Day 2856 (Thursday) 3rd April 2025

This is Villa & Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild

and this is the Old Port of Nice.

It was nice and warm this morning but it clouded over and cooled down in the afternoon. At 11.30 on the dot the tourist boat came and there was a private yacht in the bay.

Our usual parking space has temporarily gone because there are doing something to the wall and there is scaffolding where the bikes used to be.

 

It’s been like this for over a week and they still haven’t started the work, so now we have to park on the seafront. Town was nice and busy with lots of people enjoying their lunch.

We went into Nice to have our weekly delicious kebab and the park was full, in fact the whole of Nice was packed.

15 of the most affordable towns in France

The "Champagne Avenue" in Epernay, northeastern France, in 2019. (Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP)

Wondering where you can get the best bang for your buck in France? Here is a list of the most affordable towns in France based on your individual income bracket.

Inflation has made life more expensive across most of the world, and France is no exception.

Still, there are some several places in France that can give you a great bang for your buck. French daily newspaper, Le Parisien, looked at data from the governmental statistics agency, INSEE, to determine which parts of the country are most affordable based on your income level. 

They gathered data for 614 locations in France with at least 20,000 inhabitants and ranked them based on access to daily necessities, such as schools, healthcare and transportation services. Then, they compared access to reliable internet, average local wages and cost of living to come up with a list of the places that are most affordable for three distinct categories based on income.

Unsurprisingly, the bigger cities do not appear, with many of the most affordable places being smaller towns, offering the advantage of cheaper living costs plus employment opportunities and access to leisure facilities.

In the French version, Le Parisien referenced les cadres (managers and 'intellectual professions'), employés (salaried workers), and ouvriers (blue collar workers). These three categories broadly overlapped with high, medium and lower levels of disposable income.

Here is what they found;

Best for higher incomes

In the cadre category - which corresponds to a median disposable income of €37,730 - there were five locations that stood out based on the ranking by Le Parisien. The French daily explained that for people with higher incomes, the focus was more-so on "modern housing with nearby leisure activities", Sébastien Bourdin, a professor of economic geography, told the newspaper.

In some locations, real estate prices were still high, but they were significantly cheaper than those in big cities like Paris (where median price per metre squared was €9,282 as of December 2024).

1st place: Senlis - located in northern France, in the Oise département. 

This town is just outside the Paris region, 40km to the north of the city. It is known for its Gothic cathedral, with the Chantilly forest nearby.

In 2024 it came in 25th place (out of 34,990 French cities) for the 'Ville de rêve' (Dream city) ranking. In particular, it scored well for categories like education, leisure, and 'dynamism', or activity - based on the number of restaurants and bars available, Actu France reported. For property, the median price per metre squared as of December 2024 was €3,317, according to SeLoger.

Bourdin told Le Parisien that Senlis represents "a rich town in the close Parisian suburbs which offers an 'intimate' atmosphere".

2nd place: Trouville-sur-Mer 

The popular beach town on the Normandy coast is an easy train ride away from the French capital and sits along some truly beautiful coastline. As of December, the median price per metre squared was €6,002.

3rd place: Noisy-le-Roi 

Located in Yvelines département in western portion of the Paris region, Noisy-le-Roi is less than an hour away from the capital by public transportation. As of December, the median price per metre squared was €5,154.

4th place: Rambouillet  

Also in the Yvelines département, keeping it in close proximity to the capital, Rambouillet is known for its castle and proximity to the Rambouillet forest. It is located along the Transilien line N, a commuter line that runs directly into Paris. As of December, the median price per metre squared was €3,718.

5th place: Étaples

Along the north-western Channel coastline, Étaples is located next to the popular beach resort town of Le Touquet. As of December, the median price per metre squared was €2,783.

Best for middle incomes

Le Parisien noted that the best locations for people with middle incomes - typically in the salaried worker (employé) category, with a median disposable income of €23,450 - would be smaller towns.

1st place: Tulle 

Known for its medieval streets and hilly surroundings in the département of Corrèze (in central France), Tulle is home to a cathedral dating back to the 12th century, and it is considered the 'Accordion capital' of France, according to the Guide to Corrèze tourism website. As of December 2024, the median price per metre squared was €1,034.

2nd place: Chaumont 

Located along the Marne river in eastern France, in the Haute-Marne département, Chaumont is home to the Viaduc de Chaumont, which is over 52m tall. The median per metre price for property in this small French city was €1,302.

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3rd place: Vesoul 

Also found in eastern France, in the Haute-Saône département, this small city on a hill has a long history dating back to 899. As of December 2024, the median price per metre squared was €1,217.

4th place: Bitche 

Located in north-eastern France, in the Moselle département near the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, Bitche has a rich military history and has been recognised in the concours des villes et villages fleuris for its efforts to maintain green spaces. Property cost €1,071/ sq m, as of December 2024. For English-speakers, it has the added bonus of a funny name, although Facebook might block your posts about your new hometown.

5th place: Ussel 

Located in central France, in the Massif central mountain range, Ussel is in the Corrèze département. Property cost €1,036/ sq m, as of December 2024.

Best for lower incomes

The municipalities offering the best value for money for people with lower incomes - oftentimes blue collar workers, with a median disposable income of €22,440 - were those that offered the ability to 'live where you work', Sébastien Bourdin told Le Parisien.

Many of the locations scoring well in this category stood out for their healthy offering of well-paying blue-collar jobs.

1st place: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 

Located in the heart of the Alps, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is in Savoie département in south-eastern France. Property prices were €2,255/sq m as of December 2024.

2nd place: Issoudun 

Located in central France in the Indre département, Issoudun is just outside of the city of Bourges. Property prices were €1,088/sq m as of December 2024. 

3rd place: Saint-Claude 

Found in the Jura département in eastern France, Saint-Claude lies along the river Bienne, just across the border with Switzerland. Property prices were €883/sq m as of December 2024. 

4th place: Épernay 

Along the route from Paris to Strasbourg, Épernay is located in the Marne département in eastern France, about a 30 minute drive outside of the Champagne capital of Reims. As of December 2024, property prices were €1,857 per m/sq.

5th place: Albert 

In northern France, near the city of Amiens, Albert is located in the Somme département. It has been a key location throughout history, first for the Romans in 54BC and later during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Property cost € 1,394 per m/sq as of December 2024.