Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rouen and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rouen: $1,734 a month against $2,028 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
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Rouen Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,734

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,734 per month in Rouen vs $2,028 in Lyon, rent included.

Rouen $1,734
Lyon $2,028

A couple spends around $2,616 per month in Rouen vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Rouen $2,616
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $3,498 per month in Rouen vs $4,232 in Lyon, rent included.

Rouen $3,498
Lyon $4,232

Rouen is about 15% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rouen and Lyon sit above the global median – Rouen by 28%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 €14.90

$16.52 €14.70

1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$68.2 €60.7

-2.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$13.22 €11.76

-16.19%

Cappuccino

$3.30 €2.93

$4.02 €3.57

-17.91%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$2.66 €2.37

37.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.73 €1.54

86.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 €6.50

$7.62 €6.78

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$6.33 €5.63

8.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.56 €1.39

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.72 €1.53

-37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.48 €2.20

-9.68%

Eggs

$3.56 €3.17

$4.73 €4.21

-24.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.50 €16.46

$22.97 €20.43

-19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 €7.89

$12.54 €11.16

-29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.98 €24.00

$23.68 €21.07

13.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.42 €2.15

5.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.44 €2.17

19.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$3.49 €3.11

-29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$3.17 €2.82

-1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.51 €2.23

-18.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.09 €2.75

-51.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.35 €1.20

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$1.12 €0.99

-61.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.34 €12.76

$13.89 €12.35

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.92

$8.16 €7.26

-18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.66 €2.37

0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.27 €2.91

0.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.32 €2.07

-15.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.79 €43.40

$82.7 €73.6

-41.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 €7.83

$8.38 €7.46

5.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.17 €1.93

-44.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.89 €30.14

$42.11 €37.46

-19.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.32 €2.06

-7.33%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$35.3K €31.4K

-1.29%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$37.5K €33.4K

-5.05%

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

$211 €187

$267 €238

-21.20%

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

$23.28 €20.71

$14.02 €12.47

66.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.42 €35.06

$29.85 €26.55

32.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 €37.66

$38.65 €34.38

9.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.90 €15.03

$27.56 €24.51

-38.68%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.78

$15.29 €13.60

-6.08%

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

$902 €802

$637 €566

41.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,040

$11.6K €10.3K

-12.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €75.9

$109 €97.0

-21.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 €39.83

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 €85.4

$123 €110

-22.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.5

$127 €113

-19.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 €616

$901 €802

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 €505

$676 €602

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,092

$1,819 €1,618

-32.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 €809

$1,274 €1,133

-28.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,496

$6,353 €5,651

-38.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 €2,105

$3,982 €3,542

-40.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,579 €2,294

$3,066 €2,727

-15.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.68

3.53%

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

Last update for Rouen: 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

Rouen

$567 32.7%

Lyon

$676 33.4% 19.2% $109

Groceries & Markets

Rouen

$338 19.5%

Lyon

$389 19.2% 15.3% $52

Eating Out

Rouen

$285 16.4%

Lyon

$288 14.2% 1.3% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rouen

$273 15.8%

Lyon

$311 15.4% 13.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Rouen

$128 * 7.4%

Lyon

$182 9% 42.3% $54

Getting Around

Rouen

$71 4.1%

Lyon

$111 5.5% 55.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Rouen

$71 4.1%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 2.6% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $692 in Rouen 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 19% 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 $67.0 in Rouen versus $68.0 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $389 – making Rouen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rouen

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Rouen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,083

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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From you

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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

Rouen vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 17% more than Rouen, 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 $2,600 per month in Rouen 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 Rouen, 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 $1,734 in Rouen and $2,028 in Lyon. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Rouen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Rouen, where all-in costs run around $1,734, than in Lyon at $2,028. In Rouen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rouen costs $1,734 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 Rouen. 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.