Until 1998, house prices in France were very stable and also quite low in comparison to other Western European countries (especially since the UK). However, since then prices have continuously increased and are now (Sept, 2007) more than double what they were in 1997. Recently, price inflation has slowed and in fact house prices reduced slightly in the last two months. The expectation is that house prices will continue to increase over the medium to long term but that the rate of increase will be moderate (e.g. single digit annual increases).

The following map shows the average property prices for each region of France, as of the end of 2006. If you position your cursor over the following map, you will see the average price for each region. Click on a region to see property in that region.

Prices are in square meters. To convert to square feet, divide the price by 10.7.

Please note that the prices shown for each region are average prices. The price of a specific property may be much lower or much higher than this. Typically:

• Older houses are less expensive than new-built

• Houses in the countryside are cheaper than those in villages and much cheaper than city accommodation

• The price per square meter is less for larger houses than for smaller ones

• A house requiring redecoration or renovation will sell for less than an equivalent one in top condition

• A property with attractive features (e.g. a swimming pool, vineyard, attractive stonework) will be more expensive than one without

The most important factor in determining the price of housing is the location (e.g. city, town, village or countryside).  Major cities are of course more expensive (Paris in particular) due to the relative scarcity of accommodation, the relative abundance of employment prospects (often at above average pay), the availability of shopping and cultural facilities and the difficulty of commuting from outside the city.  For similar reasons, city outskirts and towns are the next most expensive, followed by villages.  In general, accommodation in the countryside is by far the least expensive.

Within these broad generalisations, there are a number of additional factors.  If you are buying a property in the countryside, especially if it has a substantial amount of land, the price can often depend on the state of the local agriculture. In particular, land in the best wine-growing regions can be extremely expensive. Outside the premium agricultural areas, houses and land are often relatively cheap. A fashionable area will be substantially more expensive than one which is out of favour. Likewise, properties with special advantages (e.g. seafront properties) will be correspondingly more expensive.