Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Nanterre

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,028 a month against $2,466 in Nanterre, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nanterre outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Nanterre
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Nanterre Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Nanterre

🇫🇷 France

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Nanterre

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $2,466 in Nanterre, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Nanterre $2,466

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $3,503 in Nanterre, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Nanterre $3,503

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $4,539 in Nanterre, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Nanterre $4,539

Lyon is about 18% cheaper than Nanterre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lyon and Nanterre sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Nanterre by 82%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$15.42 €13.72

7.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$67.9 €60.4

0.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$13.60 €12.10

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$5.17 €4.60

-22.24%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$2.09 €1.86

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.15 €1.02

50.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$6.58 €5.85

15.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$6.70 €5.96

-5.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.52 €1.35

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.27 €2.02

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.10 €1.87

18.10%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$4.29 €3.82

10.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$22.14 €19.69

3.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$13.84 €12.31

-9.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$22.39 €19.92

5.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.20 €2.85

-24.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.31 €2.05

5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.84 €2.53

22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.51 €3.12

-9.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.83 €1.62

37.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.20 €1.96

40.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.82 €1.62

-25.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.90 €0.80

24.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$14.61 €13.00

-4.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$7.20 €6.40

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.22 €1.97

19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.11 €1.88

54.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.78 €2.47

-16.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$105 €93.8

-21.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$4.94 €4.39

69.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.47 €1.31

47.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$26.50 €23.57

58.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.01 €1.79

15.42%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$23.7K €21.1K

49.03%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$31.6K €28.1K

18.91%

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

$267 €238

$242 €216

10.32%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$16.08 €14.30

-12.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$30.53 €27.16

-2.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$49.73 €44.23

-22.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$24.36 €21.66

13.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$11.09 €9.86

37.87%

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

$637 €566

$910 €810

-30.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$4,918 €4,375

135.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$83.3 €74.1

30.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$50.7 €45.13

-11.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$90.3 €80.3

36.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$133 €118

-4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$1,288 €1,146

-30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$1,148 €1,021

-41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,830 €1,628

-0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$1,630 €1,450

-21.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$7,413 €6,594

-14.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$6,125 €5,448

-34.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$3,392 €3,017

-9.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

22.67%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nanterre: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Nanterre

$1.1K 46.5% 69.7% $471

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Nanterre

$383 15.5% 1.7% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Nanterre

$289 11.7% 7.2% $22

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Nanterre

$285 11.6% 1% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Nanterre

$161 6.5% 11.7% $21

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Nanterre

$129 5.2% 15.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Nanterre

$72 2.9% 3.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $1,288 in Nanterre. 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 11% higher in Nanterre, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Lyon versus $68.0 in Nanterre. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Lyon vs $383 in Nanterre – so Nanterre wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Nanterre

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

97,351

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Nanterre 400 km

From you

Lyon
Nanterre

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 Nanterre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanterre costs about 22% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,042 per month in Lyon and $3,700 in Nanterre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lyon, 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 $2,466 in Nanterre. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Lyon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lyon, where all-in costs run around $2,028, than in Nanterre at $2,466. In Lyon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nanterre it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lyon costs $2,028 versus $2,466 in Nanterre. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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