Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Toulouse

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,004 in Toulouse, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Toulouse
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Toulouse Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Toulouse

🇫🇷 France

$2,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint-Etienne and in Toulouse

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 Toulouse actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $2,004 in Toulouse, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,436
Toulouse $2,004

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $3,072 in Toulouse, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,264
Toulouse $3,072

A family of three spends $3,092 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $4,140 in Toulouse, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,092
Toulouse $4,140

Saint-Etienne is about 28% cheaper than Toulouse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint-Etienne and Toulouse sit above the global median – Saint-Etienne by 6%, Toulouse by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.88

$16.88 €15.16

-1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.9

$79.4 €71.4

-28.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.16

$13.44 €12.08

0.74%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.86

$4.50 €4.04

-54.00%

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

$3.42 €3.07

$3.95 €3.55

-13.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.95 €2.65

-42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.55

$7.33 €6.59

-30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$6.86 €6.16

-16.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.33 €1.20

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.04 €1.84

-46.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.59 €2.32

-19.31%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.74

$4.62 €4.15

-33.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.28

$23.00 €20.66

-26.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 €10.03

$14.66 €13.17

-23.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 €14.68

$21.29 €19.13

-23.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$3.34 €3.00

-2.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.59 €2.33

-1.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$3.31 €2.97

-25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$3.57 €3.20

-24.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.48 €2.23

-36.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.79 €2.50

-37.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.50 €1.35

-26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.96 €0.87

139.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 €10.91

$13.91 €12.50

-12.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.11

$8.80 €7.90

15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.99

$3.51 €3.16

-5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.93

$3.43 €3.08

-4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$2.21 €1.98

-18.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

$64.2 €57.7

-37.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

$8.19 €7.36

-65.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 €2.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.97 €34.11

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.23 €2.01

-5.38%

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

$20.1K €18.0K

$35.2K €31.6K

-42.94%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$35.7K €32.0K

-10.35%

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

$164 €148

$217 €195

-24.33%

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

$29.01 €26.06

$13.92 €12.51

108.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 €17.11

$33.51 €30.10

-43.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 €26.82

$35.27 €31.69

-15.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

$21.83 €19.61

-69.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.88

$13.23 €11.88

-25.25%

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

$996 €894

$1,002 €900

-0.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$9,903 €8,896

59.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.8

$113 €102

-36.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.37

$52.5 €47.12

-41.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$117 €106

-12.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$165 €148

-8.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$885 €795

-41.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €332

$672 €603

-44.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €785

$1,507 €1,353

-42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €643

$1,124 €1,010

-36.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 €1,506

$5,940 €5,336

-71.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 €1,454

$3,403 €3,057

-52.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,255 €2,026

$2,916 €2,620

-22.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

3.79

-3.17%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Last update for Toulouse: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8%

Toulouse

$672 33.5% 81.5% $302

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6%

Toulouse

$405 20.2% 19.4% $66

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8%

Toulouse

$307 15.3% 20.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8%

Toulouse

$265 13.2% 24.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2%

Toulouse

$202 10.1% 25.9% $42

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

Toulouse

$93 4.6% 86% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Toulouse

$62 3.1% 24.4% $12

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 $885 in Toulouse. 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 29% higher in Toulouse, 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 $57 in Saint-Etienne versus $79 in Toulouse. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $405 – making Saint-Etienne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 Toulouse

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

Same time as Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

504,078

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Toulouse 310 km

From you

Saint-Etienne
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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

Saint-Etienne vs Toulouse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toulouse is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,154 per month in Saint-Etienne and $3,007 in Toulouse. 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 $885 in Toulouse.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Saint-Etienne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $996 per month in Saint-Etienne and $1,002 in Toulouse. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Toulouse has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Saint-Etienne to $2,004 in Toulouse. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Toulouse makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.