Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanterre and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,028 a month against $2,466 in Nanterre, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nanterre outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

120

Cost of Living Index in Nanterre
Learn more

Nanterre Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
Learn more

Lyon Living Index

Jump to prices

Nanterre

🇫🇷 France

$2,466

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nanterre 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 Nanterre and in Lyon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Nanterre vs $2,028 in Lyon, rent included.

Nanterre $2,466
Lyon $2,028

A couple spends around $3,503 per month in Nanterre vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Nanterre $3,503
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $4,539 per month in Nanterre vs $4,232 in Lyon, rent included.

Nanterre $4,539
Lyon $4,232

Nanterre costs about 22% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nanterre and Lyon sit above the global median – Nanterre by 82%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.42 €13.72

$16.52 €14.70

-6.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$68.2 €60.7

-0.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.10

$13.22 €11.76

2.87%

Cappuccino

$5.17 €4.60

$4.02 €3.57

28.61%

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

$2.09 €1.86

$2.66 €2.37

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.73 €1.54

-33.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.85

$7.62 €6.78

-13.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 €5.96

$6.33 €5.63

5.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.56 €1.39

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.72 €1.53

31.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.48 €2.20

-15.32%

Eggs

$4.29 €3.82

$4.73 €4.21

-9.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.14 €19.69

$22.97 €20.43

-3.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.84 €12.31

$12.54 €11.16

10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.39 €19.92

$23.68 €21.07

-5.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$2.42 €2.15

32.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.44 €2.17

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.49 €3.11

-18.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.17 €2.82

10.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.51 €2.23

-27.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.09 €2.75

-28.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.35 €1.20

34.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.12 €0.99

-19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.61 €13.00

$13.89 €12.35

5.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.40

$8.16 €7.26

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.66 €2.37

-16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.27 €2.91

-35.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.32 €2.07

19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 €93.8

$82.7 €73.6

27.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 €4.39

$8.38 €7.46

-41.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.17 €1.93

-32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.50 €23.57

$42.11 €37.46

-37.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.32 €2.06

-13.36%

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

$23.7K €21.1K

$35.3K €31.4K

-32.90%

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

$31.6K €28.1K

$37.5K €33.4K

-15.90%

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

$242 €216

$267 €238

-9.35%

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

$16.08 €14.30

$14.02 €12.47

14.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.53 €27.16

$29.85 €26.55

2.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.73 €44.23

$38.65 €34.38

28.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.36 €21.66

$27.56 €24.51

-11.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.86

$15.29 €13.60

-27.47%

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

$910 €810

$637 €566

42.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,918 €4,375

$11.6K €10.3K

-57.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 €74.1

$109 €97.0

-23.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 €45.13

$44.77 €39.83

13.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.3

$123 €110

-26.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$127 €113

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 €1,146

$901 €802

42.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$676 €602

69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 €1,628

$1,819 €1,618

0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 €1,450

$1,274 €1,133

27.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,413 €6,594

$6,353 €5,651

16.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,125 €5,448

$3,982 €3,542

53.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,017

$3,066 €2,727

10.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

-18.48%

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

Last update for Nanterre: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanterre

$1.1K 46.5%

Lyon

$676 33.4% 41.1% $471

Groceries & Markets

Nanterre

$383 15.5%

Lyon

$389 19.2% 1.8% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanterre

$289 11.7%

Lyon

$311 15.4% 7.7% $22

Eating Out

Nanterre

$285 11.6%

Lyon

$288 14.2% 1% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nanterre

$161 6.5%

Lyon

$182 9% 13.2% $21

Getting Around

Nanterre

$129 5.2%

Lyon

$111 5.5% 13.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nanterre

$72 2.9%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 3.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,288 in Nanterre versus $901 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 11% higher in Nanterre, 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 Nanterre versus $68.0 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $389 – making Nanterre the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nanterre

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

Same time as Nanterre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,351

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanterre Lyon 400 km

From you

Nanterre
Lyon

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

Nanterre vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanterre costs about 22% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,700 per month in Nanterre and $3,042 in Lyon. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,466 in Nanterre and $2,028 in Lyon. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Lyon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lyon, where all-in costs run around $2,028, than in Nanterre at $2,466. In Lyon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nanterre it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lyon costs $2,028 versus $2,466 in Nanterre. 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 Lyon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nanterre makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.