Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roubaix and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Roubaix: $1,656 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
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Roubaix Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Roubaix vs $2,028 in Lyon, rent included.

Roubaix $1,656
Lyon $2,028

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Roubaix vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Roubaix $2,580
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $3,505 per month in Roubaix vs $4,232 in Lyon, rent included.

Roubaix $3,505
Lyon $4,232

Roubaix is about 18% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Roubaix and Lyon sit above the global median – Roubaix by 22%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$16.52 €14.70

9.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$68.2 €60.7

8.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.11

$13.22 €11.76

3.03%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$4.02 €3.57

-4.73%

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

$3.19 €2.84

$2.66 €2.37

19.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.73 €1.54

-5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$7.62 €6.78

-0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.33 €5.63

-10.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.56 €1.39

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.72 €1.53

-7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.48 €2.20

13.71%

Eggs

$2.04 €1.81

$4.73 €4.21

-56.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$22.97 €20.43

-44.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$12.54 €11.16

-28.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$23.68 €21.07

-44.76%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 €0.88

$2.42 €2.15

-59.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.44 €2.17

-54.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.49 €3.11

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$3.17 €2.82

-14.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.67

$2.51 €2.23

-69.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$3.09 €2.75

-70.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.35 €1.20

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 €0.19

$1.12 €0.99

-80.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 €10.37

$13.89 €12.35

-16.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 €7.55

$8.16 €7.26

3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.10

$2.66 €2.37

-10.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.27 €2.91

30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.32 €2.07

-16.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.11 €42.80

$82.7 €73.6

-41.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$8.38 €7.46

-73.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.17 €1.93

-0.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.07 €21.41

$42.11 €37.46

-42.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.32 €2.06

-10.78%

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

$28.3K €25.1K

$35.3K €31.4K

-19.91%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$37.5K €33.4K

-26.29%

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

$176 €157

$267 €238

-34.01%

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

$15.18 €13.50

$14.02 €12.47

8.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.18

$29.85 €26.55

2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 €31.68

$38.65 €34.38

-7.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$15.29 €13.60

-28.25%

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

$629 €560

$637 €566

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,319 €7,399

$11.6K €10.3K

-28.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$109 €97.0

-20.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 €35.76

$44.77 €39.83

-10.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$123 €110

-18.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.1

$127 €113

-19.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$901 €802

-16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €537

$676 €602

-10.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,209

$1,819 €1,618

-25.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,007

$1,274 €1,133

-11.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,519

$6,353 €5,651

-37.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,675

$3,982 €3,542

-24.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 €1,566

$3,066 €2,727

-42.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.68

6.52%

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

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roubaix

$604 36.5%

Lyon

$676 33.4% 12% $72

Eating Out

Roubaix

$301 18.2%

Lyon

$288 14.2% 4.1% $12

Groceries & Markets

Roubaix

$254 15.3%

Lyon

$389 19.2% 53.5% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roubaix

$222 13.4%

Lyon

$311 15.4% 40.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Roubaix

$149 9%

Lyon

$182 9% 22.5% $33

Getting Around

Roubaix

$69 4.2%

Lyon

$111 5.5% 61.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Roubaix

$58 3.5%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 20.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Roubaix 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 74% higher in Lyon, 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 $74.0 in Roubaix versus $68.0 in Lyon. Groceries tell a different story – $254 in Roubaix vs $389 in Lyon – so Roubaix wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

Same time as Roubaix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,892

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roubaix Lyon 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Roubaix
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

Roubaix vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Roubaix 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 Roubaix, 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 $1,656 in Roubaix and $2,028 in Lyon. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Roubaix. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Roubaix, where all-in costs run around $1,656, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Roubaix it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Roubaix costs $1,656 versus $2,028 in Lyon. 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 Roubaix. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.