Cost of Living: Nice vs Prague (2026)
France vs Czech Republic — relocation comparison
Your passport:
Nice
Prague
$1,142/mo
Rent
1BR centre
$1,228/mo
$11k/yr
Take-home savings
At each city's local median pay
$14k/yr
5 yr
PR path
5 yr
Freelance setup
Micro-entrepreneur
- VAT-free under €38k
- 22% social
- €1000/yr accountant
WiseStripe
OSVČ
- VAT-free under €80k
- 29% social
- €500/yr accountant
WiseStripe
Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026
TL;DRNice is safer — homicide rate 1.3 vs 2.0 per 100k. Nice has milder winters (43°F vs 28°F lows). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.
Prague edges ahead 78 to 70. Nice isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.
Verdict delivered. Your move.
Household
Nice
Metric
Prague
$746/mo
🛒
Living costs (no rent)
lower is better
$722/mo
✓$4,491
🧳
Cost to land
lower is better
$6,230
77 / 100
🛡️
Settler safety
higher is better
83 / 100✓
✓1.3 / 100k
🔒
Homicides
lower is better
2.0 / 100k
✓4.7 / 100k
🚗
Road deaths
lower is better
5.2 / 100k
45 / 100
🚨
Safety Index
higher is better
75 / 100✓
82°F
☀️
Summer high
personal taste
73°F
43°F
❄️
Winter low
personal taste
28°F
—
⚡
Internet speed
higher is better
137 Mbps
✓10 μg/m³
🌬️
Air quality (PM2.5)
lower is better
12.1 μg/m³
✓86 / 100
🏥
Healthcare
higher is better
81 / 100
8.0 / 10
🗳️
Democracy
higher is better
8.1 / 10
✓62 / 100
🏳️🌈
Rainbow Index
higher is better
30 / 100
38/100
🗣️
Street English
higher is better
57/100✓
✓$63k
💼
GDP per capita
higher is better
$57k
✓2.0% · Boringly steady
📈
Inflation
lower is better
2.4% · Boringly steady
—
⚡
Grid reliability
higher is better
72/100 — Mostly stable
90/100
🗽
Freedom House
higher is better
95/100✓
A median Software Engineer in Nice takes home $3,957/mo under Standard employee. In Prague: $4,147/mo under Standard employee.
$190/mo more in Prague
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
$68k
−$12k
🏛️
Income tax
Standard employee
−$10k
−$6k
🛡️
Social contributions
−$8k
$47k/yr
$4k/mo
💵
Take-home pay
$50k/yr✓
$4k/mo
−$37k
🏠
Cost of living
−$36k
$11k/yr
🐖
Annual savings
$14k/yr✓
Swap the local medians for your actual number
Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026
💰
Cost of Living
Nice
$86/mo cheaper on rent alone