Ask ten French people about the best places to live in France and you will get eleven answers, each defended with a story about a grandmother's village. France is big enough to hold the Atlantic, the Alps, the Mediterranean and the capital of fashion in one set of rules. The right place depends on three questions: where will your income come from, how much of the day do you want to spend in a car, and how much winter can you take?
What are the best places to live in France for jobs?
If you need an employer, you need a metropolitan area. Paris and the Île-de-France have the largest job market and the most international companies, but the highest housing costs. Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Lille and Strasbourg offer large employers, universities and good rail links, with a more manageable cost of living than Paris. For rents, remember that tight-market zones limit rent rises on a new letting, and a reference rent applies in cities such as Paris, Lille, Lyon and Villeurbanne, Bordeaux and Montpellier (see renting in France).
If your trade is regulated (health, law, teaching, construction), check your qualification recognition before choosing, as covered by working in France.
Where are the best places to live in the south of France?
The Mediterranean coast and Provence have the sunshine people dream about, the marchés and the lifestyle. They also tend to be expensive on the seafront and in the famous villages, and crowded in summer. Montpellier and Toulouse in Occitanie combine student energy with jobs in technology and aerospace. Inland Provence, the Gard and the Hérault give you character at a lower price than the coast. A tip worth following: visit in February, not July. A place is more honest in winter.
What is it like to live on the Atlantic coast, in Brittany or in Normandy?
The west is mild and green. Bordeaux and its region offer wine country and a bigger city a short drive from the ocean. Nantes and Rennes are often cited for quality of life. Brittany has a strong identity, coastal towns and a climate that surprises with rain and light in equal parts. Normandy has the proximity to Paris, the coast and rural houses. These regions have long attracted British and Northern European buyers looking for houses with gardens.
Where should you live in France for the countryside?
The Dordogne, the Lot, the Gers, the Charente and the Auvergne are the classic image of rural France: stone houses, markets, small towns. The price of a house can be much lower than in a major city, but you pay in distance: a car is usually essential, and the nearest specialist hospital can be far. If you have children, check the school and the bus before you fall in love with the house (see schools in France). If you need to work, fast internet is worth verifying, because quality varies from one village to the next.
What about the Alps, the Pyrenees and Corsica?
Mountain towns such as Annecy, Chambéry and Grenoble in the Alps combine outdoor life with international employers, and their closeness to Geneva matters for cross-border workers. The Pyrenees offer quieter valleys and access to Spain. Corsica has the same housing law as the mainland, but its own regional property taxes (the department rate is voted by the Collectivité de Corse) and, like the continent, follows the national income tax scale.
Is it worth living in a border region?
Yes, if you work across the border. French residents working in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy or Spain face different tax regimes. Under a 1983 agreement, someone living in France and working in the cantons of Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Jura, Berne, Basel-City, Basel-Country or Solothurn is in principle taxed in France, while Geneva employment is taxed in Switzerland. Other borders have their own rules (Germany within 30 km, Italy and Spain in defined zones, Luxembourg under the treaty with a day threshold). Check the regime for your border before signing a lease, and read working in France for the rules on cross-border and remote work.
What about the French overseas departments?
Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte are French territory, with tropical climates and some different rules. They deserve their own article: living in the French overseas departments.
How do you choose among the best places to live in France?
Make a short list of three places and test each one:
- Work and commute. How far from your job, and by which transport?
- Health. How far is the nearest hospital, and are doctors taking new patients? (See healthcare in France.)
- Housing. Look at listings, not at brochures, and compare with the cost of living in France.
- Season. Visit in winter. Rent first, buy later.
Renting for a year before buying is a classic piece of advice, and a wise one. For a step-by-step view of your arrival, start with the moving to France checklist.
Which are the best places to live in France for families?
Families should start from the school. State schools follow your address, so the carte scolaire decides where your children go, and the town hall can tell you the school of your sector before you sign a lease. Look at the childcare on offer too: a municipal crèche sets its own rates, and the CAF can help with the cost of a childminder or a micro-crèche for children under six. Medium-sized cities, with a collège and a lycée within reach, a hospital and public transport, tend to give families the best balance between space and services. Read schools in France for expat children before you choose.
Which are the best places to live in France for retirees and remote workers?
Retirees should weigh the distance to hospitals and specialists, the train station and the airport you will use to see family. A S1-covered pensioner can be treated anywhere in France, but access to care is not the same in a big city and in a remote village. Remote workers should check the quality of the internet connection address by address, because it varies from one village to the next, and the tax and social security consequences of working for a foreign employer (see working in France). Look at the rail links for the days you must travel.
How much does it cost to live in the best places in France?
Prices follow demand. The most sought-after places, such as the capital and the favourite coastal and Alpine towns, ask more, while inland towns and smaller cities usually ask less. Use the listings of the week, not memory, and compare your options with the cost of living in France. In tight zones, rent rises are limited. The official page on rent control lists the cities with a reference rent, which is useful when you compare Paris with Lyon, Lille or Bordeaux.
What is the best way to test a place before moving?
Spend a week there outside the holidays, ride the local transport, visit the school, the health centre and the market, and ask the town hall about local services. Rent for a few months with a furnished lease: the notice period is one month and no reason is needed, which makes it a low-risk way to try a town.