Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nimes and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nimes: $1,776 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Nimes
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Nimes Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Nimes

🇫🇷 France

$1,776

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,776 per month in Nimes vs $2,050 in Lyon, rent included.

Nimes $1,776
Lyon $2,050

A couple spends around $2,908 per month in Nimes vs $3,182 in Lyon, rent included.

Nimes $2,908
Lyon $3,182

A family of three spends $4,039 per month in Nimes vs $4,315 in Lyon, rent included.

Nimes $4,039
Lyon $4,315

Nimes is about 13% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nimes and Lyon sit above the global median – Nimes by 31%, Lyon by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.17

$16.86 €15.15

0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.4

$67.5 €60.6

-16.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 €11.12

$13.67 €12.28

-9.44%

Cappuccino

$3.33 €2.99

$4.12 €3.70

-19.17%

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

$2.24 €2.01

$2.76 €2.48

-18.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.65 €1.49

-31.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 €6.20

$7.60 €6.83

-9.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €5.00

$6.08 €5.46

-8.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.57 €1.41

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.72 €1.55

-13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.45 €2.20

-2.45%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.57

$4.74 €4.26

-16.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 €11.64

$22.95 €20.62

-43.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 €9.91

$12.21 €10.97

-9.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.04 €21.60

$22.99 €20.65

4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.45

$2.41 €2.17

13.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.51 €2.25

-13.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$3.43 €3.08

-18.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 €4.52

$3.19 €2.86

57.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.50 €2.24

2.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.94 €2.64

-20.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.41 €1.27

-1.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.07 €0.96

23.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.14 €12.70

$13.89 €12.47

1.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.11

$7.77 €6.98

-26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.98

$2.66 €2.39

24.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.61

$3.25 €2.92

-10.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.42 €2.17

-24.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.42 €36.31

$82.3 €73.9

-50.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 €2.76

$8.39 €7.54

-63.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.29

$2.20 €1.98

-35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 €27.13

$41.20 €37.01

-26.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.84

$2.21 €1.98

-7.69%

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

$25.2K €22.6K

$34.4K €30.9K

-26.81%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$37.6K €33.7K

-11.67%

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

$202 €181

$268 €241

-24.67%

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

$27.83 €25.00

$14.01 €12.58

98.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 €31.12

$29.09 €26.14

19.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.63 €37.39

$36.88 €33.13

12.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.01 €9.89

$28.38 €25.49

-61.21%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 €12.09

$15.33 €13.77

-12.20%

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

$601 €540

$628 €564

-4.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,409 €6,655

$11.2K €10.1K

-33.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.1

$108 €96.8

-19.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 €35.26

$43.36 €38.95

-9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 €82.9

$122 €110

-24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €132

$127 €114

15.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 €649

$891 €800

-18.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €539

$702 €631

-14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 €1,284

$1,879 €1,688

-23.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,316

$1,369 €1,229

7.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,405 €3,059

$6,425 €5,772

-47.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,380 €2,138

$4,317 €3,878

-44.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,305 €2,071

$3,069 €2,757

-24.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

3.68

-0.54%

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

Last update for Nimes: 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

Nimes

$600 33.8%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 17.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Nimes

$350 19.7%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 9.8% $34

Eating Out

Nimes

$271 15.3%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nimes

$264 14.9%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 17.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Nimes

$164 9.3%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 9.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nimes

$69 3.9%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 1.5% $1

Getting Around

Nimes

$58 3.3%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 92.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $722 in Nimes 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 33% higher in Lyon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Nimes versus $68 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $385 – making Nimes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nimes

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

Same time as Nimes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,104

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Nimes Lyon 220 km

From you

Nimes
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

Nimes vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 15% more than Nimes, 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 $2,664 per month in Nimes 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 Nimes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $722 there versus $891 in Lyon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,776 in Nimes and $2,050 in Lyon. That makes Nimes about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Nimes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nimes, where all-in costs run around $1,776, than in Lyon at $2,050. In Nimes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nimes – 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 Nimes. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.