Cost of Living: Lyon vs Rotterdam (2026)

France vs Netherlands — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lyon

Rotterdam

$972/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,805/mo

$13k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$28k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

30% Ruling (expatriateregeling)

Freelance setup

Micro-entrepreneur

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

WiseStripe

ZZP'er

VAT-free under €20k
5.3% social
€1200/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRLyon is 46% cheaper on rent ($972/mo vs $1,805/mo). Rotterdam 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.

Lyon and Rotterdam are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇫🇷 Lyon

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Paris vs Lyon

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lyon

Metric

Rotterdam

✓$823/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$888/mo

✓$4,220

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,746

76 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

89 / 100✓

1.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k✓

4.7 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.4 / 100k✓

41 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

74 / 100✓

79°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

70°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

146 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

141 Mbps

11.4 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

11.4 μg/m³

84 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

87 / 100

8.0 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

9.0 / 10✓

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

7.5 / 9✓

62 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

59 / 100

38/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

76/100✓

$63k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$86k✓

✓2.0% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

3.3% · Boringly steady

93/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

94/100 — Reliable

90/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

97/100✓

A median Software Engineer in Lyon takes home $3,957/mo under Standard employee. In Rotterdam: $6,417/mo under Standard employee.

$2,460/mo more in Rotterdam

🎯 Rotterdam's 30% Ruling (expatriateregeling) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $8,212/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

$128k

−$12k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$39k

−$6k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$12k

$47k/yr

$4k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$77k/yr✓

$6k/mo

−$34k

🏠

Cost of living

−$49k

$13k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$28k/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

$833/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Rotterdam

0.7 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Rotterdam

9.0/10 EIU index

☀️

Weather

—

79°F vs 70°F summers

🗣️

English

Rotterdam

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

45% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.7h

Shortest day

Dec

7.8h

15.7h

Longest day

Jun

16.7h

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 ↑

life-sciencesbiotechfinancemanufacturing

Industries

logisticspetrochemicalsmaritimecleantech

active

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Easy

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Conditional (1+ yr)

PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) / concubinage

Partner pathway

Recognized

geregistreerd partnerschap / samenwonend

€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

On request

14 wk

Gestational limit

24 wk

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

On request up to 24 weeks. 5-day reflection period removed in 2023.

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 Rotterdam — Common Questions

Is Lyon cheaper than Rotterdam?▾

Lyon is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $972/month there vs $1805/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lyon or Rotterdam?▾

Rotterdam is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lyon has a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 and Rotterdam has 0.73 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lyon or Rotterdam?▾

Lyon and Rotterdam are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. 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 Rotterdam?▾

Lyon: France Talent Passport (complex process, Up to 4 years). Rotterdam: Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant (complex process, Up to 5 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Lyon or Rotterdam?▾

Lyon is warmer in summer (79°F vs 70°F). Rotterdam 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 Rotterdam without speaking the local language?▾

Rotterdam is easier for street-level English (76/100) 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 Rotterdam?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $972/month in Lyon, $1805/month in Rotterdam (Numbeo). That's 46% cheaper rent in Lyon.

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

Rotterdam scores 9.0/10 on the EIU Democracy Index vs 8.0/10 for Lyon. That puts it in 'full democracy' territory — free press, independent courts, the works.