Which place is cheaper, Lyon or Ulaanbaatar?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Ulaanbaatar or Lyon?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Ulaanbaatar or Lyon? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Ulaanbaatar or Lyon?
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia's capital city. It has a population of slightly over two million people, or about sixty percent of the country's entire population. You are likely to arrive in Ulaanbaatar either by train, coming from China or Russia, or by plane. Many people use Ulaanbaatar as a stop off while doing the Transsiberian Railway. The city is a great place to organize a tour of the surrounding countryside. It's also good city to relax, so make sure you allow yourself a few days to recover from your tour, enjoy some of the great food options, and see some of the fascinating cultural sights around town.
Lyon
Lyon, located within the region of Southeastern France, is France's third largest city in terms of population, with just over 500,000 inhabitants. This makes the city large, yet still small and personable enough to be explored properly in a short visit. Known as the gastronomic capital of Europe, your culinary needs are exceptionally well catered to here, and for those with historical and cultural interests, you will never be at a loss for new things to do and see.
For some great organized tour ideas, see Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mongolia, The Best Adventure Tours to Mongolia, The Best 10-Day Tours from Paris, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Paris.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayUlaanbaatar $25Lyon $134
The average daily cost (per person) in Ulaanbaatar is $25, while the average daily cost in Lyon is $134. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Ulaanbaatar and Lyon in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personUlaanbaatar $12Lyon $57
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomUlaanbaatar $24Lyon $114
Compare Hotels in Ulaanbaatar and Lyon
Looking for a hotel in Ulaanbaatar or Lyon? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Ulaanbaatar Hotel Prices and Lyon Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Ulaanbaatar $2.91Lyon $18
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Ulaanbaatar
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Ulaanbaatar:
- Mongolia Airport Transfer & Taxi Service -BEST!: $18
- 2024 Ulaanbaatar Airport Transfer & Taxi Shuttle Service - Best!: $18
- Private Transfer to Ulaanbaatar Airport ULN by Business Vehicle: $28
- Private Transfer Ulaanbaatar Airport ULN to Ulaanbaatar City : $28
- Private Transfer from Chinggis Khaan Airport to Ulaanbaatar: $37
- Airport - Ulaanbaatar transfer service: $40
- Private Departure Transfer: Ulaanbaatar Airport: $40
- New Ulaanbaatar International Airport Transfer Service: $45
- Airport transfer service: $50
- Private Transfer from Ulaanbaatar to or from Terelj National Park: $60
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Lyon
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Lyon:
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Funiculaire$5.57
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Hop-on Hop-off Tourist Bus$20
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lyon
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Lyon:
- Arrival Private Transfer from Lyon Airport LYS to Lyon City by Business Car: $79
- Arrival Private Transfer from Lyon Airport LYS to Lyon City by Luxury Van: $93
- Arrival Transfer: Lyon Airport LYS to Lyon City in Business Car: $86
- Departure Private Transfer Lyon City to Lyon Airport LYS by Business Car: $79
- Departure Private Transfer Lyon City to Lyon Airport LYS by Luxury Van: $93
- Departure Transfer: Lyon City to Lyon Airport LYS in Business Car: $86
- Departure Transfer: Lyon City to Lyon Airport LYS in Luxury Van: $95
- Excellecar Private Driver - Stations & Airports Transfers: $82
- Group transfer from Lyon airport to City Center: $118
- Lyon : Private Transfer from/to Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport: $118
- Lyon Airport (LYS) to Val d'Isere/Espace Killy: Arrival Transfer: $77
- Lyon City Card with Airport Transfer: $53
Is it cheaper to fly into Ulaanbaatar or Lyon?
Prices for flights to both Lyon and Ulaanbaatar change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayUlaanbaatar $8.94Lyon $44
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Ulaanbaatar
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Ulaanbaatar.
- Cooking Class in a Traditional Ger Home in Ulaanbaatar Suburbs: $100
Typical Food Prices in Lyon
Some typical examples of dining costs in Lyon are as follows:
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Pastry$1.82
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Lyon
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Lyon.
