In Lyon, the second metropolis of France, the moves are increasingly similar to a real obstacle course. This should be a stage of life marked by the momentum and projection to the future becomes for many a source of stress, renunciations and unforeseen expenses.
Changing accommodation is never trivial. It is often synonymous with renewal, a promise of a better living environment, hope, sometimes. Leaving a too small apartment, escaping a noisy neighborhood, getting closer to your workplace or concretizing a family project: behind each move, there is a story, expectations, sometimes sacrifices.
In Lyon, the second metropolis of France, this transition is more and more similar to a real obstacle course. This should be a stage of life marked by the momentum and projection to the future becomes for many a source of stress, renunciations and unforeseen expenses.
Between bursting rents, scarcity of goods for rent, endless waiting times with increasing professionals and tensions on the real estate market, moving to the capital of Gaul is today, in many cases, a real logistical and financial headache. The dreams of renewal come up against the realities of a saturated market, where each change of address is experienced as an event to be crossed, sometimes even a fight to be waged.
An attractive city … but at what price?
With more than 1.4 million inhabitants in the urban area, Lyon attracts. Capital of gastronomy, major university center, economic dynamism … All the lights are green. But this attractiveness has a setback: real estate prices have soared in recent years.
In the 6th arrondissement, the square meter is sometimes negotiated above 6,000 euros. Even the historically more affordable districts, such as the Guillotière or Vaulx-en-Velin, see their rents climb. Families, young workers, many students have to revise their ambitions downwards or move away from the Center City.
“We thought we were finding a T3 in the city center for 1,200 euros. Today, we are delighted to have found a 45 m² in Villeurbanne for 1,050 euros. And again, we had to visit it in the hour and fight with a dozen candidates,” says Camille, young employee of a Lyon start-up.
An arm shortage never seen
Once the accommodation is found, you still have to be able to organize its move. And there again, it is disillusionment. For the past two years, professionals in the sector have sounded the alarm: they are overwhelmed.
During the months of June, July and August, the situation became critical for professionals in the sector. The order books explode, and in front of demand, the moving companies are struggling to follow. A mover in Lyon is forced to refuse nearly 40 % of solicitations in high season, for lack of available staff. It has become almost impossible to take new customers during this period by professionals, deploring a structural overload that has become recurrent.
The cause? A combination of labor shortage (moving professions are struggling to recruit), increased requests, but also a high turnover among employees in the sector. Many young people start, then leave after a few months. This is physically hard, the schedules are very elastic, and customers are sometimes demanding beyond the reasonable complain about professionals in the sector.
Under tension
Moving professionals in Lyon today face an unprecedented situation. In the metropolis, demand explodes, but the supply is struggling to follow. Many companies, often on a human scale, are crumbling under the solicitations, to the point of having to refuse dozens of requests every day. Even by strengthening their teams, they struggle to respond to the emergency and the density of needs.
This phenomenon is not only linked to a seasonal peak. It is part of a broader context, marked by a chronic shortage of labor, more and more stringent traffic constraints in the city, and an outbreak of the cost of fuel which increases the charges. These combined elements make the organization of a moving particularly complex, both for customers and for professionals.
-Often unknown, the profession of mover nevertheless requires specific skills. It is not only a question of carrying furniture or loading a truck: it is a technical know-how, which requires rigor, precision, and respect for the goods transported. Behind each successful operation hides a meticulous preparation, a well -oiled logistics, and an experienced team.
For companies in the sector, it becomes urgent to obtain recognition up to these requirements. Many of them call for a real support plan: more qualifying training to attract and professionalize young people, a valuation of the sector with the general public, and hiring assistance systems to meet growing demand.
In a market as tense as that of Lyon, where each move becomes a race against the clock, these claims resonate as a call to rethink the future of a sector often relegated to the background, but essential to the proper functioning of urban life.
The logical consequence of this tension is the outbreak of prices. According to a UFC-Que survey Choose, the average cost of an intra-metropolitan move in Lyon increased by 18 % between 2020 and 2024. For a T3 of around 60 m², it takes between 1,200 and 1,600 euros for a standard move, excluding options.
And some overflows worry. “We see pseudo-professional appearing that break the prices but have no insurance, work in black and will damage your furniture without you being able to claim anything,” alerts Marie-Florence P., head of a Lyonnaise consumer association.
The emergence of alternative solutions
Faced with these difficulties, Lyonnais compete in ingenuity. Some opt for collaborative moves, via platforms. Others shift their moves in a hollow period, sometimes to the detriment of their comfort or their professional timetable.
The use of highlights is trivialized, especially in the old buildings of the 1st or the 4th arrondissement, where the stairwells are too narrow. But then again, the request explodes, and the deadlines are getting longer.
The move, a new mirror of urban inequalities?
What strikes, beyond logistical and financial aspects, is the way in which move has become a revealer of social inequalities. Those who have the means can anticipate, pay a “turnkey” move and relocate without stress. The others must deal with the constraints: change of school of children, impossibility of placing leave, loan of vehicles with friends, even recourse to charitable associations.
“Moving is no longer a choice, it is sometimes a leak,” sums up Chantal, social worker at the Red Cross. “Families call us urgently because they have to leave their accommodation in a week. We try to mobilize our networks to help them, but everything is saturated.”
A situation led to last?
Professionals are pessimistic. “As long as the housing supply does not follow, as long as wages in our sector stagnate, we will not be able to meet demand,” explains Vincent M. The Moving Market in Lyon is symptomatic of broader structural tensions, linked to rapid urbanization, land speculation, and the lack of skilled labor.
The metropolis is trying experiences, such as relocation aid for young workers or zero-rate credits for first-time buyers. But for the moment, these devices remain marginal.
In the meantime, thousands of Lyonnais cross their fingers at each change of address. Finding a roof is already difficult. Leaving it in good conditions, is almost luxury.
