Cost of living in Lille
According to the national student’s union in France, students in Lille have an average cost of living of just over €800, with an average rent of €467 per month. All in all, €800 might be a little bit tight if you want to really enjoy yourself, eat out sometimes and make the most of the Lille nightlife, but it’s not a bad estimate.
Housing and food Costs
The average rent is about €470, but could be as high as €600 or low as €350, so it’s a matter of finding the right place for you before it disappears off the market. In terms of utility bills, you’ve got:
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Electricity - Around €40 per month (total)
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Landline and Wifi - Around €40 per month (total)
Which isn’t so bad. Food obviously depends on how much you eat and how often you go out for lunch or dinner. For an average person who cooks most of their own meals, expect €150-200 to do you fairly comfortably.
Eating out in Lille is as expensive as you make it; there are great pizza and burger joints for a pittance, but also fine dining establishments that will cost as much as your rent. All-in-all, you will be able to afford eating out fairly regularly as long as you’re not desperately trying to minimize costs.
Transportation costs
In Lille there are trams, buses and an underground system to help you navigate around the city. Thanks to their unified ticketing system, you can buy a bunch of general "transport" tickets and they’ll work on any of the three!
A single ticket costs €1.60, or €14 for a pack of ten. You can also get day (24hrs) or evening passes (€4.50 or €2.20 respectively) where the evening pass is valid for all transport after 7pm.
The most cost-effective option for anyone studying here for a prolonged amount of time is to get a monthly subscription, giving you unlimited transport use across all three different platforms. If you are between 4-25 years old and get a rolling monthly contract, this will cost €25.45. For a 10-month contract, it’s €21.64. You can get a permanent contract for the same amount if you’ll be there longer than a year. Each offer is about €23 more per month if you are over 25, but if you use public transport a lot, it’s still worthwhile.