- Street Food Tour: $65
- Croix-Rousse District Vegan Food Tour with Tastings: $65
- Lyon Street Food Tour : $66
- 3h Lyon Vegan Food Tour: $66
- Guided Food Tour with Tastings: $67
- Afternoon Old Town Food tour: $77
- Lyon 2.5-Hour Dinner Cruise: $81
- Cultural Walking Food Tour in the Vieux Lyon District: $86
- Lyon Old Town Half-Day Walking Food Tour with Local Specialties Tasting & Lunch: $93
- Old Town Food Tour: $97
- Guided Food Tour with Tastings and Wine: $102
- Guided Evening Food Tour: $102
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Ulaanbaatar $4.42Lyon $22
Tours and Activities in Ulaanbaatar
Here are a few actual costs in Ulaanbaatar for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Private custom tour with a local guide: $47
- Ulaanbatar : Private Custom Tour With A Local Guide : $48
- Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex and Sain Nomun Monastery Tour : $50
- Genghis Khan Statue Tour: 3-Hour Ticket Included: $65
- Genghis Khan Statue Tour: 3-Hour Ticket Included: $65
- Traditional Music and Dance Performance Ticket: $69
- Genghis Khan Statue One Day Tour +Bonus Terelj National Park And Aryabal Temple: $79
- Ancient Fine Arts with Honored Masters - UB City Experience: $82
- 1 Day Coach Tour of Terelj National Park Including Lunch And Free Camel Ride: $83
- 1 Day Coach Tour of Genghis Khan Statue Complex and Terelj National Park Including Lunch: $83
- Day Tour of Hustai National Park: $83
- Full Day Private Tour in Terelj National Park with Horse Riding: $85
Typical Entertainment Prices in Lyon
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Lyon are as follows:
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Lunch for 2$48
Tours and Activities in Lyon
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Lyon are as follows:
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
- City Exploration Game and Tour: $4.31
- Lyon Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt and Walking Tour: $4.84
- Hop-On Hop-Off City Cruise: $5.38
- City Exploration Game and Tour on your Phone: $6.45
- Lyon Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $6.58
- Private Self-Guided Tour of the Curse Quest of Old Lyon: $8.74
- Access to a Self-Guided Tour to Traboules de Croix-Rousse: $8.77
- Lyon Self-Guided Audio Tour: $9.00
- French Resistance Smartphone Audio Walking Tour: $9.68
- Old Lyon Walking In App Audio Tour: $9.77
- Lyon Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $9.94
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayUlaanbaatar $3.83Lyon $25
Typical Alcohol Prices in Lyon
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Lyon from other travelers:
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Drinks for 2$7.29
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Bottle of Wine$16
Sample the Local Flavors in Lyon
Also in Lyon, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Beaujolais Segway Tour with Wine Tasting: $65
- Guided tour of Beaujolais by electric bike and wine tasting: $98
- Lyon Old Town Food & Wine Tasting Tour including a Bouchon Lyonnais : $99
- Lyon Music & Wine tasting: $104
- From Beaujolais Region Wine Tour with Tastings: $107
- Golden Stones Beaujolais Wine Tasting Trip from Lyon: $107
- Beaujolais: Half-Day Wine Tour: $107
- From Wine tasting and visits of the Beaujolais: $107
- Half-Day Côte-Rotie Wine Tasting Tour: $107
- Lyon : Music & Wine tasting tour: $108
- Beaujolais Half Day Wine Tasting Tour: $109
- Golden stones Beaujolais Wine Tour with Tastings from Lyon: $109
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Ulaanbaatar and Lyon, we can see that Lyon is more expensive. And not only is Ulaanbaatar much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Ulaanbaatar is in Asia and Lyon is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Ulaanbaatar would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Ulaanbaatar and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Lyon would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Lyon than you might in Ulaanbaatar.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Ulaanbaatar Expensive? and Is Lyon Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Ulaanbaatar or Lyon?
Ulaanbaatar has a larger population, and is about 79% larger than the population of Lyon. When comparing the sizes of Ulaanbaatar and Lyon, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.