Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Valenciennes

For one person, living is cheaper in Valenciennes: $1,654 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Valenciennes
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Valenciennes Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Valenciennes

🇫🇷 France

$1,654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Valenciennes

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

A single person spends $2,028 per month in Lyon vs $1,654 in Valenciennes, rent included.

Lyon $2,028
Valenciennes $1,654

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Lyon vs $2,057 in Valenciennes, rent included.

Lyon $3,130
Valenciennes $2,057

A family of three spends $4,232 per month in Lyon vs $2,461 in Valenciennes, rent included.

Lyon $4,232
Valenciennes $2,461

Lyon costs about 23% more than Valenciennes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Valenciennes sit above the global median – Lyon by 50%, Valenciennes by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.70

$17.78 €15.82

-7.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$56.0 €49.83

21.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$13.27 €11.80

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$3.33 €2.96

20.72%

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

$2.66 €2.37

$2.54 €2.26

4.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.65 €1.47

4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 €6.78

$6.86 €6.10

11.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$5.74 €5.11

10.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.20 €1.07

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.58 €1.41

8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.10 €1.86

18.10%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.45 €3.07

37.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 €20.43

$14.15 €12.58

62.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.54 €11.16

$12.70 €11.30

-1.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 €21.07

$22.78 €20.26

3.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.67 €2.37

-9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.12 €1.88

15.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.29 €2.04

52.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.05 €2.71

3.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.93 €1.71

30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.06 €1.83

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.41 €1.26

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$0.21 €0.18

433.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.35

$14.29 €12.71

-2.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$4.60 €4.09

77.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.36 €2.10

12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.88 €2.56

13.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.81 €1.61

28.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 €73.6

$43.51 €38.70

90.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 €7.46

$2.22 €1.98

277.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.04 €0.93

108.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 €37.46

$24.61 €21.89

71.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.07 €1.84

12.08%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$34.3K €30.5K

3.00%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$37.6K €33.5K

-0.20%

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

$267 €238

$207 €184

29.29%

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

$14.02 €12.47

$15.53 €13.82

-9.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 €26.55

$29.07 €25.85

2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.38

$35.60 €31.67

8.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$14.50 €12.89

5.45%

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

$637 €566

$330 €293

93.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$8,291 €7,375

39.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$87.3 €77.7

24.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

$41.19 €36.64

8.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$101 €89.8

22.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$101 €90.2

25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €802

$527 €468

71.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$527 €468

28.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,089 €969

66.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 €1,133

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$2,698 €2,400

135.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,982 €3,542

$2,213 €1,968

79.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 €2,727

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.92

-6.12%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Valenciennes: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$676 33.4%

Valenciennes

$527 31.8% 22.1% $150

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$389 19.2%

Valenciennes

$320 19.3% 18% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.4%

Valenciennes

$251 15.2% 19.2% $60

Eating Out

Lyon

$288 14.2%

Valenciennes

$285 17.2% 1.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$182 9%

Valenciennes

$149 9% 18.2% $33

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.5%

Valenciennes

$58 3.5% 47.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Valenciennes

$65 3.9% 6.7% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Lyon versus $527 in Valenciennes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Lyon versus $56.0 in Valenciennes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $320 – making Valenciennes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Valenciennes

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

42,991

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Valenciennes 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Valenciennes

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 Valenciennes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 23% more than Valenciennes, 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 $2,481 in Valenciennes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valenciennes, 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 $1,654 in Valenciennes. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Valenciennes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Valenciennes, where all-in costs run around $1,654, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Valenciennes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Valenciennes costs $1,654 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 Valenciennes. 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.