Luxembourg vs Paris for couples

Luxembourg and Paris, in France, are about 287 km apart. Every figure below comes from the data behind our city pages: an estimated monthly cost for a couple, tax tier, annual climate, safety, healthcare, internet speed, language and residency rules. Luxembourg leads on safety and getting by in English; Paris on cost and internet speed.

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Side by side

FactorLuxembourgParis
CountryLuxembourgFrance
SizeSmaller: under 250,000 peopleLarge: 1 to 5 million people
SettingInlandNear the coast
Est. cost for a couple€4,187 a month€3,993 a month
Tax tierHigh taxHigh tax
Average temperature11°C13°C
Rainfall832 mm a year659 mm a year
Safety80 / 10052 / 100
Healthcare82 / 10080 / 100
Internet (median fixed)~150 Mbps~230 Mbps
Main languagesLuxembourgish, French, GermanFrench
EnglishGood EnglishSome English
Long-term residencyPossible, with conditionsPossible, with conditions
Self-funded income routeFrom $3,221 a monthFrom $1,720 a month
Visa-free short visits93 of 198 passports93 of 198 passports

Source: the datasets behind our city pages. Cost is our model estimate (a country-level cost index scaled for city size); tax tiers are assigned by hand from each country's top marginal income tax rate and overall tax reputation; temperature from the Open-Meteo archive (2019 to 2023 averages); rainfall from TerraClimate (1991 to 2020 normals); safety and healthcare are our own country-level estimates; internet from the Ookla Speedtest Global Index; English from the EF English Proficiency Index; residency from our hand-reviewed residency dataset (not legal advice); short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset.

Factor by factor

Cost of living

Paris is cheaper: we estimate about €3,993 a month for a couple living centrally, against €4,187 in Luxembourg. That is €194 a month, or 5%, less.

Taxes

A tie: Luxembourg and France both sit in our high tax tier.

Climate

Paris is 2°C warmer on average over the year: 13°C against 11°C in Luxembourg. Paris is drier, with about 659 mm of rain a year against 832 mm in Luxembourg (21% less).

Safety

Luxembourg is the safer pick: Luxembourg scores 80 out of 100 on safety, 28 points above France (52).

Healthcare

Close: Luxembourg scores 82 out of 100 on healthcare and France 80.

Internet

Paris has faster home internet: about 230 Mbps median fixed download against about 150 Mbps in Luxembourg.

Language

Main languages: Luxembourgish, French, German in Luxembourg; French in Paris. English goes further in Luxembourg (good English) than in Paris (some English).

Residency and visas

Both are rated possible, with conditions for long-term residency for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. The cheapest self-funded income route we track starts at about $3,221 a month in Luxembourg and $1,720 in France. Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights in both. For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter Luxembourg visa-free and 93 can enter France.

Which one fits a couple

If one of you puts safety (80 against 52 out of 100) and getting by in English (good English against some English) first, Luxembourg comes out ahead. If the other cares more about cost (€3,993 against €4,187 a month) and internet speed (230 Mbps against 150 Mbps), Paris does.

Climate can pull the two of you apart too: a partner who wants warmth leans toward Paris (13°C on average), while one who minds the heat leans toward Luxembourg (11°C).

Size differs too: Luxembourg is a smaller city (under 250,000 people) and Paris a large one (1 to 5 million people). Luxembourg is inland; Paris is near the coast.

OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Luxembourg, Paris and 913 other cities for both of you at once.

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