Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Versailles

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $2,485 in Versailles, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Versailles
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Versailles Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Versailles

🇫🇷 France

$2,485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Versailles

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $2,485 in Versailles, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Versailles $2,485

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $3,938 in Versailles, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Versailles $3,938

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $5,390 in Versailles, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Versailles $5,390

Lyon is about 18% cheaper than Versailles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lyon and Versailles sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Versailles by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.11

$23.80 €21.33

-29.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$78.9 €70.7

-14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$11.38 €10.19

20.12%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$4.25 €3.81

-3.06%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$3.55 €3.18

-22.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.09 €1.87

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.81

$8.69 €7.79

-12.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.45

$7.29 €6.53

-16.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.44 €1.29

9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.27 €2.04

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$3.81 €3.42

-35.70%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$4.26 €3.82

11.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.56

$11.20 €10.04

104.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.94

$16.71 €14.97

-26.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.60

$41.17 €36.89

-44.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$3.90 €3.49

-38.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.17 €1.95

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.43 €2.18

41.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$3.31 €2.96

-3.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.62 €2.35

-4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.15 €1.92

36.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$2.08 €1.86

-32.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.56 €0.50

91.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$13.36 €11.97

3.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$8.25 €7.40

-5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$3.27 €2.93

-18.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.29 €2.05

5.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$96.2 €86.2

-14.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$5.68 €5.09

47.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.43 €1.28

53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.92

$41.77 €37.43

-1.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.98 €1.78

11.62%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$34.1K €30.6K

0.70%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$36.5K €32.7K

2.96%

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

$268 €240

$315 €282

-14.97%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$29.98 €26.87

-53.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.07

$38.39 €34.40

-24.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.05

$53.2 €47.65

-30.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.43

$27.86 €24.96

1.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.74

$14.77 €13.24

3.79%

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

$628 €563

$996 €893

-36.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$10.1K €9,073

10.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$122 €110

-11.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.86

$71.5 €64.0

-39.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €110

$88.9 €79.7

37.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$153 €137

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$1,064 €953

-16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$920 €824

-23.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,684

$2,201 €1,972

-14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$1,967 €1,763

-30.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,758

$10.1K €9,011

-36.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,869

$9,063 €8,122

-52.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,750

$3,424 €3,068

-10.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.81

-3.41%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Versailles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Versailles

$920 37% 31% $218

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Versailles

$429 * 17.3% 11.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Versailles

$383 15.4% 23.3% $72

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Versailles

$356 14.3% 21.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Versailles

$196 7.9% 8.8% $16

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Versailles

$118 4.8% 6.1% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Versailles

$83 3.3% 22.5% $15

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 $1,064 in Versailles. 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 12% higher in Versailles, 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 $79 in Versailles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $429 – making Lyon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇫🇷 Versailles

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

83,587

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Versailles 400 km

From you

Lyon
Versailles

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 Versailles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Versailles costs about 21% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $3,728 in Versailles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lyon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $891 there versus $1,064 in Versailles.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $2,485 in Versailles. That makes Lyon about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Lyon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,050 in Lyon and $2,485 in Versailles. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Lyon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Lyon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Versailles makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.