France
Bordeaux makes sense if
- You value stronger public spaces and everyday city life.
Bordeaux vs Toulouse
Bordeaux offers a walkable mid-sized city and Atlantic access, with local careers the main trade-off. Toulouse is a brick-red university and aerospace center with an easier daily rhythm and the Pyrenees within weekend reach.
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
Toulouse makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- 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
- 1Toulouse67
Leads on nature & outdoors and work & family; stands out for mountains and hiking.
- 2Bordeaux64
Narrowly best on city life: 71 vs Toulouse's 69.
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
Bordeaux70Toulouse70
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
€118/mo€2,140/mo
- €600/mo
- €554/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~24%
- ~21%
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
- 196 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 46 days
- 45 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 10.1 µg/m³
- 10.2 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Toulouse62Bordeaux54
Beach & sea
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Mountains
110
- 3/10
- 7/10, 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
Bordeaux71Toulouse69
Walkability
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Public transport
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Restaurants
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
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
Toulouse71Bordeaux68
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 1
- 1.3
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
English-speaking care
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Toulouse69Bordeaux64
Job market
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
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
Toulouse58Bordeaux57
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
- 6/10, leads
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
- 8/10
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.
Toulouse
A mid-sized city that feels human-scaled, with a walkable old centre of pink-brick streets and solid, livable neighbourhoods. Density is moderate and homes tend to come with more room than a Parisian flat.
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.
Toulouse
Toulouse is a safe place to settle by most measures, with low serious-crime levels and strong road safety. Walking after dark feels comfortable in most areas.
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.
Toulouse
Toulouse has a strong local market built around high-value industries, with a sizeable technology ecosystem and professional networks that are useful without being deep. Care quality is high and largely free at the point of use, with reliable hospitals and emergency services and very low out-of-pocket exposure.
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.
Toulouse
A lively southern food and cafe culture, anchored in hearty regional cooking like cassoulet and the wider Occitan table, with a strong sense of local identity from a big student population. Toulouse, the pink-brick city, keeps decent upkeep though grime gathers in spots.
Summary
Toulouse is a practical fit if your work aligns with its aerospace or university economy and you value mountain access. Bordeaux suits a slower coastal-region routine. Consider language needs and the job market you can actually use.
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.