Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Douai

For one person, living is cheaper in Douai: $1,622 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Douai
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Douai Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Douai

🇫🇷 France

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Douai

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $1,622 in Douai, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Douai $1,622

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $2,284 in Douai, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Douai $2,284

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $2,947 in Douai, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Douai $2,947

Lyon costs about 25% more than Douai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lyon and Douai sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Douai by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$16.50 €14.68

0.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$45.18 €40.19

51.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$7.94 €7.06

66.50%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$2.26 €2.01

77.88%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$1.71 €1.52

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.15 €1.03

50.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$5.56 €4.94

37.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$5.60 €4.98

13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$0.87 €0.77

79.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.94 €1.72

-11.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.30 €2.04

7.83%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.90 €3.47

21.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$21.06 €18.73

9.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$12.68 €11.28

-1.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$23.22 €20.66

1.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.47 €3.09

-30.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.10 €1.87

16.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.30 €2.05

51.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.20 €2.84

-0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.85 €1.65

35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.96 €1.75

57.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.76 €1.57

-23.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.67 €0.59

67.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$13.70 €12.18

1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$3.39 €3.01

140.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.36 €2.10

12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.23 €3.76

-22.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.87 €1.67

24.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$48.05 €42.74

72.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$2.28 €2.03

267.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.07 €1.84

4.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$23.87 €21.23

76.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$1.84 €1.64

26.09%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$27.9K €24.8K

26.70%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$34.2K €30.4K

9.93%

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

$267 €238

$204 €181

31.39%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$15.42 €13.72

-9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$30.25 €26.90

-1.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$34.92 €31.06

10.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$5.63 €5.01

389.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$7.73 €6.88

97.80%

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

$637 €566

$628 €559

1.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$8,316 €7,397

39.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$31.52 €28.04

245.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$33.76 €30.03

32.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$33.60 €29.89

267.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$51.1 €45.43

149.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$644 €573

40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$598 €532

13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,376 €1,224

32.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$737 €655

72.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$3,855 €3,429

64.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$2,978 €2,649

33.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.92

-6.12%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Douai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Douai

$598 36.8% 11.6% $79

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Douai

$356 21.9% 8.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Douai

$249 15.4% 19.9% $62

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Douai

$233 14.4% 19.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Douai

$67 4.2% 62.9% $115

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Douai

$68 4.2% 38.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Douai

$50 3.1% 27.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $644 in Douai. 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 $68.0 in Lyon versus $45.00 in Douai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $356 – making Douai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Douai

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

39,648

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Douai 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Douai

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 Douai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,028 in Lyon, $1,622 in Douai – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,042 per month in Lyon and $2,433 in Douai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,028 in Lyon and $1,622 in Douai. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Douai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Douai, where all-in costs run around $1,622, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Douai 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 $1,622 in Douai to $2,028 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 Douai. 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.