Acquiring a property in a seaside resort: at what price?

France has numerous coastlines lined with attractive towns where it is pleasant to spend a few days or even live. The demand for properties to buy – as a second home or primary residence – has increased so much that prices have sometimes soared. From north to south, here are some reference points compiled using the Meilleurs Agents barometer, to guide your project according to your budget.

The champion towns by region

The study conducted over two years compiled data from 31,000 transactions, in towns with a beach and at least 20% second homes. Here are the records found, distinguishing the most expensive and the “affordable” communes.

The Channel coasts

This region includes, for the study, all coasts north of Brittany and therefore includes the Hauts de France. Le Touquet is the most expensive town with an average price per square metre of €5,037, followed by Deauville and Benerville-sur-Mer at €4,852 and €4,116 respectively.

The cheapest towns are in the Manche (Fontenay-sur-Mer and Geffosses) and in Calvados, which hosts the most accessible seaside resort in the region: Saint-Pierre-du-Mont at €1,255 per square metre.

Brittany

It is La Trinité-sur-Mer that tops the Breton communes with a price per square metre of €4,343. It is followed by Carnac and Larmor-Baden, both at just over €3,900.

It is in Brittany that you will also find the cheapest seaside resort in France, Goulien, with an average price of €1,193 per square metre.

The Atlantic coast

On the west coast, Lège-Cap-Ferret will cost you €8,167 per square metre, ahead of Les Portes-en-Ré (€7,582) and Arcachon (€6,252).

At the bottom of the ranking, Cette-Eygun is positioned at €1,309 per square metre while the communes of Barzan and Talais exceed €1,600.

Languedoc-Roussillon

Palavas-les-Flots, La Grande-Motte and Collioure are the most expensive coastal communes in this region at €4,144, €3,889 and €3,878 per square metre respectively.

However, you can find a property at around €2,000 per square metre if you opt for La Palme, Torreilles or Port-la-Nouvelle.

The PACA region

Some communes in this region reach price peaks, such as Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with an average price per square metre of €13,264, or Ramatuelle at €12,744. These prices are comparable to the most expensive districts of the capital and change from year to year.

Conversely, Hyères proves to be the most affordable town on the southern coast with an average price per square metre of €3,591.

General trends

The ranking reveals no particular surprise, with the palm for the highest prices naturally going to the Côte d’Azur. However, some interesting developments can be noted.

Average prices by coast

The list drawn up by the study ranks regions according to average prices practiced within seaside resorts:

• the PACA region in the lead, with an average of €4,770 per square metre, up 5.5% over the last 24 months.
• the Atlantic coast at €3,731, up 12.7%;
• Languedoc-Roussillon at €2,904, an increase of 6.5%;
• the Channel and Hauts de France at €2,671, up 2.5%;
• finally, Brittany, with a price of €2,577 per square metre and up 9.5% over two years.

If we look at the last 12 months only, it is Brittany that has seen the largest price increase, with 6.3% growth. All other regions experienced weaker growth over the last year compared to the previous year. The Channel coasts even saw a price decrease of 0.6% over the last 12 months.

Other notable information

Even if slowed, price increases are therefore continuing overall. However, this is not the case everywhere and at all times, as we can see by reviewing previous annual studies.

Thus, for example, the commune of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in PACA showed an average price of €13,929 per square metre in 2017-2018, which has therefore fallen by nearly €700 over two years.

Finally, the study reveals that buying within 5 minutes’ walk of the beach will cost you 23% more than if you settle more than 15 minutes away. For the particular, it seems that between 5 and 10 minutes’ walk, the additional time requires a 10% higher budget.

If you dream of settling permanently or for the duration of a few annual holidays by the sea, you now have some clues as to where to contact agencies according to your budget. The investment can sometimes be substantial, but you can consider making the acquisition profitable through seasonal rental, managed by a local agency if you are not on site. Enjoy the good sea air!