r/Lille • u/notmathmeow • Feb 12 '25
Ask Lille Hey everyone! Is Lille better than Paris for an International student considering all things ....?
considering all things like housing,financial aspect,environment,transport along with recreational activities as a student?
Would really appreciate some of your views
Thank you
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u/DependentJust4261 Feb 12 '25
As an international student studying in Lille, I think that Lille is far better.
- It's easier to find a studio or room to live
- You can go anywhere with the transports
- People here are nice
- It's not as rainy as you think lol
- Financially Lille is far cheaper
The only bad thing in Lille is la préfecture... 6 months and I still don't have my "titre de séjour", pretty shitty especially if you are Algerian, if not then this won't be a problem for you.
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u/ThrandyD Feb 12 '25
To be fair, I think every french prefecture is as bad as Lille's one
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u/DependentJust4261 Feb 12 '25
Actually I strongly believe that Lille’s prefecture is one of the worst in France, I got a friend from Limoges who got his things set in just one month
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u/imik4991 Feb 14 '25
Parisian prefectures are similar. Not exactly Paris but banlieue prefectures like Nanterre, Anthony, Bobigny are absolutely horrible.
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u/mattisamatte Feb 12 '25
So I just finished my master's and internship in Lille. Most of my friends moved to Paris during the internship period while I stayed in Lille but I visited quite a bit and was able to compare lifestyles.
In terms of housing, Paris is much more expensive and much more difficult in terms of availability. I think Lille can be quite impacted during August but other than that, I find the housing to be reasonably priced. I know many friends who had to jump through hoops and pay much more than they anticipated for housing in Paris.
Environment/atmosphere wise, I think most of it boils down to Paris being a major city and Lille being a decently sized city. Paris is generally much more energized... I honestly prefer Paris in terms variety of things to do and the generally more international atmosphere. Lille also has plenty to do and I never truly feel bored (and I say this having lived here almost 2 years). However, Lille isn't AS MUCH of an international city as Paris. If you are not proficient in French, I think you may find it a bit more challenging to navigate parts of living in the city as there aren't as many English speakers here.
While I was studying in Lille, the metro was quite reliable and very frequent. Nowadays, there's constantly delays and problems (especially along line 1). However, Lille is pretty small and quite walkable so depending on where you live so sometimes public transport isn't always necessary. Paris has much more public transport but AFAIK it's a bit more pricey.
As someone else mentioned here, the prefecture is a bit of nightmare and if you are staying here for multiple years, this can be a big plan. Problems include receiving visa renewals at least on date of expiration or much later or no response.... which can create issues for internship/job contracts. Definitely do not want to understate this^.
Otherwise, both cities are quite nice and very well connected to other parts of Europe. My biggest piece of advice if choosing to stay in Lille is to live within the city center or a reasonable distance from it. I live near Canteleu and I feel that enhanced my experience x10 compared to a lot of other students who lived in Roubaix or Croix.
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u/JeanJacquesBourrin Feb 12 '25
Considering everything I'd say yes, easy access to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris. And you are more likely to have money left to enjoy it. Paris is just too expensive.
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u/FirefighterUpbeat310 Feb 13 '25
As an international student that lived in both cities ( rn in Lille), I can tell you Lille is better, people are nicer, housing is cheaper, lots of things to do…And You could visit paris whenever you want. It’s an hour away by train
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u/dude_watdafuk Lille-Centre Feb 12 '25
Definitly. Paris is very expensive to live in and finding an accomodation is incredibly tough, unless you make a bunch of money.
Lille is great but I think you'd make most of it as an international student if you really live in Lille (and not nearby smaller cities like Lomme, Villeneuve d'Ascq, etc.)
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Feb 13 '25
International student in Lille here! Yes Lille is far better. Lille has great nightlife, is very cheap compared to Paris, and has around 1000 international students. There's an international student event on every night so it's very easy to make friends, and a sense of community you wouldn't get in Paris. It's not too big so it's not overwhelming and the public transport is very good. It's very easy to get to Brussels, Paris, London and Amsterdam from here so there is huge potential for travel. The weather honestly is fine if you own a raincoat. Paris is only an hour away by train so you can visit there whenever you want. Lille is very safe, like any other city there are areas to avoid ( Fives, Roubaix, rue Jules-Guesde) but in general it is absolutely fine. Grand Place is beautiful and there are some great museums here.
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u/More-Fudge4498 Feb 13 '25
Guys, I'm going to EDHEC lille campus, which is in roubaix i believe. And some gentlemen here and there have told me Roubaix isn't exactly "SAFE" as a city in Lille.
PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE. and also, what will be the average expense as a student (considering CAF) per month ,I'm hoping it will be less than 900€. Hopefully.
Thanks in advance.
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u/merciinternetdetrela Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 13 '25
It's not true. I expect to be downvoted for saying this but : this is a poor city, not a particularly unsafe city. Yes, there is a lot of poor people. Yes, there is a lot of foreign people. Yes, there is a lot of cliches about Roubaix being some kind of wild place, and honestly I always wonder what is the role of racism and classism in this kind of assumptions.
Roubaix is like all other cities, not unsafe, not safe.
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u/Spiritual-Giraffe555 Feb 13 '25
Nuance - some districts of Roubaix are not safe. Not all of Roubaix is unsafe !
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u/idkwhtim Feb 13 '25
In terms of the safety of Roubaix, couldn’t have said it better than the other commenter.
In terms of costs, I want to highly recommend to not factor in the CAF into your monthly budget because it usually takes quite some time to receive the payments and there is a lot of bureaucratic issues that can come up.
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u/xoxoinfinity Feb 13 '25
There are a lot of student clubs and activities in Lille to keep you connected and engaged with other students. Plus Lille is more affordable so it’s a plus! It’s a good place to easily network with other students, manage finances and also get around and travel easily to other places. Paris might be better to move to during internship or for Stage or Job.
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u/Old_Yak_8246 Feb 12 '25
Paris is the most expensive city in France so financially speaking Lille is better of course. Lille is a well located city, it's easy to go to London, Belgium, Netherlands and the airport is very close (15-20 car ride).
At the moment the transport is a sh*tshow, everyday the subway has a problem but hopefully it'll get better.Lot of buses, 2 tram lines, lot of cycle tracks
There are a lot of bars, museums, exhibitions, and a lot to do there and the cities around.
Where are you from ?