Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Rueil-Malmaison

For one person, living is cheaper in Rueil-Malmaison: $1,778 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Rueil-Malmaison
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Rueil-Malmaison Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Rueil-Malmaison

🇫🇷 France

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Rueil-Malmaison

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 Rueil-Malmaison actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $1,778 in Rueil-Malmaison, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Rueil-Malmaison $1,778

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $2,710 in Rueil-Malmaison, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Rueil-Malmaison $2,710

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $3,641 in Rueil-Malmaison, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Rueil-Malmaison $3,641

Lyon costs about 14% more than Rueil-Malmaison, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Rueil-Malmaison sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Rueil-Malmaison by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$17.01 €15.13

-2.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$45.25 €40.25

50.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$7.77 €6.91

70.14%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$1.68 €1.50

139.29%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$3.05 €2.71

-12.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.06 €1.83

-16.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$8.46 €7.53

-9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$3.25 €2.89

94.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.29 €1.14

20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.76 €1.57

-2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.46 €2.19

0.81%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.91 €3.48

20.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$10.11 €8.99

127.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$11.77 €10.47

6.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$15.79 €14.05

49.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.00 €2.67

-19.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.07 €2.73

-20.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$1.51 €1.34

131.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$4.21 €3.74

-24.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.86 €1.65

34.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.10 €1.87

47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.64 €1.46

-17.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.14 €0.12

700.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$12.69 €11.29

9.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$5.73 €5.10

42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.42 €1.27

87.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.61 €1.43

103.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.91 €1.70

21.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$98.0 €87.2

-15.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$2.23 €1.99

275.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.12 €1.00

93.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$32.32 €28.75

30.29%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

2.07%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$30.2K €26.9K

24.33%

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

$267 €238

$206 €183

30.11%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$32.00 €28.46

-56.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$31.80 €28.28

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$35.12 €31.24

10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$22.74 €20.22

21.20%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$15.92 €14.16

-3.96%

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

$637 €566

$894 €795

-28.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$11.3K €10.1K

2.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$127 €113

-14.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$45.99 €40.91

-2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$98.8 €87.9

24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$159 €142

-20.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$1,051 €935

-14.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$592 €527

14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,405 €1,250

29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$1,097 €976

16.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$6,654 €5,919

-4.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$3,025 €2,691

31.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$3,226 €2,869

-4.95%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Rueil-Malmaison: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Rueil-Malmaison

$592 33.3% 12.4% $84

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Rueil-Malmaison

$293 16.5% 24.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Rueil-Malmaison

$269 15.2% 13.5% $42

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Rueil-Malmaison

$249 14% 13.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Rueil-Malmaison

$194 10.9% 6.6% $12

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Rueil-Malmaison

$114 6.4% 2.1% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Rueil-Malmaison

$67 3.8% 3.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $1,051 in Rueil-Malmaison. 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 5% higher in Rueil-Malmaison, 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 $68.0 in Lyon versus $45.00 in Rueil-Malmaison. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $293 – making Rueil-Malmaison the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Rueil-Malmaison

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

78,186

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lyon Rueil-Malmaison 400 km

From you

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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 Rueil-Malmaison: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 14% more than Rueil-Malmaison, 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 $2,667 in Rueil-Malmaison. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rueil-Malmaison, 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 $1,778 in Rueil-Malmaison. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Rueil-Malmaison. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rueil-Malmaison, where all-in costs run around $1,778, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Rueil-Malmaison it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rueil-Malmaison costs $1,778 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 Rueil-Malmaison. 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.