Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Nice

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,025 a month against $2,201 in Nice, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Nice
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Nice Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Nice

🇫🇷 France

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Nice

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

A single person spends $2,025 per month in Lyon vs $2,201 in Nice, rent included.

Lyon $2,025
Nice $2,201

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $3,529 in Nice, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Nice $3,529

A family of three spends $4,236 per month in Lyon vs $4,857 in Nice, rent included.

Lyon $4,236
Nice $4,857

Lyon is about 8% cheaper than Nice, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Nice sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Nice by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.00

$20.28 €18.04

-16.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €59.6

$88.6 €78.8

-24.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.85

$13.20 €11.74

0.91%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.66

$3.62 €3.22

13.54%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$3.55 €3.16

-19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.39 €2.12

-27.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.00 €7.12

$7.97 €7.09

0.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 €5.61

$7.98 €7.10

-20.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.64 €1.46

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.21 €1.96

-22.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.73 €2.43

-8.79%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.12

$4.84 €4.31

-4.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.54 €20.05

$20.93 €18.62

7.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.38 €11.01

$16.74 €14.89

-26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.55 €20.95

$23.14 €20.58

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$4.36 €3.88

-44.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.51 €2.23

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$3.03 €2.69

16.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$3.91 €3.47

-21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.76 €2.45

-7.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.60 €2.31

18.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.70 €1.52

-20.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.83 €0.74

27.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 €12.36

$13.57 €12.07

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 €7.15

$9.10 €8.09

-11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 €2.45

$3.58 €3.18

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.91 €3.48

-15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.88 €1.67

21.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 €74.4

$49.67 €44.18

68.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 €7.04

$3.30 €2.93

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.27 €2.02

-4.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.68 €37.08

$29.06 €25.85

43.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.16 €1.92

3.24%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$34.4K €30.6K

1.11%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$35.1K €31.2K

-0.51%

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

$270 €240

$228 €203

18.38%

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

$14.35 €12.76

$16.38 €14.57

-12.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.64 €25.48

$33.13 €29.47

-13.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 €34.96

$32.09 €28.55

22.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 €24.34

$34.41 €30.61

-20.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.02

$15.42 €13.71

-5.06%

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

$619 €550

$1,535 €1,365

-59.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$17.0K €15.1K

-33.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €96.8

$110 €98.0

-1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 €38.67

$49.35 €43.90

-11.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$106 €94.7

15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$190 €169

-34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 €788

$1,112 €989

-20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 €598

$831 €740

-19.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,604

$1,996 €1,776

-9.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 €1,143

$1,702 €1,514

-24.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,364 €5,661

$7,426 €6,605

-14.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,516

$4,154 €3,695

-4.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,062 €2,723

$2,501 €2,225

22.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.9

-5.64%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nice: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$672 33.2%

Nice

$831 37.8% 23.7% $159

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 19%

Nice

$427 19.4% 10.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$313 15.5%

Nice

$278 12.6% 11.3% $35

Eating Out

Lyon

$295 14.6%

Nice

$325 14.8% 10% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.9%

Nice

$205 9.3% 14.1% $25

Getting Around

Lyon

$112 5.5%

Nice

$72 3.3% 35.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Nice

$63 2.9% 8.3% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $886 in Lyon versus $1,112 in Nice. 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 22% higher in Lyon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Lyon versus $89.0 in Nice. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $427 – making Lyon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Nice

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

348,085

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Lyon Nice 300 km

From you

Lyon
Nice

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 Nice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nice costs about 9% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,038 per month in Lyon and $3,302 in Nice. 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 $2,025 in Lyon and $2,201 in Nice. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 68% 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 $2,025, than in Nice at $2,201. In Lyon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nice it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lyon costs $2,025 versus $2,201 in Nice. 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, Nice makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.