London vs Paris
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights London edges it, 69 to 68, winning 5 of the 9 factors. London is stronger on visa ease, quality of life; Paris on cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Global hub with the deepest job market in Europe
Full London profile →Plan a trip to London →The capital of everything, at a capital's price
Full Paris profile →Plan a trip to Paris →Where they differ
- Cost of living. Paris leads on cost of living, 22 to 1, against London. Monthly cost, one person: $4,481 vs $2,902.
- Visa ease. London leads on visa ease, 77 to 61, against Paris.
- Quality of life. London leads on quality of life, 97 to 81, against Paris.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, healthcare.
Pick London if you want
- the safer country figures
Pick Paris if you want
- to spend about $1,579 less a month
- faster internet (64.2 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 1 | 22 ✓ |
| Safety | 76 ✓ | 68 |
| Healthcare | 88 ✓ | 87 |
| Internet | 72 | 77 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 77 ✓ | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 95 ✓ | 88 |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 86 | 90 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 97 ✓ | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $4,481 | $2,902 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $3,080 | $2,239 ✓ |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.93 ✓ | 1.33 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.7 ✓ | 64 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 ✓ | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 80.7 yrs | 82.5 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 50.9 Mbps | 64.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 8.9 Mbps | 12.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | 90 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | home country ✓ | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 418 ✓ | 332 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 |
Climate and air
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.2 µg/m³ | 9.3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, London or Paris?
- Paris is cheaper: about $2,902 per month versus $4,481 for one person.
- Is London or Paris safer?
- London scores higher on safety (76 vs 68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, London or Paris?
- Paris: a measured median of 64.2 Mbps versus 50.9 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.