Cost of Living: Lyon vs Madrid (2026)

France vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lyon

Madrid

$972/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,498/mo

$13k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$9k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

Beckham Law (Régimen Especial), Startups Law — Entrepreneur & Freelancer Route into Beckham

Freelance setup

Micro-entrepreneur

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

WiseStripe

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRLyon is 35% cheaper on rent ($972/mo vs $1,498/mo). Madrid is safer — homicide rate 0.6 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 — 76 vs 72. Lyon has a slight edge, but Madrid might suit you better depending on your priorities.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇫🇷 Lyon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇪🇸 Madrid

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Barcelona vs Madrid

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lyon

Metric

Madrid

$823/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$627/mo✓

✓$4,220

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,448

76 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100✓

1.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.6 / 100k✓

4.7 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.5 / 100k✓

41 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

71 / 100✓

79°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

88°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

✓146 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

94 Mbps

11.4 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.1 μg/m³✓

84 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

86 / 100

8.0 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

62 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

76 / 100✓

38/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100

✓$63k

💼

GDP per capita

higher is better

$58k

✓2.0% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.8% · Boringly steady

✓93/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

70/100 — Mostly stable

90/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100

A median Software Engineer in Lyon takes home $3,957/mo under Standard employee. In Madrid: $4,068/mo under Standard employee.

$111/mo more in Madrid

🎯 Madrid's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $4,280/mo instead.

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

$66k

💰

Gross income

$73k

−$12k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$20k

−$6k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

$47k/yr

$4k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$49k/yr✓

$4k/mo

−$34k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

✓$13k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$9k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

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

💰

Cost of Living

Lyon

$526/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Madrid

0.6 homicides per 100k

☀️

Weather

—

79°F vs 88°F summers

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

62% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.7h

Shortest day

Dec

9.3h

15.7h

Longest day

Jun

15.1h

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 ↑

life-sciencesbiotechfinancemanufacturing

Industries

financeconsultingtechmedia

active

Startup ecosystem

hub

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Conditional (1+ yr)

PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) / concubinage

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

€1,767/mo

Retiree visa

€2,400/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

14 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

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

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting period.

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

Lyon vs Madrid — Common Questions

Is Lyon cheaper than Madrid?▾

Lyon is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $972/month there vs $1498/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lyon or Madrid?▾

Madrid is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lyon has a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 and Madrid has 0.61 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lyon or Madrid?▾

Too close to call — 76 vs 72. Lyon has a slight edge, but Madrid 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 Lyon or Madrid?▾

Lyon: France Talent Passport (complex process, Up to 4 years). Madrid: Spain Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable to 5)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Lyon or Madrid?▾

Madrid is warmer in summer (88°F vs 79°F). Lyon has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

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

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $972/month in Lyon, $1498/month in Madrid (Numbeo). That's 35% cheaper rent in Lyon.