Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Perpignan

For one person, living is cheaper in Perpignan: $1,575 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Perpignan
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Perpignan Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Perpignan

🇫🇷 France

$1,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Perpignan

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $1,575 in Perpignan, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Perpignan $1,575

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $2,444 in Perpignan, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Perpignan $2,444

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $3,312 in Perpignan, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Perpignan $3,312

Lyon costs about 29% more than Perpignan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Perpignan sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Perpignan by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.73

$16.98 €15.13

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.8

$73.3 €65.4

-6.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.78

$13.59 €12.11

-2.72%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$3.02 €2.70

33.11%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$3.35 €2.98

-20.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.10 €1.87

-17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.79

$6.59 €5.88

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.64

$4.46 €3.98

41.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.22 €1.08

27.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.13 €1.90

-19.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.95 €2.63

-15.93%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.22

$3.78 €3.37

25.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.47

$11.75 €10.47

95.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.18

$11.00 €9.81

14.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.11

$17.88 €15.93

32.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$3.17 €2.82

-23.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.70 €1.52

43.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.74 €2.44

27.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$1.42 €1.27

123.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.95 €1.74

28.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.55 €2.27

21.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.60 €1.43

-15.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.51 €0.46

119.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.38

$13.28 €11.84

4.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.28

$5.59 €4.98

45.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.38 €1.23

92.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.37 €1.22

138.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.7

$37.28 €33.22

121.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.47

$5.56 €4.95

50.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.30 €2.94

-34.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.53

$27.88 €24.85

51.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.14 €1.91

8.41%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$34.3K €30.6K

2.91%

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

$37.5K €33.5K

$36.3K €32.4K

3.31%

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

$267 €238

$187 €167

42.91%

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

$14.02 €12.49

$17.38 €15.49

-19.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.61

$25.11 €22.38

18.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.45

$28.99 €25.84

33.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.56

$14.26 €12.71

93.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.63

$11.72 €10.45

30.46%

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

$637 €568

$352 €314

80.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$6,680 €5,954

73.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.2

$93.6 €83.5

16.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.91

$52.9 €47.18

-15.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$114 €102

8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$135 €120

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €803

$564 €503

59.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €603

$486 €434

39.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,621

$891 €794

104.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,135

$818 €729

55.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,662

$4,214 €3,756

50.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,549

$2,396 €2,136

66.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,733

$2,458 €2,190

24.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.89

-5.40%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Perpignan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Perpignan

$486 30.9% 28.1% $190

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Perpignan

$293 18.6% 24.9% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Perpignan

$230 14.6% 26.2% $82

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Perpignan

$277 17.6% 4.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Perpignan

$178 11.3% 2.2% $3.9

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Perpignan

$59 * 3.8% 46.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Perpignan

$52 3.3% 24.3% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $564 in Perpignan. 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 25% higher in Lyon, 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 in Lyon versus $73 in Perpignan. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Lyon vs $293 in Perpignan – so Perpignan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Perpignan

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

119,656

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lyon Perpignan 370 km

From you

Lyon
Perpignan

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 Perpignan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 29% more than Perpignan, 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 $3,042 per month in Lyon and $2,363 in Perpignan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perpignan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $564 there versus $901 in Lyon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,028 in Lyon and $1,575 in Perpignan. That’s a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Perpignan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,028 in Lyon and $1,575 in Perpignan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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