Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,452 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
Learn more

Pau Living Index

Jump to prices

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Pau

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $1,452 in Pau, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Pau $1,452

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $2,274 in Pau, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Pau $2,274

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $3,097 in Pau, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Pau $3,097

Lyon costs about 41% more than Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lyon and Pau sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Pau by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.11

$16.79 €15.04

0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$47.82 €42.85

41.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$11.37 €10.19

20.23%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$3.83 €3.43

7.57%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$2.65 €2.37

4.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.57 €1.41

5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.81

$5.75 €5.16

32.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.45

$3.85 €3.45

57.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.14 €1.02

37.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.26 €2.02

-23.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.56 €1.40

57.05%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$5.57 €4.99

-14.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.56

$20.77 €18.61

10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.94

$11.81 €10.58

3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.60

$24.35 €21.82

-5.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.75 €3.36

-35.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.17 €1.94

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.06 €1.85

66.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$3.22 €2.88

-0.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.72 €1.54

45.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.21 €1.98

33.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.25 €1.12

12.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.68 €0.61

57.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$12.75 €11.43

8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.02 €8.98

-22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$4.45 €3.99

-40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$5.65 €5.06

-42.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.36 €1.21

77.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$34.00 €30.47

142.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.92

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.03 €1.82

8.87%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$34.0K €30.5K

1.07%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$36.5K €32.7K

3.03%

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

$268 €240

$86.0 €77.0

211.48%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$30.75 €27.56

-54.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.07

$32.92 €29.50

-11.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.05

$41.89 €37.53

-11.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.43

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.74

$12.09 €10.83

26.80%

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

$628 €563

$394 €353

59.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$4,474 €4,009

150.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$111 €99.1

-2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.86

$34.19 €30.64

26.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$90.2 €80.8

35.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$90.0 €80.6

41.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$740 €663

20.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$394 €353

78.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,684

$1,076 €965

74.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$691 €619

98.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,758

$2,478 €2,220

159.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,869

$2,000 €1,793

115.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,750

$3,074 €2,755

-0.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.81

-3.41%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pau: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Pau

$394 27.1% 44% $309

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Pau

$389 26.8% 1.2% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Pau

$150 10.3% 51.9% $161

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Pau

$268 18.4% 8.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Pau

$146 10.1% 18.8% $34

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Pau

$39 * 2.7% 64.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Pau

$66 4.6% 2.2% $1.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Lyon versus $740 in Pau. 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 in Lyon versus $48 in Pau. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Lyon vs $389 in Pau – so Lyon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

77,066

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Pau 490 km

From you

Lyon
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 41% more than Pau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,075 per month in Lyon and $2,178 in Pau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $740 there versus $891 in Lyon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $1,452 in Pau. That makes Pau about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Lyon and $394 in Pau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pau, where all-in costs run around $1,452, than in Lyon at $2,050. In Pau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.