Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Fontainebleau

For one person, living is cheaper in Fontainebleau: $1,897 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Fontainebleau
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Fontainebleau Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Fontainebleau

🇫🇷 France

$1,897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Fontainebleau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Lyon versus $1,897 in Fontainebleau.

Lyon $2,050
Fontainebleau $1,897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,182 in Lyon versus $3,005 in Fontainebleau.

Lyon $3,182
Fontainebleau $3,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Lyon versus $4,112 in Fontainebleau.

Lyon $4,315
Fontainebleau $4,112

Living in Lyon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Fontainebleau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 51% above, Fontainebleau 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.11

$16.90 €15.14

-0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$61.2 €54.8

10.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$3.87 €3.46

6.46%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$3.19 €2.86

-13.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.67 €1.49

-1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.81

$8.04 €7.20

-5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.45

$5.73 €5.13

6.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.26 €1.13

24.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.91 €1.71

-9.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.94 €2.64

-16.67%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$4.23 €3.79

12.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.56

$21.21 €19.01

8.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.94

$12.26 €10.98

-0.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.60

$23.39 €20.96

-1.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.49 €3.13

-30.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.19 €1.96

14.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.29 €2.05

49.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$3.06 €2.74

4.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.83 €1.64

36.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.99 €1.79

47.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.53 €1.37

-7.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.64 €0.57

67.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$14.00 €12.54

-0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$7.98 €7.16

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$2.43 €2.18

9.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$4.14 €3.71

-21.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.29 €2.05

5.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$83.8 €75.1

-1.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$2.17 €1.95

286.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.16 €1.94

1.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.92

$23.72 €21.25

73.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.14 €1.92

3.27%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$34.9K €31.3K

-1.54%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$37.8K €33.8K

-0.51%

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

$268 €240

$208 €186

28.85%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$15.07 €13.51

-7.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.07

$30.33 €27.18

-4.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.05

$22.14 €19.84

66.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.43

$13.32 €11.93

113.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.74

$11.06 €9.91

38.61%

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

$628 €563

$632 €566

-0.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$4,955 €4,440

125.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$85.9 €77.0

25.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.86

$41.00 €36.74

5.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$99.9 €89.5

22.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$103 €92.6

22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$925 €829

-3.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$681 €610

3.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,684

$1,817 €1,629

3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$1,434 €1,285

-4.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,758

$6,354 €5,694

1.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,869

$3,987 €3,573

8.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,750

$2,958 €2,651

3.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.5

5.14%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fontainebleau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Fontainebleau

$681 35.9% 3% $21

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Fontainebleau

$370 19.5% 3.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Fontainebleau

$253 13.4% 18.5% $58

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Fontainebleau

$294 15.5% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Fontainebleau

$149 7.8% 17.5% $32

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Fontainebleau

$106 5.6% 4.9% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Fontainebleau

$44 2.3% 34.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Lyon and $925 in Fontainebleau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 4% 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 $61 in Fontainebleau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $370 per month, with Fontainebleau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Fontainebleau

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

15,945

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lyon Fontainebleau 340 km

From you

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 Fontainebleau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontainebleau wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Lyon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fontainebleau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Lyon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $891 in Lyon versus $925 in Fontainebleau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lyon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,050 per month in Lyon versus $1,897 in Fontainebleau – Fontainebleau is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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