The Best French Cities to Live In

Lockdowns have changed the housing preferences of French people. They no longer dream of big cities, now their interest is directed towards spacious real estate with a garden or terrace.

Two large specialized portals – Meteojob for job search and Meilleurtaux for financial services market analysis – conducted a study on the attractiveness of French cities in terms of employment opportunities and housing affordability.

The number of vacancies with indefinite labor contracts was the indicator of job security. Analysts calculated how many square meters a person can purchase for an average salary for this region to understand affordability.

Cities Where Housing Meets Salaries

The top three French cities to live in in 2022 were Mulhouse, Orleans, and Dijon.

Mulhouse, located near the borders of Switzerland and Germany, is at the top of the rating. It came out on top due to the combination of opportunities in the labor market and housing affordability.

The number of job offers here is greater than the demand for them, and this is explained by the proximity to Germany and its dynamic economy. Also, in the eyes of potential residents, the city makes purchasing power attractive: on average, an able-bodied person can afford 83 sq. m of real estate.

The number of job offers here is greater than the demand for them, and this is explained by the proximity to Germany and its dynamic economy. Also, in the eyes of potential residents, the city makes purchasing power attractive: on average, an average worker can afford 83 sq.m of real estate.

The City of Mulhouse, Franciscan Street

In the second place is Orleans, which over the past two years has been chosen by residents of Paris and the Ile-de-France metropolitan region. For an average salary, you can buy 69 sq. m. here. m housing. At the same time, the average cost of a square of real estate is about € 2.6 thousand. In terms of employment prospects, Orleans is the most attractive city in the country – 7.22% of vacancies with permanent contracts per 100 residents.

The top three are closed by the capital of Burgundy - the city of Dijon. It, like Orleans, is less than two hours by train from Paris. During the pandemic, its population also grew thanks to the residents of the capital city. The share of available vacancies per 100 residents in 2021 was 6.47%, which is almost 12 times (!) higher than in 2020 (0.54%). People are also attracted to affordable housing – a square meter here costs about € 2.6 thousand, and locals can afford an average of 57 sq.m.

The streets of Dijon

Rouen and Saint-Etienne took the fourth and fifth places. The latter is especially interesting for those who look for cheap housing in France. Saint-Etienne is home to about 180 thousand people, it is the capital of the Loire department of the Rhone-Alpes region. Nevertheless, a square meter of housing here costs only € 1,400, and with a local salary, you can buy 100-meter apartments (a rarity for France!).

Cities With Expensive Housing and Simple Job Search

Bordeaux (also known as "little Paris") attracts metropolitan residents looking for a quieter environment near the sea. There are 7.16% vacancies per 100 residents here (it was ten times less in 2020). But housing affordability is low: people on average can only afford 30 squares. The price per meter exceeds €5,000.

In Lyon, the employment sector is flourishing – over the past year, the percentage of permanent offers increased from 0.79 to 5.28%. Real estate, as in Bordeaux, is not easily accessible: on average, locals can count on 29 sq.m at €5,500 for each.

Aix-en-Provence and Nantes also have a dynamic labor market – the number of vacancies has increased significantly over the past year, but housing affordability is sagging. On average, locals can buy 32-34-meter apartments.  

The last in the block of cities with a promising labor market, but an extremely limited number of square meters per person is Paris. Despite the high salaries, residents of the capital can purchase only 17 squares. The main reason is sky-high real estate prices. A square meter here costs an average of €11,400.

The "little Paris" of France

Cities With Affordable Housing But a Weak Labor Market

Researchers identify three cities where real estate is inexpensive to local salaries, but there are few vacancies, and it is difficult to get a job here.

• Perpignan is a place where you can buy about 111 sq. m. (this is the largest available living space in this rating). On the other hand, there are very few permanent job offers - only 2.3% per 100 residents.
• In Toulon, you can afford about 68 residential meters, but only 2% of permanent offers of working contracts. This is the least attractive city for job search among all those included in the rating.
• In Nimes, you can easily have 65 sq. m., it is much more difficult to get a job – the percentage of permanent job offers is 2.83.

It is impossible to call the above-mentioned settlements desirable for life. First of all, because of their remoteness from the main cities of the country and railway tracks. That's why real estate prices are so low.

Perpignan is the administrative center of the Pyrenees Oriental Department

Sad Cities: Expensive Real Estate, Little to No Work

The cities on the Mediterranean coast - Marseille, Montpellier, and Nice - are of little interest to the French from both points of view: low job security and the availability of real estate.

Marseille offers only 2.48% permanent contracts and 50 sq.m of living space. It is followed by Montpellier with a low job offer (2.27%) and an average available real estate area (43 meters). In Nice, there are only 2.47% of permanent vacancies, but even if you manage to get a job, you can only buy a 36-meter apartment.

Marseille is the largest port in France

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that large cities like Paris, Marseille, and Lyon are currently not the most attractive for the French. Including the context of employment prospects and home purchase. Paris ranks last in the ranking, in particular, due to high real estate prices.

Small and medium-sized cities are much more interesting for the French. They offer great opportunities – either a high number of vacancies, or low prices per square meter, or all together.

These trends confirm the conclusions of 2020: residents of large cities are now more interested in increasing living space and improving conditions. This request is easy to implement due to the developing remote work sector (at the moment, a third of the work in France is done completely remotely, another third is partially remotely). Analysts assume that the trend of leaving large and expensive cities will continue if this format of work strengthens in the coming years.

What you can buy in France right now:

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Villa in Cannes, France

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Apartment in Paris, France

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Villa in Vallauris, France

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Villa in Mougins, France

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Apartment in Menton, France

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Apartment in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France

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Credit 0.85-1.85%

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Villa in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France

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Apartment in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

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Flat in Nice, France

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The Rating of French Cities for Life and Work

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