Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $1,436 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Saint-Etienne $1,436

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $2,264 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Saint-Etienne $2,264

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $3,092 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Saint-Etienne $3,092

Lyon costs about 43% more than Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lyon and Saint-Etienne sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Saint-Etienne by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.15

$16.56 €14.88

1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$56.7 €50.9

19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.28

$13.54 €12.16

0.96%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.70

$2.07 €1.86

99.03%

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

$2.76 €2.48

$3.42 €3.07

-19.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.49

$1.70 €1.53

-2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.83

$5.07 €4.55

49.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.46

$5.75 €5.16

5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.29 €1.15

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.10 €0.99

56.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.09 €1.88

17.22%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.26

$3.05 €2.74

55.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.62

$17.01 €15.28

34.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.97

$11.17 €10.03

9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.65

$16.35 €14.68

40.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.17

$3.27 €2.94

-26.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.54 €2.28

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$2.45 €2.20

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.71 €2.43

17.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.57 €1.41

59.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.73 €1.55

69.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.10 €0.99

28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.30 €2.07

-53.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.47

$12.15 €10.91

14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.14 €9.11

-23.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$3.32 €2.99

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$3.26 €2.93

-0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.81 €1.62

33.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.9

$39.87 €35.82

106.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.54

$2.83 €2.54

196.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €37.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.11 €1.89

4.74%

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

$34.4K €30.9K

$20.1K €18.0K

71.24%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$32.0K €28.7K

17.48%

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

$268 €241

$164 €148

62.95%

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

$14.01 €12.58

$29.01 €26.06

-51.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.14

$19.04 €17.11

52.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.13

$29.86 €26.82

23.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.49

$6.61 €5.94

329.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.77

$9.89 €8.88

55.01%

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

$628 €564

$996 €894

-36.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.1K

$15.8K €14.2K

-29.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.8

$72.1 €64.8

49.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.95

$30.47 €27.37

42.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$103 €92.3

18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$151 €135

-15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €800

$515 €463

72.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €631

$370 €332

89.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,688

$873 €785

115.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,229

$716 €643

91.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,772

$1,677 €1,506

283.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,878

$1,619 €1,454

166.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,757

$2,255 €2,026

36.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.67

0.27%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8% 47.3% $332

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6% 11.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8% 31.7% $98

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8% 12.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2% 11% $20

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5% 55.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 26.5% $18

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 $515 in Saint-Etienne. 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 36% 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 $57 in Saint-Etienne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $339 – making Saint-Etienne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

172,718

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Saint-Etienne 49 km

From you

Lyon
Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 43% more than Saint-Etienne, 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 $2,154 in Saint-Etienne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Etienne, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $515 there versus $891 in Lyon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $1,436 in Saint-Etienne. That makes Saint-Etienne about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Saint-Etienne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Lyon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Saint-Etienne to $2,050 in Lyon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Saint-Etienne. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.