France
Bordeaux makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
Bordeaux vs Lyon
Bordeaux is a walkable, mid-sized city with stone architecture, a slower rhythm and the Atlantic coast nearby. Lyon offers a larger professional and cultural base, serious food culture and quick access to the Alps, without the capital's scale.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Lyon makes sense if
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Lyon66
Leads on nature & outdoors; stands out for hiking and mountains.
- 2Bordeaux64
Narrowly best on city life: 71 vs Lyon's 68; stands out for beach & sea and digital government.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Bordeaux70Lyon69
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
€118/mo€2,140/mo
- €600/mo
- €670/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~24%
- ~24%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 85
- 85
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 28–55%
- 28–55%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 193 days
- 190 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 46 days
- 25 days, leads
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 10.1 µg/m³
- 10.3 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Lyon69Bordeaux54
Beach & sea
110
- 5/10, leads
- 1/10
Mountains
110
- 3/10
- 8/10, leads
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Bordeaux71Lyon68
Walkability
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Restaurants
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
Public spaces
110
- 9/10, leads
- 8/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Bordeaux68Lyon68
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 1
- 1.3
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10, leads
- 6/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
English-speaking care
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Lyon65Bordeaux64
Job market
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Work–life balance
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Schools
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Bordeaux57Lyon55
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Flight connections
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 8/10
- 7/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 8/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 6/10
- 6/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 9/10
- 9/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Bordeaux
A compact, low-rise city where the limestone old town is one of the most walkable in France and daily errands rarely need a car. Neighbourhoods are well defined and mixed in use, with shops, cafes and homes layered together.
Lyon
Lyon is compact and built for walking, with districts such as Vieux Lyon and the Presqu'île mixing homes, shops and cafes at street level. It carries the texture of a major city at a more human scale than Paris, though flats tend to be small and the overall pace is calmer than the capital.
Safety
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a safe place to live by most measures, with very low serious violence and streets that feel comfortable after dark. Pickpocketing and the usual city-centre opportunism exist, roughly on par with Berlin, so ordinary caution applies in busy spots.
Lyon
Broadly safe by big-city standards, with low serious violence and reassuring road safety. Pickpocketing and the usual urban petty crime exist around busy quarters and transit, and perceptions of night-time safety land middling rather than excellent.
Work and healthcare
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a serviceable local job market, with adequate industry breadth and professional networks that are useful without being deep. Care quality and hospital access are strong, backed by France's well-funded public system, and out-of-pocket costs stay low once a person is enrolled.
Lyon
Lyon has a substantial local job market with good industry fit and professional networks, particularly in established sectors. Care quality is high and out-of-pocket exposure stays low once a resident is inside the French system, with strong hospitals and dependable emergency cover.
Culture and public life
Bordeaux
Wine country runs through everything here, and the restaurant, cafe and bistro culture is excellent for the city's size, just short of Paris. Bordeaux has scrubbed up well, its honey-stone centre restored and the tram corridors kept clean.
Lyon
Nightlife and the music scene are good without rivalling Paris or Berlin, and English-only options thin out fast outside the centre. Lyon keeps its centre tidy, though grime creeps into the older corners.
Summary
Bordeaux suits someone prioritizing a gentler pace and coastal access, with French needed for local life. Lyon is stronger for a serious job search and an urban routine with mountain weekends in reach. Let work prospects and language comfort guide the choice.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.