Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Colmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Colmar: $1,578 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Colmar
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Colmar Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Colmar

🇫🇷 France

$1,578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Colmar

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $1,578 in Colmar, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Colmar $1,578

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $2,661 in Colmar, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Colmar $2,661

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $3,744 in Colmar, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Colmar $3,744

Lyon costs about 30% more than Colmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Colmar sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Colmar by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.15

$16.46 €14.79

2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$70.0 €62.9

-3.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.28

$11.03 €9.91

23.93%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.70

$2.66 €2.39

54.89%

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

$2.76 €2.48

$2.44 €2.19

13.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.49

$1.73 €1.55

-4.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.83

$5.61 €5.04

35.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.46

$5.50 €4.94

10.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.29 €1.16

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.71 €1.54

0.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.13 €1.02

116.81%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.26

$2.34 €2.10

102.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.62

$13.61 €12.22

68.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.97

$7.43 €6.68

64.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.65

$11.04 €9.92

108.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.17

$1.60 €1.44

50.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.18 €1.96

15.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$1.71 €1.54

100.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.28 €2.05

39.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.14 €1.02

119.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$0.75 €0.68

292.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.09 €0.98

29.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.31 €0.28

245.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.47

$13.90 €12.49

-0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.68 €6.00

16.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$0.77 €0.69

245.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$4.52 €4.06

-28.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.98 €1.78

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.9

$58.8 €52.8

39.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.54

$3.28 €2.95

155.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.03 €1.83

8.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €37.01

$26.75 €24.03

54.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.88 €1.69

17.55%

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

$34.4K €30.9K

0.05%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$37.8K €34.0K

-0.60%

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

$268 €241

$197 €177

36.08%

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

$14.01 €12.58

$18.05 €16.22

-22.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.14

$32.93 €29.58

-11.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.13

$34.02 €30.56

8.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.49

$45.24 €40.64

-37.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.77

$14.18 €12.74

8.11%

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

$628 €564

$1,092 €981

-42.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$15.6K €14.0K

-28.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.8

$56.1 €50.4

91.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.95

$28.33 €25.45

53.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$103 €92.4

18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$144 €130

-12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €800

$737 €662

20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €631

$552 €496

27.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,688

$1,817 €1,632

3.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,229

$1,406 €1,263

-2.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,772

$4,096 €3,680

56.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,878

$3,132 €2,814

37.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,757

$1,961 €1,762

56.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.76

-2.13%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Colmar

$552 35% 21.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Colmar

$234 14.8% 39.2% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Colmar

$248 15.7% 20.3% $63

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Colmar

$252 16% 13.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Colmar

$149 9.5% 17.1% $31

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Colmar

$80 5.1% 28% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Colmar

$62 4% 7.6% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Lyon versus $737 in Colmar. 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 56% higher in Lyon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lyon versus $70 in Colmar. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Lyon vs $234 in Colmar – so Colmar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Colmar

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

67,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Colmar 320 km

From you

Lyon
Colmar

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 Colmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,050 in Lyon, $1,578 in Colmar – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,075 per month in Lyon and $2,367 in Colmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Colmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $737 there versus $891 in Lyon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lyon and $70 in Colmar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $1,578 in Colmar. That’s a gap of about 30%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Colmar, where all-in costs run around $1,578, than in Lyon at $2,050. In Colmar 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 $1,578 in Colmar 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.

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