Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mulhouse and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mulhouse: $1,765 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Mulhouse
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Mulhouse Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Mulhouse

🇫🇷 France

$1,765

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mulhouse and in Lyon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mulhouse and in Lyon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,765 per month in Mulhouse vs $2,050 in Lyon, rent included.

Mulhouse $1,765
Lyon $2,050

A couple spends around $2,829 per month in Mulhouse vs $3,182 in Lyon, rent included.

Mulhouse $2,829
Lyon $3,182

A family of three spends $3,892 per month in Mulhouse vs $4,315 in Lyon, rent included.

Mulhouse $3,892
Lyon $4,315

Mulhouse is about 14% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mulhouse and Lyon sit above the global median – Mulhouse by 30%, Lyon by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 €20.39

$16.86 €15.11

34.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 €68.3

$67.5 €60.5

12.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 €10.20

$13.67 €12.25

-16.68%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.04

$4.12 €3.69

-17.72%

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

$3.11 €2.79

$2.76 €2.47

12.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.65 €1.48

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 €3.92

$7.60 €6.81

-42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.49

$6.08 €5.45

-35.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.57 €1.41

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.72 €1.54

26.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.45 €2.20

2.45%

Eggs

$3.86 €3.46

$4.74 €4.25

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 €12.03

$22.95 €20.56

-41.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 €12.05

$12.21 €10.94

10.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 €18.79

$22.99 €20.60

-8.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.21

$2.41 €2.16

48.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.51 €2.25

-9.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 €4.08

$3.43 €3.07

32.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.10 €5.46

$3.19 €2.85

91.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.50 €2.24

27.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.94 €2.64

-24.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.41 €1.27

35.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.07 €0.96

-8.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.27 €11.00

$13.89 €12.44

-11.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 €6.94

$7.77 €6.96

-0.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.75

$2.66 €2.39

15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.08

$3.25 €2.91

5.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.42 €2.16

-24.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.43 €44.30

$82.3 €73.7

-39.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.07

$8.39 €7.52

-59.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.38 €3.03

$2.20 €1.97

53.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 €24.85

$41.20 €36.92

-32.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.21 €1.98

-10.41%

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

$36.0K €32.2K

$34.4K €30.8K

4.57%

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

$37.5K €33.6K

$37.6K €33.7K

-0.23%

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

$245 €220

$268 €240

-8.45%

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

$31.98 €28.65

$14.01 €12.55

128.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.47 €29.10

$29.09 €26.07

11.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.12 €38.64

$36.88 €33.05

16.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.45 €40.73

$28.38 €25.43

60.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 €10.57

$15.33 €13.74

-23.09%

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

$710 €637

$628 €563

13.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,415 €7,541

$11.2K €10.0K

-24.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 €58.3

$108 €96.6

-39.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.76 €34.73

$43.36 €38.86

-10.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 €79.7

$122 €110

-27.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €123

$127 €114

8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 €521

$891 €798

-34.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 €425

$702 €629

-32.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,037

$1,879 €1,684

-38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €874

$1,369 €1,226

-28.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,377 €2,130

$6,425 €5,758

-63.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,648 €1,477

$4,317 €3,869

-61.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,164 €1,940

$3,069 €2,750

-29.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.68

-3.26%

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

Last update for Mulhouse: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mulhouse

$474 26.9%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 48.1% $228

Groceries & Markets

Mulhouse

$382 21.7%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 0.6% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mulhouse

$310 17.5%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Mulhouse

$307 17.4%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 4.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mulhouse

$149 8.4%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 21.1% $31

Getting Around

Mulhouse

$77 4.4%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 44.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mulhouse

$67 3.8%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 1.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $581 in Mulhouse versus $891 in Lyon. 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. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mulhouse versus $68 in Lyon. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Mulhouse vs $385 in Lyon – so Mulhouse wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Mulhouse

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Mulhouse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,341

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Mulhouse vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 16% more than Mulhouse, 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 $2,648 per month in Mulhouse and $3,075 in Lyon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mulhouse, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $581 there versus $891 in Lyon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,765 in Mulhouse and $2,050 in Lyon. That makes Mulhouse about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $710 per month in Mulhouse and $628 in Lyon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mulhouse, where all-in costs run around $1,765, than in Lyon at $2,050. In Mulhouse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lyon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,765 in Mulhouse 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 Mulhouse. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.