Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Le Mans

For one person, living is cheaper in Le Mans: $1,603 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Le Mans
Learn more

Le Mans Living Index

Jump to prices

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Le Mans

🇫🇷 France

$1,603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Le Mans

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,028 in Lyon versus $1,603 in Le Mans.

Lyon $2,028
Le Mans $1,603

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Lyon versus $2,549 in Le Mans.

Lyon $3,130
Le Mans $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,232 in Lyon versus $3,496 in Le Mans.

Lyon $4,232
Le Mans $3,496

Living in Lyon is roughly 27% more expensive than in Le Mans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lyon 50% above, Le Mans 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$16.90 €15.03

-2.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$56.7 €50.5

20.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$10.21 €9.08

29.48%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$3.63 €3.23

10.74%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$2.19 €1.95

21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.14 €1.01

51.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$7.71 €6.86

-1.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$4.85 €4.32

30.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.03 €0.92

51.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.53 €1.36

12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$3.14 €2.79

-21.02%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.15 €2.80

50.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$25.49 €22.67

-9.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$12.34 €10.98

1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$19.04 €16.94

24.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.10 €2.76

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.59 €2.30

-5.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$3.05 €2.71

14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.06 €2.72

3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.84 €1.64

36.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.94 €1.73

59.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.36 €1.21

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.71 €0.63

57.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$13.93 €12.39

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$6.82 €6.06

19.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.49 €3.10

-23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.76 €2.46

18.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.72 €1.53

34.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$39.48 €35.12

109.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$5.66 €5.04

48.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.86 €2.55

-24.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$36.57 €32.53

15.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.03 €1.80

14.29%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$34.2K €30.4K

3.30%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$39.2K €34.9K

-4.21%

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

$267 €238

$165 €147

61.61%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$14.84 €13.20

-5.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$32.51 €28.92

-8.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$35.59 €31.66

8.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$18.91 €16.82

45.74%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$13.59 €12.09

12.51%

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

$637 €566

$1,078 €959

-40.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$19.0K €16.9K

-38.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$93.3 €83.0

16.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$34.75 €30.91

28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$94.2 €83.8

31.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$136 €121

-6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$571 €508

57.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$464 €413

45.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,000 €890

81.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$951 €846

33.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$2,814 €2,503

125.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$1,855 €1,650

114.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$2,772 €2,466

10.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.77

-2.39%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Le Mans: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Le Mans

$464 28.9% 31.4% $212

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Le Mans

$365 22.8% 6.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Le Mans

$213 13.3% 31.6% $98

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Le Mans

$271 16.9% 6.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Le Mans

$161 10.1% 11.3% $21

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Le Mans

$66 4.1% 40.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Le Mans

$63 3.9% 9.3% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Lyon and $571 in Le Mans. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lyon pays 11% 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: $68.0 in Lyon vs $57.0 in Le Mans for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $365 per month, with Le Mans cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Le Mans

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

145,004

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Le Mans 430 km

From you

Lyon
Le Mans

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 Le Mans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon and Le Mans differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,028 vs $1,603 including rent). Le Mans is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% 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: $901 in Lyon versus $571 in Le Mans. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Le Mans runs roughly 109% less than in Lyon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $637 in Lyon versus $1,078 in Le Mans. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,603 in Le Mans versus $2,028 in Lyon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Le Mans but tight or insufficient in Lyon. The gap between the two cities makes Le Mans the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Le Mans are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Le Mans gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Lyon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.