Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Seine-Saint-Denis

For one person, living is cheaper in Seine-Saint-Denis: $1,857 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Seine-Saint-Denis
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Seine-Saint-Denis Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Seine-Saint-Denis

🇫🇷 France

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Seine-Saint-Denis

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $1,857 in Seine-Saint-Denis, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Seine-Saint-Denis $1,857

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $2,792 in Seine-Saint-Denis, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Seine-Saint-Denis $2,792

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $3,727 in Seine-Saint-Denis, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Seine-Saint-Denis $3,727

Lyon costs about 9% more than Seine-Saint-Denis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lyon and Seine-Saint-Denis sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Seine-Saint-Denis by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$11.03 €9.81

49.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$38.59 €34.33

76.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$11.23 €9.99

17.72%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$4.98 €4.43

-19.28%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$4.56 €4.06

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.69 €2.40

-35.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$7.77 €6.91

-1.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$6.88 €6.12

-7.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.58 €1.41

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.43 €2.17

-29.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.77 €2.46

-10.47%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.30 €2.94

43.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$22.03 €19.59

4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$11.38 €10.12

10.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$19.27 €17.14

22.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.18 €2.83

-23.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.71 €1.52

42.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.87 €2.55

21.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$2.27 €2.02

39.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.87 €1.66

34.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.56 €2.28

20.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.14 €1.01

18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.96 €0.86

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$14.85 €13.21

-6.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$9.20 €8.18

-11.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.69 €2.39

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.55 €3.16

-7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.90 €1.69

22.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$49.24 €43.80

67.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$8.93 €7.95

-6.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.43 €1.27

51.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$46.08 €40.99

-8.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.29 €2.04

1.31%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.0K €31.1K

0.99%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

0.01%

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

$267 €238

$251 €223

6.70%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$15.80 €14.05

-11.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$29.91 €26.61

-0.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$35.30 €31.40

9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$15.62 €13.89

-2.11%

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

$637 €566

$1,776 €1,580

-64.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$26.2K €23.3K

-55.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$110 €97.6

-0.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$53.6 €47.66

-16.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$119 €106

3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$157 €140

-19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$773 €688

16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$600 €534

12.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,392 €1,238

30.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

$1,152 €1,025

10.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$3,632 €3,231

74.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$3,328 €2,960

19.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

$2,159 €1,920

42.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.4

8.24%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Seine-Saint-Denis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$600 32.3% 11.2% $76

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$360 19.4% 7.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$296 16% 4.8% $15

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$263 14.2% 8.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$198 10.7% 8.7% $16

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$73 3.9% 34.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Seine-Saint-Denis

$67 3.6% 3.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $773 in Seine-Saint-Denis. 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 42% 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 $39.00 in Seine-Saint-Denis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $360 – making Seine-Saint-Denis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Seine-Saint-Denis

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

6,073

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Seine-Saint-Denis 380 km

From you

Lyon
Seine-Saint-Denis

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 Seine-Saint-Denis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 9% more than Seine-Saint-Denis, 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 $2,786 in Seine-Saint-Denis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seine-Saint-Denis, 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 $1,857 in Seine-Saint-Denis. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Seine-Saint-Denis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Seine-Saint-Denis, where all-in costs run around $1,857, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Seine-Saint-Denis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Seine-Saint-Denis costs $1,857 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 Seine-Saint-Denis. 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.