Best French cities to live in

Annecy wins 75% of its duels and tops the City ranking ahead of La Rochelle.

The Alpine city holds a commanding lead with 1406 ELO points, a 116-point advantage over La Rochelle in second place. This gap sets Annecy apart as the clear favorite among French cities for quality of life. Nice claims the bronze medal at 1234 ELO, while Angers and Brest round out the top five. The ranking's lower reaches tell a different story: Caen sits at the bottom with 1114 ELO despite competing in 129 duels, the highest duel count in the entire ranking. Rennes and Le Mans occupy the two spots just above, suggesting these cities struggle to win over voters when matched against their rivals.

This ranking draws from 533 duels contributed by 23 players comparing 10 French cities. Updated on 12 October 2026, it reflects current preferences for urban living in France. The results spotlight coastal and mountain cities while traditional regional capitals face tougher competition. VAINKEURZ invites you to cast your own votes: each head-to-head choice refines the ranking and brings your voice into the community's collective verdict on where to call home in France.

Updated on October 12, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →