$2.76 €2.48

$3.10 €2.79

-10.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.49

$1.53 €1.37

7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.83

$8.61 €7.73

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.46

$5.68 €5.10

7.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.35 €1.21

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.74 €1.57

-1.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.57 €2.31

-4.67%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.26

$3.98 €3.58

19.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.62

$10.19 €9.15

125.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.97

$11.82 €10.61

3.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.65

$16.18 €14.54

42.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.17

$3.08 €2.77

-21.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$3.14 €2.82

-20.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$1.46 €1.31

134.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$4.31 €3.87

-25.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.80 €1.62

38.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.09 €1.88

40.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.64 €1.48

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.13 €0.12

723.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.47

$12.69 €11.40

9.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.52 €4.96

40.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$1.40 €1.26

90.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$1.57 €1.41

107.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.97 €1.77

22.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.9

$49.28 €44.27

66.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.54

$2.33 €2.09

260.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.11 €1.00

98.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €37.01

$32.85 €29.51

25.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.17 €1.95

1.84%

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

$34.4K €30.9K

$16.9K €15.2K

103.11%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$23.9K €21.5K

57.26%

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

$268 €241

$203 €182

32.23%

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

$14.01 €12.58

$21.60 €19.40

-35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.14

$32.27 €28.98

-9.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.13

$35.65 €32.02

3.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.49

$13.16 €11.82

115.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.77

$15.46 €13.89

-0.84%

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

$628 €564

$886 €796

-29.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$12.0K €10.8K

-6.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.8

$128 €115

-16.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.95

$46.44 €41.71

-6.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$102 €91.4

20.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$97.5 €87.6

30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €800

$756 €679

17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €631

$639 €574

9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,688

$1,445 €1,298

30.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,229

$1,170 €1,051

16.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,772

$4,188 €3,762

53.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,878

$2,043 €1,835

111.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,757

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.9

-5.64%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chartres: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Chartres

$639 36.6% 9% $63

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Chartres

$296 17% 23% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Chartres

$256 14.7% 17.5% $55

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Chartres

$254 14.6% 13.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Chartres

$168 9.6% 6.6% $12

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Chartres

$65 3.7% 41.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Chartres

$67 3.8% 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Lyon versus $756 in Chartres. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lyon versus $50 in Chartres. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $296 – making Chartres the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Chartres

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

38,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Chartres 390 km

From you

Lyon
Chartres

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 Chartres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 17% more than Chartres, 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 $3,075 per month in Lyon and $2,618 in Chartres. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chartres, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $756 there versus $891 in Lyon.

Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Lyon and $886 in Chartres. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Lyon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chartres, where all-in costs run around $1,745, than in Lyon at $2,050. In Chartres it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lyon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,745 in Chartres to $2,050 in Lyon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

For expats, Chartres is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 17% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.