Toulouse
France · Europe · 500K people
Aerospace industry hub in southern France with a young population.
Ranked #83 of 303 overall · 43.60, 1.44
Overview
With a population of around 500,000, Toulouse is one of France's notable cities, part of the wider Europe region. It has become a go-to base for remote workers over the past few years. It carries a strong student-city energy, with a young, transient population. People who choose to settle in Toulouse tend to point to a strong sense of safety, a climate most people find easy to live with, and solid infrastructure for remote work as the deciding factors. Within the 103 cities we track in Europe, the regional average sits at 6.9/10, which puts Toulouse's 7.0/10 comfortably ahead of the regional norm. On CityMatch, Toulouse scores 7.0/10 overall across cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet, ranking #83 of 303 cities in our database. Its strongest single criterion is healthcare at 8/10, while cost of living is its softest spot at 6/10 — the full breakdown, honest trade-offs, and who this city actually suits are below.
Full scorecard
Reasonable day-to-day costs.
Generally safe with normal precautions.
Air quality is acceptable most of the year.
Public transport covers the basics well.
A normal seasonal mix, nothing extreme.
Reliable access to quality care.
Remote work is a non-issue here.
Is Toulouse right for you?
Set your own priorities and see where it ranks against every city in the dataset.
Run the recommender →How are these scores calculated?
Every city on CityMatch is scored 1-10 on seven criteria — cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet — and those seven numbers are combined into the overall score shown throughout the site using a consistent, automated formula (an equal-weighted average by default, or your own weighting via the recommender tool). The same method is applied identically to every city, so scores are comparable across the full database.
Sources & data provenance
The current dataset is an internally curated starter dataset built for this version of the site, reflecting each city's general reputation on each criterion rather than a live feed from a single external provider. It is not yet sourced from a specific third-party API. If that changes, this section will be updated to name the exact sources in use.
Last updated: 17 July 2026
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
Healthcare scores 8/10, a meaningful factor for families, retirees, or anyone planning to stay long-term.
Internet and connectivity score 8/10, making remote work a non-issue rather than a workaround.
A 7/10 safety score puts Toulouse among the more reassuring cities to walk around, day or night.
Trade-offs
Cost of living is Toulouse's comparatively softest spot at 6/10 — still a workable budget, just not its standout strength.
Transport is Toulouse's relatively weaker criterion at 6/10 — decent day-to-day, just not as strong as its other scores.
Is Toulouse safe?
At 7/10, safety in Toulouse is unremarkable in a good way: no particular risk stands out, but it's not a standout strength either.
At night
Nighttime is fine in most central areas, but it's worth checking which neighborhoods quiet down early versus stay lively and populated.
For tourists
Tourists are generally fine sticking to well-trodden areas; the usual advice about watching belongings in crowds and transit hubs applies.
For families
Safety, healthcare (8/10) and environment (7/10) together suggest a reasonable, if not exceptional, environment for families.
For solo travelers
Solo travel here is broadly fine with standard precautions; it's worth reading recent, specific traveler reports rather than relying on the city's reputation alone.
On public transport
Transport is reasonably safe day-to-day; late-night service quality and crowd levels are worth checking if you'll rely on it after dark.
Practical tips
- →Stick to well-lit, populated streets after dark, as you would in most cities.
- →Keep valuables out of sight rather than out of caution about any specific threat.
What's the climate like in Toulouse?
Toulouse scores 7/10 on climate — pleasant enough for most of the year, without being a specific draw on its own.
Seasonal character
Expect a normal four-season rhythm (or a wet/dry split closer to the equator), without extremes dominating the calendar.
Comfort level
Comfort is generally good, with the odd day or short stretch that calls for planning ahead rather than year-round ease.
Best time to live here
Shoulder-season months (spring and autumn, broadly) tend to be the safest bet if you can choose when to visit or move.
Note: this reflects our single aggregate 1-10 climate score rather than month-by-month temperature, humidity or rainfall data, which we don't currently track — treat it as a general read rather than a forecast.
Quality of life in Toulouse
Put together, quality of life in Toulouse is shaped less by any single number and more by the combination: with a large student population, toulouse has a younger, more transient energy than its size alone would suggest, paired with an outdoor/environment picture that's generally favorable and transport that's genuinely workable.
Pace & lifestyle
With a large student population, Toulouse has a younger, more transient energy than its size alone would suggest.
Nature & outdoors
Outdoor time is reasonably pleasant, with environment (7/10) and climate (7/10) scores that don't get in the way, without being a specific draw either.
Getting around
Transport (6/10) covers most needs reasonably well, with occasional gaps a bike or rideshare fills in easily.
Culture & leisure
Toulouse isn't specifically marketed on culture or nightlife in our data, which usually means a more everyday, less tourist-oriented pace of life — good for routine, less exciting for a short visit.
Based on its actual score profile, Toulouse tends to suit people who prioritize healthcare and internet & connectivity over cost of living — see "Who Toulouse suits" above for the specific profiles that fit best.
