Lisbonvs
LyonLisbon vs Lyon: cost, size & quality of life compared
Trying to decide between Lisbon and Lyon? Here's the honest bottom line first — then the full, sourced breakdown on cost of living, salary, safety and quality of life.
Lyon comes out ahead overall — by a narrow edge.
But the "winner" depends on what you care about. Here's who takes each dimension:
LyonLyonLisbonLyonComposite scores
Overall: Lyon wins by 0.5 points
Population & size
Is Lisbon bigger than Lyon?
Lisbon and Lyon are roughly the same size — about 550k and 520k people respectively.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
National income
Is Lisbon richer than Lyon?
France is the higher earner — average annual wage of $60,608 against $40,002 in Portugal, about 52% more in purchasing-power terms.
Country-level figures — Lisbon is not Portugal and Lyon is not France, and both cities typically pay above their national average. Gross, before tax: see take-home pay by country for what lands in the account.
Distance
How far is Lisbon from Lyon?
Lisbon is about 1,390 km (860 mi) from Lyon in a straight line — roughly 2 h 25 m of nonstop flight time.
Great-circle distance, not a routed itinerary; flight estimate assumes ~850 km/h cruise plus 45 minutes of taxi, climb and descent.
Climate
Is Lisbon warmer than Lyon?
Lisbon is the warmer city: January highs average 15°C vs 7°C, and July 28°C vs 28°C. Lisbon gets noticeably more sun — about 790 more sunshine hours per year.
| Month | Lisbon | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| January (high / low) | 15° / 8°C | 7° / 1°C |
| July (high / low) | 28° / 18°C | 28° / 17°C |
One of Europe's mildest capitals. Atlantic-moderated summers (rarely above 30°C) and wet but warm winters.
Semi-continental with Mediterranean influence. Warmer than Paris, four distinct seasons, sunnier than most French northern cities.
Both cities score identically at 6.2, yet Lisbon edges out Lyon on the ranking despite no numerical separation, suggesting the tiebreaker favored Lisbon's specific urban characteristics or data recency.
Lyon and Lisbon represent Europe's mid-tier cities, sitting well below major capitals like Paris or Berlin but ahead of smaller regional hubs in overall livability metrics.
Visit both cities for 48 hours each before deciding; at identical scores, your choice hinges on climate preference, language comfort, and neighborhood feel rather than aggregate data.
Data signals
What separates Lisbon and Lyon
How decisive
Lyon comes out ahead by 0.5 composite points — a narrow edge.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is affordability, where Lyon leads by 1.1 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on quality of life — within 0.4 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Lyon run about 19% lower than in Lisbon.
Where budgets split most
Transport is the line item that diverges most: roughly 85% pricier in Lyon than Lisbon.
Safety
Lisbon scores higher on safety (78 vs 60 / 100) — a common deciding factor for families.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
The exact scores and winners:
| Axis | Lisbon | Lyon | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 6.2 | 7.3 | Lyon +1.1 |
| Quality of life | 7.2 | 6.8 | Lisbon +0.4 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 7.0 | 7.5 | Lyon +0.5 |
| Healthcare | 7.5 | 8.4 | Lyon +0.9 |
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%)40
- Rent index (weight 40%)36
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Lisbon: ((100 − 40)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 36)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 6.2.
Lisbon is mid-range on absolute cost. Affordability is reasonable but not its main advantage.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)78
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)70
- 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 Lisbon: (78/100 × 0.4 + 70/100 × 0.35 + 65/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.2.
Lisbon scores good on safety, good on healthcare and good on air. The composite quality-of-life signal is strong.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)200 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)17.5%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)40
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Lisbon: (min(200/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.1755) × 0.3 + (100 − 40)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.
Lisbon combines fast internet (200 Mbps median), a 18% effective income tax and cost index 40 — 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%)60
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Lisbon: (70/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 60/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 7.5.
Lisbon combines good system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~60 EUR/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
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%)32
- Rent index (weight 40%)19
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Lyon: ((100 − 32)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 19)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 7.3.
Lyon sits well below the New York baseline on both cost-of-living and rent. Budgets stretch further here than in benchmark Tier-1 cities.
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%)16.2%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)32
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 − 0.1622) × 0.3 + (100 − 32)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.5.
Lyon combines fast internet (220 Mbps median), a 16% effective income tax and cost index 32 — a strong configuration for remote workers earning in a stronger currency.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)80
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)38
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 − 38/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 8.4.
