Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Johnson City, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint-Etienne and in Johnson City, TN

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint-Etienne and in Johnson City, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,436
Johnson City, TN $2,138

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $3,133 in Johnson City, TN, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,264
Johnson City, TN $3,133

A family of three spends $3,092 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $4,129 in Johnson City, TN, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,092
Johnson City, TN $4,129

Saint-Etienne is about 33% cheaper than Johnson City, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Saint-Etienne and Johnson City, TN sit above the global median – Saint-Etienne by 6%, Johnson City, TN by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.88

$13.78 $13.78

20.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.9

$53.9 $53.9

5.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.16

$9.88 $9.88

37.04%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.86

$5.14 $5.14

-59.73%

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

$3.42 €3.07

$2.88 $2.88

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.03 $2.03

-16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.55

$4.93 $4.93

2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$6.04 $6.04

-4.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.98 $0.98

31.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.99

$3.75 $3.75

-70.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$3.97 $3.97

-47.36%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.74

$3.11 $3.11

-1.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.28

$7.53 $7.53

125.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 €10.04

$13.67 $13.67

-18.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 €14.69

$13.09 $13.09

24.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$7.59 $7.59

-56.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.73 $1.73

46.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$4.10 $4.10

-40.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$3.65 $3.65

-25.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$3.40 $3.40

-53.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$4.34 $4.34

-60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.20 $2.20

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.36 $2.36

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 €10.91

$9.01 $9.01

34.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.11

$13.14 $13.14

-22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.99

$1.61 $1.61

106.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.93

$4.42 $4.42

-26.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.97 $0.97

86.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

$25.13 $25.13

58.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

$5.58 $5.58

-49.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.19 $15.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.83 $0.83

154.22%

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

$20.1K €18.0K

$30.0K $30.0K

-33.06%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$24.7K $24.7K

29.41%

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

$164 €148

$172 $172

-4.55%

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

$29.01 €26.07

$51.9 $51.9

-44.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 €17.11

$62.5 $62.5

-69.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 €26.83

$47.20 $47.20

-36.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

$20.14 $20.14

-67.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.88

$11.88 $11.88

-16.75%

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

$996 €895

$1,185 $1,185

-15.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$14.6K $14.6K

8.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.8

$37.41 $37.41

92.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.38

$30.80 $30.80

-1.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$87.4 $87.4

17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$94.4 $94.4

59.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$1,178 $1,178

-56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €332

$980 $980

-62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €785

$1,992 $1,992

-56.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €643

$1,616 $1,616

-55.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 €1,506

$2,444 $2,444

-31.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 €1,455

$2,033 $2,033

-20.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,255 €2,026

$3,584 $3,584

-37.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

6.49

-43.45%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8%

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9% 165% $610

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6%

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1% 14.5% $49

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8%

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1% 1.1% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8%

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4% 34.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2%

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3% 29.8% $48

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

Johnson City, TN

$42 2% 16.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3% 43% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $515 in Saint-Etienne versus $1,178 in Johnson City, TN. 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 59% higher in Johnson City, TN. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Saint-Etienne versus $54 in Johnson City, TN. Groceries tell a different story – $339 in Saint-Etienne vs $388 in Johnson City, TN – so Saint-Etienne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

5 h behind Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

66,027

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Johnson City, TN 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
Johnson City, TN

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

Saint-Etienne vs Johnson City, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Johnson City, TN is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,154 per month in Saint-Etienne and $3,207 in Johnson City, TN. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Etienne, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $515 there versus $1,178 in Johnson City, TN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Saint-Etienne and $54 in Johnson City, TN. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,436 in Saint-Etienne and $2,138 in Johnson City, TN. That’s a gap of about 49%.

Families tend to lean toward Saint-Etienne – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Saint-Etienne. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johnson City, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.