How clean is Toulouse?
Toulouse scores 7/10 on environment — decent air quality most of the year, without being a specific standout.
Public spaces
Public space quality isn't separately measured in our data; the environment score above is the closest proxy we have, and it points to an unremarkable, workable baseline.
Infrastructure maintenance
General infrastructure maintenance isn't a criterion we score independently, so treat any specific claims about road quality, public bins, or graffiti with caution unless they come from a recent, first-hand source.
The "environment" score behind all of this is CityMatch's single combined measure of air quality and general environmental conditions — 10 meaning consistently clean air, 1 meaning significant pollution. It doesn't separately break out waste management, noise, or visual upkeep, which aren't part of our current dataset.
Who Toulouse suits
Expat
Expats — expatriates relocating for work who lean on safety, healthcare and internet to stay settled and connected (fit score 7.2/10 here).
Digital nomad
Digital nomads — remote workers who need fast internet and an affordable, pleasant base (fit score 7.0/10 here).
Freelancer
Freelancers — independent workers balancing cost of living against healthcare access (fit score 7.0/10 here).
Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs — founders and small business owners who need reliable connectivity and a livable base without big-city costs (fit score 7.0/10 here).
In depth
Cost of living
Toulouse scores 6/10 on affordability — not cheap, but reasonable: expect a moderate budget to cover a comfortable, unremarkable lifestyle.
Safety
Toulouse scores 7/10 on safety — generally fine, with the usual big-city precautions rather than any particular red flag.
Climate
Toulouse's climate scores 7/10 — a decent mix of seasons without extremes in either direction.
Quality of life
Toulouse's overall quality of life (7.0/10) comes from consistency rather than any single standout: every criterion sits within a few points of the others, with healthcare edging out as the strongest and cost of living the softest spot. The average across all seven criteria is 7.0/10.
Transport
Transport in Toulouse scores 6/10 — workable public options exist, though a bike or occasional car still helps for some routes.
Internet & remote work
Remote work is well supported here: Toulouse scores 8/10 on internet and connectivity, with fast, reliable connections in most neighborhoods and an established remote-work community to match.
Why choose Toulouse?
Toulouse scores consistently well across the board (7.0/10 overall), led by healthcare. Unlike many cities on our site, there's no single criterion here that should give you pause.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Toulouse safe?
Toulouse scores 7/10 on safety — generally fine, with the usual precautions you'd take in any mid-sized city.
What budget do I need to live in Toulouse?
Toulouse scores 6/10 on cost of living — a moderate budget is enough for a comfortable lifestyle, without it being a bargain destination.
Is Toulouse good for families?
Toulouse is a reasonable family option — safety (7/10) and healthcare (8/10) are solid enough, without being standout strengths.
Is Toulouse a good city for students?
Yes, Toulouse is tagged as a student city in our database — affordability (6/10) and transport (6/10) both matter for that, and both are workable here.
Is Toulouse suitable for digital nomads?
Yes — Toulouse is one of our tagged digital-nomad destinations, with an internet score of 8/10 and a cost-of-living score of 6/10 to match.
What's the climate like in Toulouse?
Toulouse scores 7/10 on climate — a normal seasonal mix without real extremes.
Is Toulouse pleasant to live in year-round?
Largely yes — with a climate score of 7/10 and an environment (air quality) score of 7/10, Toulouse holds up well across seasons.
Is Toulouse a good choice for a first move abroad?
It's a reasonable choice for a first move: safety, healthcare, transport and environment average out to 7.0/10 here, a fairly forgiving combination for someone settling in for the first time.
Is the internet good enough for remote work in Toulouse?
Yes — Toulouse scores 8/10 on internet and connectivity, comfortably enough for video calls and day-to-day remote work.
Is Toulouse a good place to retire?
It has real appeal for retirees: healthcare, climate and safety average out to 7.3/10 here — the three criteria that tend to matter most for that stage of life.
What are good alternatives to Toulouse?
Based on continent, tags and overall score, Barcelona and Bristol are the closest matches to Toulouse in our database — worth comparing directly if you're still deciding.
Is Toulouse worth living in?
Reasonably — Toulouse scores 7.0/10 overall, a solid if unremarkable all-round profile. Whether it's "worth it" depends more on which specific criteria matter most to you than on the average alone.
Who should move to Toulouse?
Based on its score profile, Toulouse suits people who value healthcare and internet & connectivity more than the average mover — see the "Who Toulouse suits" section above for the specific profiles (families, digital nomads, students, etc.) that fit best.
Is Toulouse walkable, and is public transport good?
Reasonably — Toulouse scores 6/10 on transport, covering most day-to-day needs without being a standout transit city.
What's the biggest advantage of living in Toulouse?
Healthcare is Toulouse's standout strength, scoring 8/10 — the highest of its seven criteria on CityMatch.
What's the biggest downside of living in Toulouse?
Cost of living is the clearest trade-off, scoring just 6/10 — the lowest of Toulouse's seven criteria, and worth weighing against its strengths.