---
title: "Nîmes vs Saint-Étienne for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/nimes-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
---

# Nîmes 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

- **Getting there & around.** Saint-Étienne leads on getting there & around, 40 to 31, against Nîmes. Non-stop airport destinations: 42 vs 142.
- **Climate.** Nîmes leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Saint-Étienne. Comfortable months: 5 vs 4.

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

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

**Pick Saint-Étienne if you want** faster internet (61 Mbps measured).

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

| Metric | Nîmes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 31 | 31 | tie |
| Safety | 68 | 68 | tie |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 | tie |
| Internet | 79 | 81 | Saint-Étienne |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 31 | 40 | Saint-Étienne |
| Climate | 42 | 33 | Nîmes |
| Air quality | 93 | 93 | tie |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 | tie |

## Cost

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

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Nîmes | 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 | Nîmes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 52.2 Mbps | 61 Mbps | Saint-Étienne |
| Upload | 56.8 Mbps | 42.8 Mbps | Nîmes |

## Visa

| Metric | Nîmes | 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 | Nîmes | Saint-Étienne | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 42 | 142 | Saint-Étienne |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 3 | Nîmes |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |

## Climate and air

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

## FAQ

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

Nîmes and Saint-Étienne cost about the same: roughly $2,450 per month for one person.

### Is Nîmes or Saint-Étienne safer?

Nîmes 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, Nîmes or Saint-Étienne?

Saint-Étienne: a measured median of 61 Mbps versus 52.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Nîmes](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/nimes) · [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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/nimes-vs-saint-etienne