Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Cork

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Lyon versus $3,214 in Cork.

Lyon $2,050
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,182 in Lyon versus $4,510 in Cork.

Lyon $3,182
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Lyon versus $5,807 in Cork.

Lyon $4,315
Cork $5,807

Living in Lyon costs roughly 36% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 51% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.10

$21.95 €19.66

-23.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$88.5 €79.2

-23.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$12.85 €11.51

6.38%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$4.45 €3.98

-7.42%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$2.86 €2.56

-3.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.24 €2.01

-26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$7.35 €6.58

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.44

$7.25 €6.49

-16.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.70 €1.52

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.33 €2.08

-26.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.86 €1.66

31.72%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$4.42 €3.96

7.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.55

$14.15 €12.67

62.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.93

$12.73 €11.40

-4.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.59

$16.37 €14.66

40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.28 €2.94

-26.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.89 €2.59

-13.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$3.37 €3.02

1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$4.80 €4.30

-33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.25 €2.02

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.75 €1.57

68.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.38 €1.23

2.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.15 €1.92

-50.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$20.31 €18.19

-31.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$13.54 €12.13

-42.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$4.14 €3.70

-35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$3.53 €3.17

-7.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.71 €1.53

41.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$77.4 €69.4

6.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$5.23 €4.68

60.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.49 €1.34

47.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.89

$32.62 €29.22

26.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.13 €1.90

3.76%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$38.6K €34.6K

-10.96%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$37.6K €33.7K

-0.07%

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

$268 €240

$235 €211

13.78%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$21.68 €19.41

-35.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.06

$55.8 €49.94

-47.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.03

$54.7 €48.97

-32.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.41

$15.40 €13.79

84.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.73

$13.24 €11.86

15.79%

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

$628 €563

$1,071 €959

-41.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$5,278 €4,727

112.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$95.2 €85.3

13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.84

$41.83 €37.46

3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$106 €94.6

15.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$118 €106

7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$2,207 €1,976

-59.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$1,833 €1,642

-61.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,683

$3,210 €2,874

-41.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$2,723 €2,439

-49.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,755

$5,257 €4,708

22.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,866

$3,407 €3,052

26.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,748

$3,787 €3,391

-18.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.14

-11.11%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 161% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Cork

$388 12.1% 0.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Cork

$313 9.7% 0.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Cork

$339 10.6% 15.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Cork

$162 5.1% 9.9% $18

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Cork

$97 3% 12.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Cork

$81 2.5% 20.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Lyon and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 23% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68 in Lyon vs $88 in Cork for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $388 per month, with Lyon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h behind Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Cork 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Cork

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 Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $3,214 in Cork, so Lyon is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $891 in Lyon versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cork runs roughly 6% less than in Lyon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,050 per month in Lyon versus $3,214 in Cork – Lyon is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lyon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lyon wins on affordability, Cork on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.