Cost of Living: Lisbon vs Lyon (2026)

Portugal vs France — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lisbon

Lyon

$1,616/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$972/mo

−$3k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$13k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

IFICI (NHR 2.0)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

—

Freelance setup

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Micro-entrepreneur

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

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRLyon is 40% cheaper on rent ($972/mo vs $1,616/mo). Lisbon is safer — homicide rate 0.7 vs 1.6 per 100k. Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Too close to call — 79 vs 76. Lisbon has a slight edge, but Lyon might suit you better depending on your priorities.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇵🇹 Lisbon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇫🇷 Lyon

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lisbon

Metric

Lyon

✓$567/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$823/mo

$7,362

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$4,220✓

✓83 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

76 / 100

✓0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.6 / 100k

7.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

4.7 / 100k✓

✓67 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

41 / 100

81°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

79°F

48°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

✓238 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

146 Mbps

✓10.6 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

11.4 μg/m³

81 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

84 / 100

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.0 / 10

6.7 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.5 / 9

✓67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

62 / 100

✓72/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100

$52k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$63k✓

2.4% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.0% · Boringly steady✓

78/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

93/100 — Reliable✓

✓96/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100

A median Software Engineer in Lisbon takes home $3,150/mo under Standard employee. In Lyon: $3,957/mo under Standard employee.

$807/mo more in Lyon

🎯 Lisbon's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/mo instead.

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

$64k

💰

Gross income

$66k

−$19k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$12k

−$7k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$6k

$38k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$47k/yr✓

$4k/mo

−$40k

🏠

Cost of living

−$34k

−$3k/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 April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Lyon

$645/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Lisbon

0.7 homicides per 100k

🗣️

English

Lisbon

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

65% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.5h

Shortest day

Dec

8.7h

14.9h

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

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

fintechhealthtechgreentechai

Industries

life-sciencesbiotechfinancemanufacturing

active

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Easy

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) / concubinage

€920/mo

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

10 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

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

Lisbon vs Lyon — Common Questions

Is Lisbon cheaper than Lyon?▾

Lyon is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $972/month there vs $1616/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lisbon or Lyon?▾

Lisbon is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lisbon has a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 and Lyon has 1.56 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lisbon or Lyon?▾

Too close to call — 79 vs 76. Lisbon has a slight edge, but Lyon might suit you better depending on your priorities. 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 Lisbon or Lyon?▾

Lisbon: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). Lyon: France Talent Passport (complex process, Up to 4 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

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

Lisbon is easier for street-level English (72/100) 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 Lisbon vs Lyon?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $972/month in Lyon, $1616/month in Lisbon (Numbeo). That's 40% cheaper rent in Lyon.