Cost of Living: Geneva vs Lyon (2026)

Switzerland vs France — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Geneva

Lyon

$2,887/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$972/mo

$45k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$13k/yr

10 yr

PR path

5 yr

Lump-Sum Taxation (Forfait Fiscal) (Limited), Expatriate Deductions (ExpaV), Cantonal Tax Competition

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

—

Freelance setup

Einzelfirma

VAT-free under €93k
11% social
€2000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Micro-entrepreneur

VAT-free under €38k
22% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRLyon is 66% cheaper on rent ($972/mo vs $2,887/mo). France gets you to permanent residency 5 years faster (5 vs 10 years). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Lyon edges ahead 76 to 69. Geneva isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

How the livability score breaks down

Geneva

Lyon

1.1/25

💰 Affordability

19.5/25

14.4/15

🔒 Violent Crime

13.4/15

7.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

4.1/10

9.1/15

⚡ Internet

10.9/15

14/15

🗳️ Democracy

12/15

7.1/10

🗣️ English

6.3/10

9.6/10

☀️ Climate

9.5/10

8.9/10

📊 Stability

8/10

10/10

🚗 Road Safety

9/10

8.8/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

6.1/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇫🇷 Lyon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇨🇭 Geneva

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Paris vs Lyon

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Geneva

Metric

Lyon

$1177/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$823/mo✓

$15,825

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$4,220✓

✓91 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

76 / 100

✓0.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.6 / 100k

✓2.4 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

4.7 / 100k

✓71 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

41 / 100

79°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

79°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

122 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

146 Mbps✓

—

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

11.4 μg/m³

86 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

84 / 100

✓9.3 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.0 / 10

6.4 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.5 / 9

50 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

62 / 100✓

✓51/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100

✓$96k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$63k

✓1.1% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.0% · Boringly steady

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

93/100 — Reliable

✓96/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100

A median Software Engineer in Geneva takes home $9,926/mo under Standard employee. In Lyon: $3,957/mo under Standard employee.

$5,969/mo more in Geneva

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$161k

💰

Gross income

$66k

−$31k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$12k

−$10k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$6k

✓$119k/yr

$10k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$47k/yr

$4k/mo

−$74k

🏠

Cost of living

−$34k

✓$45k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$13k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Lyon

$1,915/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Geneva

0.6 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Geneva

9.3/10 EIU index

🗣️

English

Geneva

higher proficiency score

📋

Residency

Lyon

PR in 5 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

41% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.7h

Shortest day

Dec

8.7h

15.7h

Longest day

Jun

15.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend

stable →

Inflation trend

improving ↑

—

Industries

life-sciencesbiotechfinancemanufacturing

—

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Easy

—

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) / concubinage

—

Retiree visa

€1,767/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

12 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

Legal on request within first 12 weeks. Mandatory counseling.

On request up to 14 weeks. Enshrined as a constitutional right in March 2024.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Geneva vs Lyon — Common Questions

Is Geneva cheaper than Lyon?▾

Lyon is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $972/month there vs $2887/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Geneva or Lyon?▾

Geneva is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Geneva has a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 and Lyon has 1.56 per 100,000.

Should I move to Geneva or Lyon?▾

Lyon edges ahead 76 to 69. Geneva isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Geneva or Lyon?▾

Geneva: no specific remote work visa. Lyon: France Talent Passport (complex process, Up to 4 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Can I live in Geneva or Lyon without speaking the local language?▾

Geneva is easier for street-level English (51/100) than Lyon (38/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in Geneva vs Lyon?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $972/month in Lyon, $2887/month in Geneva (Numbeo). That's 66% cheaper rent in Lyon.

Is Geneva or Lyon better for democracy and rule of law?▾

Geneva scores 9.3/10 on the EIU Democracy Index vs 8.0/10 for Lyon. That puts it in 'full democracy' territory — free press, independent courts, the works.