Cost of Living: Lyon vs Manchester (2026)

France vs United Kingdom — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lyon

Manchester

$972/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,703/mo

$13k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$41k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

4-year FIG regime (Foreign Income and Gains)

Freelance setup

Micro-entrepreneur

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

WiseStripe

Sole Trader

VAT-free under €105k
9% social
€600/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRLyon is 43% cheaper on rent ($972/mo vs $1,703/mo). Lyon summers average 79°F vs 68°F. Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Lyon edges ahead 76 to 71. Manchester isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇫🇷 Lyon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇬🇧 Manchester

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Paris vs Lyon

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lyon

Metric

Manchester

$823/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$786/mo

✓$4,220

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$5,531

76 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

82 / 100✓

1.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.1 / 100k✓

4.7 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

2.4 / 100k✓

41 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

44 / 100✓

79°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

68°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

37°F

✓146 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

102 Mbps

11.4 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

8.4 μg/m³✓

84 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

83 / 100

8.0 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.3 / 10

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.6 / 9

✓62 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

52 / 100

38/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

100/100✓

$63k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$62k

✓2.0% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

3.3% · Boringly steady

93/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

92/100 — Reliable

90/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

92/100

A median Software Engineer in Lyon takes home $3,957/mo under Standard employee. In Manchester: $7,241/mo under Standard employee.

$3,284/mo more in Manchester

🎯 Manchester's 4-year FIG regime (Foreign Income and Gains) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $6,826/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

$117k

−$12k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$26k

−$6k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$5k

$47k/yr

$4k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$87k/yr✓

$7k/mo

−$34k

🏠

Cost of living

−$46k

$13k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$41k/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

$731/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Manchester

1.1 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Manchester

8.3/10 EIU index

☀️

Weather

—

79°F vs 68°F summers

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

39% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.7h

Shortest day

Dec

7.5h

15.7h

Longest day

Jun

17.0h

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

digital-mediafintechhealthcareadvanced-manufacturing

active

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Moderate

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

Recognized (2+ yr)

unmarried partner / civil partnership

€1,767/mo

Retiree visa

—

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

Broad social grounds

14 wk

Gestational limit

24 wk

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

Requires two doctors' approval under Abortion Act 1967, but broadly available up to 24 weeks.

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 Manchester — Common Questions

Is Lyon cheaper than Manchester?▾

Lyon is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $972/month there vs $1703/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lyon or Manchester?▾

Manchester is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lyon has a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 and Manchester has 1.07 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lyon or Manchester?▾

Lyon edges ahead 76 to 71. Manchester 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 Lyon or Manchester?▾

Lyon: France Talent Passport (complex process, Up to 4 years). Manchester: UK Skilled Worker Visa (complex process, Up to 5 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Lyon or Manchester?▾

Lyon is warmer in summer (79°F vs 68°F). Manchester has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

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

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

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $972/month in Lyon, $1703/month in Manchester (Numbeo). That's 43% cheaper rent in Lyon.