Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Rennes

For one person, living is cheaper in Rennes: $1,722 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Rennes
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Rennes Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Rennes

🇫🇷 France

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Rennes

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $1,722 in Rennes, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Rennes $1,722

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $2,694 in Rennes, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Rennes $2,694

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $3,666 in Rennes, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Rennes $3,666

Lyon costs about 18% more than Rennes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lyon and Rennes sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Rennes by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$14.73 €13.10

12.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

-0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$13.30 €11.83

-0.60%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$3.53 €3.14

13.88%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$2.60 €2.31

2.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.08 €1.85

-16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$7.93 €7.06

-3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$5.71 €5.08

10.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.20 €1.07

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.98 €1.76

-13.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$3.33 €2.96

-25.53%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.68 €3.28

28.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$17.15 €15.25

33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$13.44 €11.95

-6.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$23.62 €21.01

0.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.27 €2.91

-25.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.00 €1.78

22.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.50 €2.22

39.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.30 €2.94

-3.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.38 €2.12

5.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.44 €1.28

114.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.55 €1.38

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.90 €0.80

24.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$13.25 €11.78

4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$6.89 €6.13

18.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.41 €3.03

-21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.48 €3.10

-6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.87 €1.66

24.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$57.2 €50.8

44.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$8.78 €7.81

-4.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.21 €1.08

79.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$32.98 €29.34

27.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.15 €1.91

7.91%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$34.7K €30.9K

1.71%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$37.6K €33.4K

-0.10%

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

$267 €238

$156 €139

71.18%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$13.30 €11.83

5.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$30.84 €27.43

-3.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$40.83 €36.31

-5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$12.48 €11.11

120.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$13.65 €12.14

12.01%

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

$637 €566

$904 €805

-29.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$9,919 €8,823

16.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$85.3 €75.9

27.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$56.5 €50.3

-20.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$112 €100.0

9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$104 €92.3

22.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$789 €702

14.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$574 €511

17.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,361 €1,210

33.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$1,048 €932

21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

0.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$3,149 €2,801

26.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$2,873 €2,555

6.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.91

-5.88%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rennes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Rennes

$574 33.4% 15.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Rennes

$369 21.4% 5.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Rennes

$200 11.6% 35.6% $111

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Rennes

$270 15.7% 6.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Rennes

$161 9.4% 11.5% $21

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Rennes

$79 4.6% 28.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Rennes

$68 4% 1.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $789 in Rennes. 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 7% 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 $68.0 in Lyon versus $68.0 in Rennes. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Lyon vs $369 in Rennes – so Rennes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Rennes

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

225,081

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Rennes 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Rennes

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 Rennes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 18% more than Rennes, 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 $3,042 per month in Lyon and $2,584 in Rennes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rennes, 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 $1,722 in Rennes. That's a gap of about 18%.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Rennes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Rennes, where all-in costs run around $1,722, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Rennes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rennes costs $1,722 versus $2,028 in Lyon. 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 Rennes. 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.