Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyon: $2,050 a month against $2,325 in Waterloo, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
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Waterloo Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Waterloo

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,325

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,325 per month in Waterloo vs $2,050 in Lyon, rent included.

Waterloo $2,325
Lyon $2,050

A couple spends around $3,269 per month in Waterloo vs $3,182 in Lyon, rent included.

Waterloo $3,269
Lyon $3,182

A family of three spends $4,213 per month in Waterloo vs $4,315 in Lyon, rent included.

Waterloo $4,213
Lyon $4,315

Waterloo costs about 13% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waterloo and Lyon sit above the global median – Waterloo by 71%, Lyon by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.54 €20.25

$16.86 €15.15

33.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 €89.8

$67.5 €60.6

48.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.38 €13.82

$13.67 €12.28

12.51%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.87

$4.12 €3.70

4.61%

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

$3.64 €3.27

$2.76 €2.48

31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.77

$1.65 €1.49

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.99

$7.60 €6.83

-26.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 €5.03

$6.08 €5.46

-7.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.20

$1.57 €1.41

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.40

$1.72 €1.55

55.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.45 €2.20

-9.80%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.72

$4.74 €4.26

-12.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.86 €16.04

$22.95 €20.62

-22.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.18 €10.94

$12.21 €10.97

-0.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 €17.52

$22.99 €20.65

-15.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.54

$2.41 €2.17

17.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.22

$2.51 €2.25

-1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.44

$3.43 €3.08

-20.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.19 €2.86

-12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.50 €2.24

-12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.94 €2.64

-32.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.41 €1.27

-7.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.07 €0.96

1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 €11.55

$13.89 €12.47

-7.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.70 €7.81

$7.77 €6.98

11.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.66 €2.39

-25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$3.25 €2.92

-27.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.35 €3.01

$2.42 €2.17

38.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.39 €43.47

$82.3 €73.9

-41.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 €2.62

$8.39 €7.54

-65.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.20 €1.98

2.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.53 €35.51

$41.20 €37.01

-4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.21 €1.98

-5.43%

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

$35.0K €31.4K

$34.4K €30.9K

1.68%

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

$36.5K €32.8K

$37.6K €33.7K

-2.73%

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

$219 €197

$268 €241

-18.15%

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

$20.68 €18.57

$14.01 €12.58

47.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.79 €44.72

$29.09 €26.14

71.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.48 €28.28

$36.88 €33.13

-14.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 €18.99

$28.38 €25.49

-25.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.67 €14.08

$15.33 €13.77

2.22%

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

$784 €704

$628 €564

24.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K €23.6K

$11.2K €10.1K

134.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.3

$108 €96.8

-6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.83 €42.06

$43.36 €38.95

8.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$122 €110

-7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €133

$127 €114

16.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €925

$891 €800

15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €913

$702 €631

44.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 €1,262

$1,879 €1,688

-25.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,047

$1,369 €1,229

-14.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,138 €3,718

$6,425 €5,772

-35.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,242 €2,913

$4,317 €3,878

-24.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,441 €2,193

$3,069 €2,757

-20.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.68

0.82%

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

Last update for Waterloo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterloo

$1K 43.7%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 30.9% $314

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo

$353 15.2%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 8.9% $31

Eating Out

Waterloo

$344 14.8%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 14.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo

$290 12.5%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 7.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo

$183 7.9%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 1.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Waterloo

$76 3.3%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 46.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo

$63 2.7%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 7.5% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,030 in Waterloo versus $891 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 26% higher in Lyon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Waterloo versus $68 in Lyon. Groceries tell a different story – $353 in Waterloo vs $385 in Lyon – so Waterloo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Waterloo

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

Same time as Waterloo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,649

522,250

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Waterloo Lyon 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Waterloo
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

Waterloo vs Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waterloo costs about 13% more than Lyon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,488 per month in Waterloo and $3,075 in Lyon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lyon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $891 there versus $1,030 in Waterloo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,325 in Waterloo and $2,050 in Lyon. That makes Lyon about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Waterloo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,325 in Waterloo and $2,050 in Lyon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.