Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paterson, NJ and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,025 a month against $2,743 in Paterson, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Paterson, NJ
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Paterson, NJ Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Paterson, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,743

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,743 per month in Paterson, NJ vs $2,025 in Lyon, rent included.

Paterson, NJ $2,743
Lyon $2,025

A couple spends around $4,154 per month in Paterson, NJ vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Paterson, NJ $4,154
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $5,565 per month in Paterson, NJ vs $4,236 in Lyon, rent included.

Paterson, NJ $5,565
Lyon $4,236

Paterson, NJ costs about 35% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Paterson, NJ and Lyon sit above the global median – Paterson, NJ by 103%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$16.87 €15.00

11.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$67.0 €59.6

17.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.90 $13.90

$13.32 €11.85

4.35%

Cappuccino

$6.31 $6.31

$4.11 €3.66

53.53%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$2.87 €2.55

-2.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.73 €1.54

69.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.60 $8.60

$8.00 €7.12

7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$6.31 €5.61

7.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.51 €1.34

-15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.72 €1.53

162.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.49 €2.21

139.36%

Eggs

$5.98 $5.98

$4.63 €4.12

29.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$22.54 €20.05

-37.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 $10.39

$12.38 €11.01

-16.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$23.55 €20.95

-20.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.40 €2.13

145.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.41 €2.14

-9.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.54 €3.15

23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$3.07 €2.73

77.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.54 €2.26

21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.08 €2.74

-1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.35 €1.20

107.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.06 €0.94

142.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 $17.67

$13.90 €12.36

27.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$8.04 €7.15

89.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.75 €2.45

-32.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.32 €2.95

8.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 €74.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$7.92 €7.04

-63.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.17 €1.93

-0.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.52 $42.52

$41.68 €37.08

2.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.23 €1.99

-48.43%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$34.8K €31.0K

3.67%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.9K €31.0K

-28.95%

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

$172 $172

$270 €240

-36.25%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$14.35 €12.76

261.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.34 $49.34

$28.64 €25.48

72.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 €34.96

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 €24.34

Cinema Ticket

$20.15 $20.15

$14.64 €13.02

37.64%

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

$1,984 $1,984

$619 €550

220.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$11.3K €10.0K

41.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.02 $49.02

$109 €96.8

-54.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 $52.5

$43.48 €38.67

20.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$123 €109

-9.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$124 €111

-19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,481 $2,481

$886 €788

180.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$672 €598

120.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$1,804 €1,604

90.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,706 $2,706

$1,285 €1,143

110.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,364 €5,661

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,516

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,166 $3,166

$3,062 €2,723

3.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.68

84.78%

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

Last update for Paterson, NJ: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paterson, NJ

$1.5K 54%

Lyon

$672 33.2% 54.6% $808

Groceries & Markets

Paterson, NJ

$447 16.3%

Lyon

$385 19% 13.9% $62

Eating Out

Paterson, NJ

$347 12.7%

Lyon

$295 14.6% 15% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paterson, NJ

$273 10%

Lyon

$313 15.5% 14.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Paterson, NJ

$141 5.1%

Lyon

$180 8.9% 27.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Paterson, NJ

$40 * 1.5%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 70.2% $28

Getting Around

Paterson, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 717% $98

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,481 in Paterson, NJ versus $886 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 3% higher in Paterson, NJ, 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 $79.0 in Paterson, NJ versus $67.0 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $385 – making Lyon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Paterson, NJ

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

6 h ahead of Paterson, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,000

522,250

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Paterson, NJ Lyon 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Paterson, NJ
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

Paterson, NJ vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paterson, NJ costs about 35% more than Lyon, 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 $4,114 per month in Paterson, NJ and $3,038 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 $2,743 in Paterson, NJ and $2,025 in Lyon. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $1,984 per month in Paterson, NJ and $619 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 Lyon, where all-in costs run around $2,025, than in Paterson, NJ at $2,743. In Lyon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paterson, NJ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lyon costs $2,025 versus $2,743 in Paterson, NJ. 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, Paterson, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.