---
title: "Caen vs Lyon for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/caen-vs-lyon
description: "Under balanced weights Caen edges it, 68 to 67, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Caen vs Lyon for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Caen edges it, 68 to 67, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Caen leads on getting there & around, 70 to 60, against Lyon. Non-stop airport destinations: 280 vs 142.
- **Cost of living.** Lyon leads on cost of living, 38 to 31, against Caen. Monthly cost, one person: $2,450 vs $2,092.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Caen if you want** no clear edge over Lyon in the data.

**Pick Lyon if you want** to spend about $358 less a month.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 31 | 38 | Lyon |
| Safety | 68 | 68 | tie |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 | tie |
| Internet | 86 | 81 | Caen |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 70 | 60 | Caen |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 96 | 91 | Caen |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,450 | $2,092 | Lyon |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.33 | 1.33 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64 | 64 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 82.5 yrs | 82.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 73.6 Mbps | 73.4 Mbps | Caen |
| Upload | 78.8 Mbps | 24.9 Mbps | Caen |

## Visa

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 280 | 142 | Caen |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 | Lyon |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 | Lyon |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Caen | Lyon | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.9 µg/m³ | 8.9 µg/m³ | Caen |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Caen or Lyon?

Lyon is cheaper: about $2,092 per month versus $2,450 for one person.

### Is Caen or Lyon safer?

Caen and Lyon score the same on safety (68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Caen or Lyon?

Caen: a measured median of 73.6 Mbps versus 73.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Caen](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/caen) · [Lyon](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lyon). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/caen-vs-lyon