Is buying or renting property better in France?

Reader Question: Is it more cost effective to buy or rent in France? Does it vary a lot from one area to another?

This is a common question among the French population, and is the subject of an annual survey by large insurance brokers Meilleurtaux, which gives a good snapshot.

In France generally, 58% of the population are owners. Among those who rent, reasons include worries about becoming too tied down by ownership, or simply not having enough set aside for a deposit or sufficiently stable long-term income. 

Those who buy, often feel they would be losing money in the longer-term by renting and that they are making an investment for themselves as well as obtaining a home. 

They can also cushion themselves from rental market fluctuations or uncertainties (such as if a landlord decides to sell up) and one day may own the property rent-free or make a capital gain on its sale.

Read more: why are authorities asking about our address to join French social security?

Of course, buying is most likely to make sense if you know you plan to settle for a number of years. 

The Crédit Agricole bank estimates that on average you need to stay in a property five or six years before it becomes cost-effective once you bear in mind factors such as notaire and estate agency fees. 

It therefore advises that younger working-age people who might change jobs every three or four years and may need to leave at short notice may be better off renting. 

It also suggests you should also look at the disparity, locally, between rents and housing prices before deciding. 

The MeilleurTaux study seeks to answer the question of how many months it takes for buying a property to have been more cost-effective than renting from one city to another. 

It compares buying costs (average price per m², property tax and maintenance charges) against rental costs and the average return on your money if you put your savings into investments rather than putting a deposit down for a mortgage.

The latest study, published at the end of October 2025, found that on average it takes 12 years and three months for buying to be more cost-effective, though there were indeed large variations. 

MeilleurTaux put this down to factors such as high property prices in certain large sought-after cities, high local property tax rates and also factors such as whether or not rent controls are in place.

For example, on the lower end, it estimates that it takes just four years, three months in Limoges and four years, seven months in Le Havre or five years, four months in Perpignan.

Mid-range areas include Lille (10 years, 10 months), Marseille (13 years, four months), and Montpellier (14 years, 7 months).

It takes longer in Nice (19 years, three months), Rennes (19 years, five months) or Lyon and Bordeaux (20 years and one month). Paris is the second-highest (21 years, one month) and the highest of the places surveyed was Aix-en-Provence (22 years and four months). 

Figures have shown an improvement in buying conditions, down from the average being more than 15 years in 2023, as interest rates have dropped somewhat and prices remain steady. In addition, rental increases can outstrip wage growth. 

Note that the study uses a 70 m² apartment as its base, and rural areas outside of France’s 35 largest cities are not included. In these areas, rents may be lower – making it more effective to rent – but renal properties may be harder to find due to scarcity.