Lille vs Saint-Étienne
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Saint-Étienne edges it, 64 to 62, winning 4 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.
Flemish-flavoured student city between Paris and London
Full Lille profile →Plan a trip to Lille →Former coal and design city under an hour from Lyon, with low rents
Full Saint-Étienne profile →Plan a trip to Saint-Étienne →Where they differ
- Climate. Saint-Étienne leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Lille. Comfortable months: 3 vs 4.
- Air quality. Saint-Étienne leads on air quality, 93 to 85, against Lille. PM2.5: 11.7 µg/m³ vs 8.1 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Lille if you want
- faster internet (79.2 Mbps measured)
Pick Saint-Étienne if you want
- no clear edge over Lille in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 31 | 31 |
| Safety | 68 | 68 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 |
| Internet | 80 | 81 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 39 | 40 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 85 | 93 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,450 | $2,450 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 79.2 Mbps ✓ | 61 Mbps |
| Upload | 13.4 Mbps | 42.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 61 | 142 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Lille | Saint-Étienne |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.7 µg/m³ | 8.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Lille or Saint-Étienne?
- Lille and Saint-Étienne cost about the same: roughly $2,450 per month for one person.
- Is Lille or Saint-Étienne safer?
- Lille and Saint-Étienne score the same on safety (68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Lille or Saint-Étienne?
- Lille: a measured median of 79.2 Mbps versus 61 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.