Lyon vs Montpellier

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.

Montpellier is compact and built for walking, with a tight medieval core and tram lines that make a car optional. It is a mid-sized city rather than a metropolis, so it lacks the heft of Lyon or Marseille but keeps a human scale.

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.

Violent crime is rare and the city feels secure on that front, with traffic safety also strong. Where it slips is petty crime, the pickpocketing and opportunistic theft common to busy southern European cities, so the streets ask for ordinary city awareness rather than worry.

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.

The local market remains thin, with high unemployment and few roles designed for English-only applicants. France's public system delivers solid quality care here, with good hospitals and emergency cover and low out-of-pocket costs once enrolled.

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.

There is plenty of life for a city this size, fuelled by a large student population. Montpellier is a clean, sunny southern city, its student-filled old town well kept and walkable.