Bordeaux vs Lyon
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Lyon edges it, 67 to 66, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Bordeaux is stronger on nothing outright; Lyon on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Lyon leads on getting there & around, 60 to 49, against Bordeaux. Non-stop airport destinations: 95 vs 142.
- Climate. Bordeaux leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Lyon. Comfortable months: 5 vs 4.
- Cost of living. Lyon leads on cost of living, 38 to 31, against Bordeaux. Monthly cost, one person: $2,450 vs $2,092.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Bordeaux if you want
- no clear edge over Lyon in the data
Pick Lyon if you want
- to spend about $358 less a month
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 31 | 38 ✓ |
| Safety | 68 | 68 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 |
| Internet | 79 | 81 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 49 | 60 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 ✓ | 33 |
| Air quality | 94 ✓ | 91 |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,450 | $2,092 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.33 | 1.33 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64 | 64 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 82.5 yrs | 82.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 66.4 Mbps | 73.4 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 18.5 Mbps | 24.9 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 95 | 142 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bordeaux | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.9 µg/m³ ✓ | 8.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bordeaux or Lyon?
- Lyon is cheaper: about $2,092 per month versus $2,450 for one person.
- Is Bordeaux or Lyon safer?
- Bordeaux and Lyon score the same on safety (68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bordeaux or Lyon?
- Lyon: a measured median of 73.4 Mbps versus 66.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.