Lyon combines excellent system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~38 EUR/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
Monthly cost delta: Lisbon vs Lyon
Normalized to EUR at 1 EUR = 1.0000 EUR.
| Category | Lisbon | Lyon | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | €1,465 | €785 | -46% |
| food | €274 | €376 | +37% |
| transport | €40 | €74 | +85% |
| utilities | €150 | €233 | +55% |
| leisure | €239 | €301 | +26% |
| healthcare | €60 | €38 | -37% |
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 housing: Lisbon spends 22.3 percentage points more of its budget on it (66% vs. 43%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Buying property
Apartment prices: Lisbon vs Lyon
Approximate asking prices in EUR per square meter (as of 2025-01), central vs mid-distance neighborhoods.
Buying in central Lisbon runs about 18% cheaper per square meter (€4,500/m² vs €5,500/m²).
Midpoints of public listing ranges — a scoping number for rent-vs-buy thinking, not a valuation. Renting comparisons live in the cost table above.
Getting around
Public transport: Lisbon vs Lyon
Monthly pass and casual-ride pricing in EUR (as of 2025-01) plus the modes each network runs.
Navegante pass €30/mo is the cheapest unlimited transit in any Western European capital; covers all modes plus suburban CP rail.
Single ride: €1.85 · Modes: Metro, Tram, Bus, Ferry, Commuter rail
TCL pass; metro is compact (4 lines) but supplemented by frequent trams and the funicular up Fourvière hill.
Single ride: €2.2 · Modes: Metro, Tram, Bus, Cable car
Salary equivalence: Lisbon ↔ Lyon
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Lisbon = 40, Lyon = 32); currency-converted at 1 EUR = 1.0000 EUR. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Lisbon gross | Lyon equivalent |
|---|---|
| €40,000 | €32,000 |
| €75,000 | €60,000 |
| €120,000 | €96,000 |
| Lyon gross | Lisbon equivalent |
|---|---|
| €40,000 | €50,000 |
| €75,000 | €93,750 |
| €120,000 | €150,000 |
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 Lisbon
- Wins on quality of life (+0.4 points vs Lyon).
Why pick Lyon
- Wins on affordability (+1.1 points vs Lisbon).
- Wins on remote-work friendliness (+0.5 points vs Lisbon).
- Wins on healthcare (+0.9 points vs Lisbon).
Lisbon trade-offs
- Trails Lyon on affordability by 1.1 points.
- Trails Lyon on remote-work friendliness by 0.5 points.
- Trails Lyon on healthcare by 0.9 points.
Lyon trade-offs
No material trade-offs versus Lisbon on the scored axes.
Remote work logistics
Time zones and language: Lisbon vs Lyon
Lisbon (Europe/Lisbon) and Lyon (Europe/Paris) sit 1 hour apart in standard time. A 9-to-5 in one overlaps the other's for 7 hours a day.
Official: Portuguese · English: High · Local language: Helpful
Portuguese is the working language for bureaucracy but English is widely usable in central Lisbon for daily life and most tech jobs. Younger residents are fluent in English.
Official: French · English: Moderate · Local language: Recommended
French is required for daily-life bureaucracy and most workplaces. English usable in Part-Dieu business district and at international firms; limited elsewhere.
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.
Zoom out from cities to countries: compare Portugal vs France on average wage, take-home after tax and cost of living.
Going deeper
Visa landscape for both countries — and case studies that touch this corridor.
Tools that work for either choice
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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: 2026-05-23 (Lisbon) and 2026-05-28 (Lyon).
- FX rate. 1 EUR = 1.0000 EUR, 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 Lisbon 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
Lisbon vs Lyon: which is cheaper?
Lyon is roughly 19% cheaper than Lisbon on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Lisbon has cost index 40 vs Lyon at 32 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Lisbon scores 7.0/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Lyon at 7.5/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Lyon wins overall by 0.5 points.
Is Lisbon or Lyon better for remote work?
Lisbon has 200 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.
Is Lisbon bigger than Lyon?
Lisbon and Lyon are similar in size — about 550k and 520k people respectively.
Is Lisbon safer than Lyon?
Lisbon scores higher on safety — 78 vs 60 / 100 on the Mundevo safety index (crime and personal-security signals).
Should I move to Lisbon or Lyon?
It depends on what you weight. Lyon wins the overall Mundevo composite by 0.5 points, but Lyon is cheaper, and the two split differently across affordability, quality of life, remote work and healthcare. Use the per-axis table and the reader-profile section above to match the verdict to your own priorities.