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Lyon vs Montpellier

France flagLyonFrance flagMontpellier

Lyon and Montpellier are compared across affordability, safety, healthcare, career, culture and food, and public life. Lyon has the broader all-round edge and leads every category that separates the pair. The better fit depends on which of those relocation priorities matters most.

How they compare

AffordabilitySafetyHealthcareCareerCulturePublic life
  • Lyon
  • Montpellier
Affordability
69
69
Safety
66
63
Healthcare
68
66
Career
62
54
Culture & food
69
65
Public life & spaces
70
70
Overall
65
63

Objective 0–100 scores from source-backed CrossBorders data. Green marks the category leader; gold is the overall leader.

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Category by category

Is Lyon or Montpellier cheaper to live in?

Lyon 69Montpellier 69

Montpellier has the lower open-market one-bedroom rent on a new lease, at about €623 per month, compared with €670 in Lyon. Against one typical employee's mean net pay, Lyon is manageable solo at roughly 26%, while Montpellier is manageable solo at roughly 26%.

Is Lyon or Montpellier safer?

Lyon 66Montpellier 63

Lyon leads narrowly. Serious violent crime is low in both cities; the difference is more textural, with Montpellier's busy southern streets carrying a touch more petty-crime friction.

Does Lyon or Montpellier have better healthcare?

Lyon 68Montpellier 66

Lyon edges it. France's public system backs both cities well, with strong hospitals and low out-of-pocket costs, though getting onto a doctor's list takes patience in either place.

Is Lyon or Montpellier better for your career?

Lyon 62Montpellier 54

Lyon's clearest advantage. Its pharma, biotech and banking base gives it real economic weight, while Montpellier's market stays thinner and more tourism-and-services shaped, best suited to those who bring income with them.

Does Lyon or Montpellier have a better food and culture scene?

Lyon 69Montpellier 65

Lyon again ahead. Its bouchons and fine dining make it the gastronomic heavyweight, while Montpellier's food culture, fuelled by a big student population, is lively but smaller in scale.

Does Lyon or Montpellier have better public spaces and street life?

Lyon 70Montpellier 70

Montpellier takes this one. Its sunny, walkable old town and pedestrian Place de la Comédie edge out Lyon's riverside quais, though both keep festivals and public space cheap.

The verdict

Choose Lyon for the broader all-round balance and the category advantages in this comparison. Choose Montpellier where neighbourhood fit or personal priorities matter more than the compared categories.

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France flagLiving in LyonFrance flagLiving in Montpellier

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