Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toulouse and Lyon

For one person, living costs are similar in Toulouse and in Lyon: $1,987 and $2,025 a month, rent and utilities included.

97

Cost of Living Index in Toulouse
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Toulouse Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Toulouse

🇫🇷 France

$1,987

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,987 per month in Toulouse vs $2,025 in Lyon, rent included.

Toulouse $1,987
Lyon $2,025

A couple spends around $3,020 per month in Toulouse vs $3,130 in Lyon, rent included.

Toulouse $3,020
Lyon $3,130

A family of three spends $4,053 per month in Toulouse vs $4,236 in Lyon, rent included.

Toulouse $4,053
Lyon $4,236

Toulouse is about 2% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toulouse and Lyon sit above the global median – Toulouse by 47%, Lyon by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.82

$16.87 €15.00

-1.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 €68.8

$67.0 €59.6

15.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.40 €11.92

$13.32 €11.85

0.60%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.73

$4.11 €3.66

1.95%

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

$4.03 €3.59

$2.87 €2.55

40.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.73 €1.54

68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 €6.47

$8.00 €7.12

-9.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$6.31 €5.61

7.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.51 €1.34

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.72 €1.53

23.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.49 €2.21

4.02%

Eggs

$4.66 €4.14

$4.63 €4.12

0.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$22.54 €20.05

1.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 €13.12

$12.38 €11.01

19.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.83 €18.53

$23.55 €20.95

-11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €2.99

$2.40 €2.13

40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.41 €2.14

5.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.54 €3.15

-5.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.07 €2.73

11.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.54 €2.26

-5.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$3.08 €2.74

-8.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.35 €1.20

11.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.06 €0.94

-14.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 €12.21

$13.90 €12.36

-1.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 €8.00

$8.04 €7.15

11.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.75 €2.45

25.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$3.32 €2.95

1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.29 €2.03

-3.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 €56.0

$83.6 €74.4

-24.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 €7.15

$7.92 €7.04

1.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.17 €1.93

7.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.12 €33.01

$41.68 €37.08

-10.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.23 €1.99

-0.45%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

-0.07%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$34.9K €31.0K

-4.16%

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

$218 €194

$270 €240

-19.34%

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

$13.90 €12.36

$14.35 €12.76

-3.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.02 €29.37

$28.64 €25.48

15.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.27 €33.15

$39.31 €34.96

-5.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.50 €19.12

$27.36 €24.34

-21.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 €11.88

$14.64 €13.02

-8.74%

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

$1,045 €930

$619 €550

68.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,940

$11.3K €10.0K

-10.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$109 €96.8

3.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.8 €46.93

$43.48 €38.67

21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$123 €109

-6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €143

$124 €111

28.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €793

$886 €788

0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €590

$672 €598

-1.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,272

$1,804 €1,604

-20.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 €950

$1,285 €1,143

-16.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,445 €5,733

$6,364 €5,661

1.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,239 €2,881

$3,953 €3,516

-18.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,902 €2,581

$3,062 €2,723

-5.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.68

2.99%

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

Last update for Toulouse: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toulouse

$664 33.4%

Lyon

$672 33.2% 1.3% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Toulouse

$404 20.3%

Lyon

$385 19% 4.6% $18

Eating Out

Toulouse

$302 15.2%

Lyon

$295 14.6% 2.1% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toulouse

$265 13.3%

Lyon

$313 15.5% 18.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Toulouse

$198 10%

Lyon

$180 8.9% 9.3% $19

Getting Around

Toulouse

$92 4.6%

Lyon

$112 5.5% 21.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Toulouse

$64 3.2%

Lyon

$69 3.4% 7.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in Toulouse 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 6% 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 $77.0 in Toulouse versus $67.0 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $385 – making Lyon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Toulouse

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Toulouse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

504,078

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Toulouse vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 2% more than Toulouse, 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 $2,981 per month in Toulouse 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 Toulouse, 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 $1,987 in Toulouse and $2,025 in Lyon. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Toulouse. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Toulouse, where all-in costs run around $1,987, than in Lyon at $2,025. In Toulouse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Toulouse costs $1,987 versus $2,025 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 Toulouse. 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.