✦ Compare
Lyon vs
Zurich
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in Zurich, CH, you'd need
$127,576 / year
Zurich, CH is 70% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Zurich, CH vs Lyon, FR)
- Housing+109%
- Food & groceries+50%
- Transport+67%
- Utilities+16%
- Healthcare+83%
- Goods & services+57%
◎ How Lyon, FR and Zurich, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lyon, FR | Zurich, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 99 | 169 |
| Housing | 98 | 205 |
| Food | 107 | 160 |
| Transport | 78 | 130 |
| Utilities | 112 | 130 |
| Healthcare | 82 | 150 |
| Goods & services | 107 | 168 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $900/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $680/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,000 | $18,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,005 | $591 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $30 |
| Monthly transit pass | $70 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 8.1% |
| Social security (employee) | 22% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 30% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,600/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $48,986 | $114,769 |
| Inflation (annual) | 0.9% | 0.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Moderate | High |
| Coworking spaces | 30 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 66 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 85 | 90 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 25 |
| Internet speed | 160 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 82 | 85 |
| Public transport | 80 | 95 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 75 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $350/mo |
| Life expectancy | 83 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +4 °C | 0 °C |
| July avg | +22 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 65 |
| Rainfall / year | 830 mm | 1,080 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: France vs Switzerland. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Lyon
A UNESCO-listed city where two rivers meet — France's food capital, a two-hour TGV from Paris at a fraction of its rents. Renaissance streets, a strong tech and biotech scene and easy weekend access to the Alps make it a favourite softer landing than the capital.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- French
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 160 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- E · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Presqu'île · Croix-Rousse · Confluence · Vieux Lyon
Good to know before you move to Zurich
The world's benchmark for expensive — but salaries are sky-high, mandatory health insurance aside, and quality of life is unmatched.
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 18°C · 65 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreis 4 · Kreis 5 · Seefeld
Plan your move to Lyon
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Zurich
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lyon to Zurich: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lyon to Zurich, your cost of living will be roughly 70% more expensive. Zurich’s cost-of-living index is 169 versus 99 for Lyon (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Lyon cheaper than Zurich?
Zurich is about 70% more expensive than Lyon overall — its cost-of-living index is 169 versus 99 for Lyon.
How much do you need to earn in Zurich to live like in Lyon?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lyon is worth about $127,576 in Zurich. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lyon or Zurich?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in France.
◷ More comparisons from Lyon
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.