Austinvs
LyonAustin vs Lyon: cost, quality of life, and the winner
Austin (composite 5.4) vs Lyon (composite 6.4). Side-by-side on affordability, quality of life, remote-work friendliness and healthcare — with the calculation behind each score.
Composite scores
Overall: Lyon wins by 1.0 points
Lyon edges Austin by a full point on the comparison score, 6.4 to 5.4, suggesting measurably stronger conditions across the metrics that matter most to city decision-makers.
Austin ranks well among US metros but falls notably short of Lyon's standing among comparable European mid-tier cities in this assessment.
If your priorities align with Lyon's strengths, dig into what's driving that 1-point gap—likely factors like transit, affordability, or quality-of-life infrastructure—before committing to either location.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
| Axis | Austin | Lyon | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 2.3 | 3.8 | Lyon +1.5 |
| Quality of life | 6.7 | 6.8 | Lyon +0.1 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 7.2 | 6.6 | Austin +0.6 |
| Healthcare | 5.2 | 8.4 | Lyon +3.2 |
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)78
- Rent index (weight 40%)75
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Austin: ((100 − 78)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 75)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 2.3.
Austin is among the more expensive cities tracked. Salary expectations should be calibrated to the high cost base before relocating.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)60
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)70
- Air quality index (weight 25%)75
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Austin: (60/100 × 0.4 + 70/100 × 0.35 + 75/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.7.
Austin has a mixed quality profile. Safety: good; healthcare: good; air: good. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)280 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)17.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)78
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Austin: (min(280/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.17) × 0.3 + (100 − 78)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.2.
Austin combines fast internet (280 Mbps median), a 17% effective income tax and cost index 78 — a strong configuration for remote workers earning in a stronger currency.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)70
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)450
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Austin: (70/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 450/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 5.2.
Austin has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is good, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~450 USD/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)70
- Rent index (weight 40%)50
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Lyon: ((100 − 70)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 50)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 3.8.
Lyon is among the more expensive cities tracked. Salary expectations should be calibrated to the high cost base before relocating.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)60
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)80
- Air quality index (weight 25%)65
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Lyon: (60/100 × 0.4 + 80/100 × 0.35 + 65/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.8.
Lyon has a mixed quality profile. Safety: good; healthcare: excellent; air: good. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)220 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)14.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)70
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Lyon: (min(220/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.14) × 0.3 + (100 − 70)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.6.
Lyon works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 220 Mbps, income tax 14%, cost index 70.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)80
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)40
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Lyon: (80/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 40/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 8.4.
Lyon combines excellent system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~40 EUR/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
Monthly cost delta: Austin vs Lyon
Normalized to USD at 1 EUR = 1.0800 USD.
| Category | Austin | Lyon | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | $2,200 | €1,000 | -51% |
| food | $600 | €400 | -28% |
| transport | $60 | €70 | +26% |
| utilities | $220 | €150 | -26% |
| leisure | $600 | €320 | -42% |
| healthcare | $450 | €40 | -90% |
Where each city's money goes
Two cities can have the same monthly total but very different shapes — one might burn 50% on housing while the other splits more evenly. The composition matters as much as the headline.
The biggest shape difference is healthcare: Austin spends 8.9 percentage points more of its budget on it (11% vs. 2%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Salary equivalence: Austin ↔ Lyon
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Austin = 78, Lyon = 70); currency-converted at 1 EUR = 1.0800 USD. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Austin gross | Lyon equivalent |
|---|---|
| $40,000 | €33,238 |
| $75,000 | €62,322 |
| $120,000 | €99,715 |
| Lyon gross | Austin equivalent |
|---|---|
| €40,000 | $48,137 |
| €75,000 | $90,257 |
| €120,000 | $144,411 |
Equivalence here means same cost-of-living purchasing power, not same net take-home. Effective tax rates differ between countries; a salary equivalent on cost can still net more or less depending on the destination's tax regime. Use the calculator for tax-adjusted figures at a specific lifestyle tier.
Pros and cons
Why pick Austin
- Wins on remote-work friendliness (+0.6 points vs Lyon).
Why pick Lyon
- Wins on affordability (+1.5 points vs Austin).
- Wins on healthcare (+3.2 points vs Austin).
Austin trade-offs
- Trails Lyon on affordability by 1.5 points.
- Trails Lyon on healthcare by 3.2 points.
Lyon trade-offs
- Trails Austin on remote-work friendliness by 0.6 points.
Who should choose which
The composite winner doesn't always match what matters to you. These four reader profiles weigh the axes differently — find the closest fit.
Single, salaried remote worker, 25-40, optimizing for runway + bandwidth.
Axes scored: affordability, remoteWork
Couple with school-age children, prioritizing safety, healthcare, and air quality.
Axes scored: qualityOfLife, healthcare
Fixed income, healthcare-sensitive, prefers low cost and stable infrastructure.
Axes scored: healthcare, qualityOfLife, affordability
Salary stretch matters most. Cuts everything else if it lowers the burn rate.
Axes scored: affordability
Profiles use simple axis averaging — for a deeper read with your own weights, use the per-axis breakdown above.
Going deeper
Visa landscape for both countries — and case studies that touch this corridor.
Tools that work for either choice
Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
How this page is calculated
Data sources
- Mundevo per-city dataset. Cost basket, rent index, safety, healthcare, air quality and median internet for both cities. Reference date: 2026-05-28 (Austin) and 2026-05-28 (Lyon).
- FX rate. 1 EUR = 1.0800 USD, used to normalize cost baskets.
- CityScoreCalculator. Four axes (Affordability, Quality of life, Remote work, Healthcare) computed with explicit weights and explanations. See per-axis calculation strings rendered on this page.
- ComparisonService. Per-category cost deltas (housing, food, transport, utilities, leisure, healthcare) normalized to the origin currency.
Update cadence
Data as of . Last reviewed .
Calculation
For each of the four axes we compute an independent 0–10 score using the formulas printed beside each axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes. The overall winner is the city with the higher composite, unless the margin is under 0.05 points — in which case Austin is shown first as a tiebreaker to keep results stable.
Limitations
- Climate is not scored — we don't yet hold a maintained climate dataset, so weather-driven preferences are not modeled.
- Tax differences between cities in the same country are not modeled (Spain and Germany don't have material regional differences for this dataset).
- Indices are population-level. Personal cost varies with neighborhood, employer benefits and family status.
- Quality-of-life axis weights (safety 0.4 / healthcare 0.35 / air 0.25) are editorial defaults — readers with strong preferences should re-weight manually.
Frequently asked questions
Austin vs Lyon: which is cheaper?
Lyon is roughly 48% cheaper than Austin on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Austin has cost index 78 vs Lyon at 70 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Austin scores 5.4/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Lyon at 6.4/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Lyon wins overall by 1.0 points.
Is Austin or Lyon better for remote work?
Austin has 280 Mbps median internet vs Lyon at 220 Mbps. The four-axis decision rubric on this page (affordability, quality of life, remote work, healthcare) gives a per-dimension breakdown rather than a single answer.