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OsloThe Lyon plumber paycheck versus what housing actually costs
Headline plumber pay in Lyon, FR is 42 600 € a year, but a modeled modest 1-bedroom takes about 53% of estimated take-home. After a simplified national tax estimate, typical rent, and everyday costs, the leftover is about -350 € a month — the number that decides whether the metro is livable on the median.
Plumbers install and repair piping, fixtures, and water systems. Trade pay in Lyon, FR often includes overtime and project premiums that a salaried median understates. Use 42 600 € as a full-time baseline, then ask how overtime is paid. Long-term employment for this occupation is modeled at about +6% over a decade — a national sketch, not a Lyon, FR hiring guarantee.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Plumber in Lyon, FR, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.
Lyon is one of 2 France metros we can compare for this role. Paris leads this comparison at 61 100 € (+43% vs Lyon). Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.
Lyon’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart (42 600 € vs 42 600 €). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is 1 420 € / month, about 53% of take-home, with leftover near -350 €.
If you are comparing a Lyon office offer with a location-flexible one, the France national median for this role is about 82 100 €. Local pay is 48% lower — a 39 500 € gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in Lyon are anchoring to this page.
World Bank consumer-price inflation for France was about 0.9% in 2025; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 6% over the last few years. Passeport Talent / work permit is the usual skilled-hire route (moderate for typical hires): Qualified employees can use Passeport Talent or employer-backed work authorisation; thresholds and paperwork vary by skill level and contract length. At 1× France GDP per capita, this median is around a typical national living standard. Unemployment was about 7.5% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.
How to read a plumber offer in Lyon
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near 42 600 €, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near 42 600 € you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 25%, leaving 31 950 € a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the 1 420 € model.
Because this distribution is relatively compact (2.0× from 10th to 90th), a “market” offer in Lyon will often cluster near 42 600 €. Negotiation still matters, but the bigger lever may be seniority rules, a different setting, or a different occupation rather than a 3% cash bump.
Demand and the plumber pipeline
Occupation-level employment for plumbers is projected at about +6% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that Lyon will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow Lyon’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.
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