Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Chateauroux

For one person, living is cheaper in Chateauroux: $1,800 a month against $2,022 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Chateauroux
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Chateauroux Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,022

/mo nomad

Chateauroux

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Chateauroux

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,022 in Lyon versus $1,800 in Chateauroux.

Lyon $2,022
Chateauroux $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Lyon versus $2,772 in Chateauroux.

Lyon $3,156
Chateauroux $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,290 in Lyon versus $3,743 in Chateauroux.

Lyon $4,290
Chateauroux $3,743

Living in Lyon is roughly 12% more expensive than in Chateauroux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Chateauroux 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.27

$16.46 €14.72

3.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.8

$55.5 €49.64

22.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.52 €12.09

$11.30 €10.10

19.65%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.58

$3.76 €3.37

6.38%

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

$2.74 €2.45

$3.08 €2.76

-11.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.56 €1.39

10.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 €6.94

$7.75 €6.93

0.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 €5.53

$4.77 €4.27

29.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.20 €1.07

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.53

$4.09 €3.65

-58.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.21 €2.87

-19.00%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.11

$3.64 €3.26

26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.55 €20.16

$25.13 €22.47

-10.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.44 €11.12

$12.38 €11.07

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.01 €20.58

$18.83 €16.84

22.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$3.02 €2.70

-20.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.60 €2.32

-4.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.15

$2.94 €2.63

19.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 €2.71

$3.00 €2.68

1.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.89 €1.69

30.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 €2.64

$1.86 €1.66

58.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.41 €1.26

-7.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.71 €0.64

57.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.35

$14.26 €12.75

-3.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €7.01

$6.86 €6.14

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.44

$3.50 €3.13

-22.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.99

$2.85 €2.55

17.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.03 €1.82

13.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.7 €73.1

$47.76 €42.71

71.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 €3.01

$5.55 €4.96

-39.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.70 €2.42

-16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.12 €41.24

$36.41 €32.56

26.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.17 €1.94

5.07%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$34.5K €30.9K

1.09%

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

$37.5K €33.5K

$39.0K €34.9K

-3.82%

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

$263 €235

$167 €149

57.94%

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

$14.04 €12.55

$14.38 €12.86

-2.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.06 €25.98

$31.22 €27.91

-6.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.96 €33.94

$35.14 €31.42

8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 €25.06

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 €13.34

$13.25 €11.85

12.60%

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

$629 €563

$1,068 €955

-41.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$19.3K €17.2K

-36.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.8

$94.2 €84.2

14.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 €39.13

$34.63 €30.96

26.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$91.3 €81.6

32.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$135 €121

-5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 €824

$770 €688

19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €612

$622 €556

9.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,708

$1,441 €1,289

32.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 €1,214

$1,142 €1,021

18.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,450 €5,767

$4,111 €3,676

56.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,782

$3,105 €2,776

36.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,268 €2,923

$3,436 €3,073

-4.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.89

-5.40%

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

Last update for Lyon: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chateauroux: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$684 33.8%

Chateauroux

$622 34.6% 9.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$384 19%

Chateauroux

$392 21.8% 2.1% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$306 15.1%

Chateauroux

$212 11.8% 30.7% $94

Eating Out

Lyon

$294 14.6%

Chateauroux

$278 15.4% 5.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.9%

Chateauroux

$160 8.9% 11.2% $20

Getting Around

Lyon

$106 5.2%

Chateauroux

$75 4.2% 29% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.4%

Chateauroux

$62 3.4% 9.1% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $922 in Lyon and $770 in Chateauroux. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chateauroux pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Lyon vs $56 in Chateauroux. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $392, with Lyon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Chateauroux

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

42,968

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Lyon Chateauroux 270 km

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Lyon
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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 Chateauroux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,022 in Lyon and $1,800 in Chateauroux, so Chateauroux is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Lyon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $922 in Lyon versus $770 in Chateauroux. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $629 in Lyon versus $1,068 in Chateauroux. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chateauroux – a meal for two runs $56 versus $68 in Lyon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Chateauroux gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Chateauroux are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.