Marseille vs Montpellier

A compact, human-scaled city after the sprawl of Paris, walkable in its core and built on a workable mix of homes, shops and life at street level. It is smaller and less dense than the capital, which suits people who want a big-city feel without the crush.

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.

Marseille's reputation is worse than its recorded crime. Traffic safety is reasonable.

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.

The local market is limited in breadth. Backed by France's strong public system, with good hospitals, capable specialists and very low out-of-pocket costs once enrolled.

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.

Marseille's fierce local identity is its strongest cultural asset, a port culture shaped by North African, Italian and Provençal layers and proud of being nothing like Paris. What redeems it is the sea: the Vieux-Port, the seafront, the Calanques on the doorstep, all alive and free.

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.