London vs Paris
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Paris edges it, 70 to 69, winning 4 of the 9 factors. London is stronger on quality of life; Paris on cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 1 | 25 ✓ |
| Safety | 75 ✓ | 69 |
| Healthcare | 86 ✓ | 85 |
| Internet | 68 | 73 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 95 ✓ | 87 |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 86 | 90 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 ✓ | 80 |
Cost
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $4,559 | $2,656 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $3,134 | $2,278 ✓ |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.3 | 1 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.3 ✓ | 61.8 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 ✓ | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 80.1 yrs | 81.9 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 |
| Visa-free days, US passport | visa or e-visa required | 90 days ✓ |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 180 days | unlimited ✓ |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | unlimited ✓ | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | London | Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 423 ✓ | 333 |
| 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 $2,656 per month versus $4,559 for one person.
- Is London or Paris safer?
- London scores higher on safety (75 vs 69), 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.