French cities where it is better to buy than rent in 2026

Mulhouse, Saint-Etienne, and Limoges are the top three cities in France where it makes more financial sense to buy rather than rent a property in the long term, a new study has found.

The study – the 12th annual Acheter ou Louer? by financial broker and mortgage comparator MeilleurTaux – considers 32 cities in France. 

The study compares the cost of buying and renting by analysing property prices, rents, taxes and charges, as well as the potential returns that could have been earned by investing money used for a purchase.

It assumes the money used to buy the property could instead have been invested elsewhere, earning returns of 3% in years 1–2, 2.5% in years 3–6, and 2% from year 7 onwards. It also assumes a 10% deposit.

The shorter the time shown, the more financially viable the purchase in comparison to renting. The group bases its figures on a property of 70m2.

Where is buying more cost-effective than renting?

In some cities, the time it takes to make purchasing more viable than renting has decreased significantly. This means that for people looking to live in these cities for longer than the number of months shown, they would generally be better off buying rather than renting, in the long term.

The top 10 cities where it makes more sense to buy were:

• Mulhouse: 19 months 

• Saint-Etienne: 25 months (two years, one month)

• Limoges: 51 months (four years, three months)

• Le Havre: 55 months (four years, seven months)

• Perpignan: 64 months (five years, four months)

• Metz: 69 months (five years, nine months)

• Grenoble: 83 months (six years, 11 months)

• Clermont-Ferrand: 89 months (seven years, five months)

• Rouen: 91 months (seven years, seven months)

• Brest: 93 months (seven years, nine months)

In detail, the favourable buy/rent ratio is largely due to the relatively lower cost of property. For the top three cities, for example:

1. Mulhouse: The cost per m² was €1,259 in 2025, compared to monthly rent of €13 per m² 

2. Saint-Etienne: €1,226 per m², on average in 2025 (a low cost of property, even despite high taxe foncière at €1,452 for a 70 m² property). This compares to monthly rent of €12 per m². 

3. Limoges: €1,550 per m². This compares to monthly rent of €12 per m².

Where is renting more cost-effective than buying?

In the most expensive cities, it can take years or even decades of owning a property for the purchase to be profitable as opposed to renting. For example, in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Nice, and Bordeaux, it can take more than 18 years. Shorter-term residents may therefore prefer to rent in this case.

For example:

• In Aix-en-Provence, it takes 268 months (22 years and 4 months) of ownership for the purchase to be profitable, with an average cost per m2 of €5,389, and a lower rental value of €18 per m2

• In Paris it takes 253 months (21 years and 1 month), with an average cost per m2 of €9,751, and a rental value of €32 per m2

Optimistic buying landscape

Overall, however, the study presents an optimistic view for buyers, including finding that:

• This year, buyers have slightly higher purchasing power due to the gradual fall in interest rates (currently from around 3.4% over a 25 year mortgage period).

• Across France it now takes an average of 12 years and three months for the purchase of a main residence to be generally more profitable than renting, down from the 14 years and eight months seen in 2024

To make its calculations, the study considers: 

• The purchase price per m2

• The cost of the relevant taxe foncière

• Any relevant property expenses/charges

• The rental price

• The potential returns that could have been earned by investing money used for a purchase.

As shown in the top 10, the study found that many cities are becoming more financially viable for buyers.

“Among the 32 cities analysed, the time it takes for it to be more profitable to buy than rent is falling in 24 of them,” said MeilleursTaux.