---
title: "Nantes vs Saint-Étienne for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/nantes-vs-saint-etienne
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 64. 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
---

# Nantes vs Saint-Étienne for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 64. 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

Where they are close: within five points on internet, getting there & around, cost of living, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Nantes if you want** no clear edge over Saint-Étienne in the data.

**Pick Saint-Étienne if you want** to spend about $28 less a month.

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

| Metric | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 30 | 31 | Saint-Étienne |
| Safety | 68 | 68 | tie |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 | tie |
| Internet | 76 | 81 | Saint-Étienne |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 44 | 40 | Nantes |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 93 | 93 | Nantes |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,478 | $2,450 | Saint-Étienne |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | 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 | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 57.4 Mbps | 61 Mbps | Saint-Étienne |
| Upload | 17.6 Mbps | 42.8 Mbps | Saint-Étienne |

## Visa

| Metric | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | 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 | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 97 | 142 | Saint-Étienne |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 3 | Nantes |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 3 | Nantes |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Nantes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8 µg/m³ | 8.1 µg/m³ | Nantes |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Nantes or Saint-Étienne?

Saint-Étienne is cheaper: about $2,450 per month versus $2,478 for one person.

### Is Nantes or Saint-Étienne safer?

Nantes 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, Nantes or Saint-Étienne?

Saint-Étienne: a measured median of 61 Mbps versus 57.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Nantes](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/nantes) · [Saint-Étienne](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/saint-etienne). 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/nantes-vs-saint-etienne