Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Waterloo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $2,325 in Waterloo, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
Learn more

Waterloo Living Index

Jump to prices

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Waterloo

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lyon and in Waterloo

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $2,325 in Waterloo, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Waterloo $2,325

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $3,269 in Waterloo, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Waterloo $3,269

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $4,213 in Waterloo, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Waterloo $4,213

Lyon is about 12% cheaper than Waterloo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lyon and Waterloo sit above the global median – Lyon by 51%, Waterloo by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.10

$22.54 €20.19

-25.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$99.9 €89.5

-32.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$15.38 €13.78

-11.12%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$4.31 €3.86

-4.41%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$3.64 €3.26

-24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$3.08 €2.76

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$5.56 €4.98

36.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.44

$5.60 €5.02

8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.33 €1.19

18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.67 €2.39

-35.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.21 €1.98

10.86%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$4.14 €3.70

14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.55

$17.86 €15.99

28.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.93

$12.18 €10.91

0.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.59

$19.51 €17.47

17.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.82 €2.53

-14.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.47 €2.21

1.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.72 €2.43

26.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.80 €2.51

13.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.20 €1.97

13.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.99 €1.78

47.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.31 €1.17

7.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.09 €0.98

-1.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$12.86 €11.51

8.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$8.70 €7.79

-10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.99 €1.78

33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.36 €2.12

37.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$3.35 €3.00

-27.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$48.39 €43.34

70.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$2.92 €2.62

187.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.25 €2.01

-2.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.89

$39.53 €35.41

4.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.09 €1.87

5.74%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$35.0K €31.3K

-1.66%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$36.5K €32.7K

2.80%

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

$268 €240

$219 €196

22.17%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$20.68 €18.52

-32.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.06

$49.79 €44.59

-41.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.03

$31.48 €28.20

17.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.41

$21.14 €18.94

34.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.73

$15.67 €14.04

-2.17%

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

$628 €563

$784 €702

-19.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$26.2K €23.5K

-57.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$100 €90.0

7.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.84

$46.83 €41.94

-7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$113 €101

8.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$148 €132

-14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$1,030 €922

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$1,016 €910

-30.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,683

$1,405 €1,258

33.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$1,165 €1,044

17.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,755

$4,138 €3,706

55.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,866

$3,242 €2,904

33.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,748

$2,441 €2,187

25.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.71

-0.81%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Waterloo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Waterloo

$1K 43.7% 44.7% $314

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Waterloo

$353 15.2% 8.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Waterloo

$290 12.5% 6.8% $21

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Waterloo

$344 14.8% 17.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Waterloo

$183 7.9% 1.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Waterloo

$76 3.3% 31.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Waterloo

$63 2.7% 7% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Lyon versus $1,030 in Waterloo. 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 26% higher in Lyon, 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 in Lyon versus $100 in Waterloo. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Lyon vs $353 in Waterloo – so Waterloo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇧🇪 Waterloo

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

Same time as Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

29,649

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lyon Waterloo 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
Waterloo

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 Waterloo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waterloo costs about 13% 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 $3,488 in Waterloo. 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 $1,030 in Waterloo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $2,325 in Waterloo. That makes Lyon about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Waterloo. 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 $2,325 in Waterloo. 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.