10 Best Places to Retire in France

If you strongly consider Europe as your retirement destination, then check out our list of best places to retire in France. We know that French people receive a bad reputation sometimes, but they are really nice once you get to know them and stop referring to baguette as “that long French bread”.

Seriously, who wouldn’t want to have France as their retirement destination? The country has a rich culture, fine cuisine, and even better wines. We mustn’t forget about the cheese and more than 250 varieties that France produces. This all contributes to France being the most visited touristic destination in the world. Also, France’s colonial past influenced that the country has multicultural and diverse population. Everything may seem wonderful to the people who are spending few days there and getting the best that France has to offer. The thing is, if you intend to live there, you have to be familiar with the bad sides as well.

Current political situation in the country isn’t the best or the brightest with numerous social unrests in the recent times (someone said French Revolution Part 2?). New presidential elections are approaching and there is a possibility that France will have an extremist right wing President in Marine Le Pen, a woman who promised to give up on Euro, open borders and almost everything that is connected to the European Union.

According to the U.S. Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Crime & Safety Report from 2017, France has a high risk of terrorists attack given the recent events like the Charlie Hebdo Attack and  November 2015 Paris attacks. Paris is considered the country’s most dangerous city in terms of theft and pickpocketing. There are also numerous scams being reported on a daily basis. You should be careful when using public transportation and visit the touristic attractions since that is where the thieves are likely to target you the most. Residential break-ins increase in the period of summer vacations, while physical attacks are common in Paris and other major urban areas. For those looking a bit more safety, check out our list of 10 Best Places to Retire in Greece.

If you can disregard all of these potential downsides of residing in France, there are plenty of good things like the country’s healthcare system, which is considered one of the best in the world.  According to World Health Organization (WHO), France spends 11.5% of GDP on healthcare, being among the biggest spenders in Europe. The government covers around 70% of the medical cost and 100% of the cost in cases of long recoveries or serious diseases.

In order to come up with the list of best places to retire in France, we took recommendations from multiple sources including Investopedia and International Living. Since you’ll need somewhere to stay and something to eat, we decided to rank the places according to the average cost of the apartment per square feet and restaurant meal for two. The information about the cost was taken from Numbeo. Usually, we include other factors like physicians per capita and crime rates, but that information was not available. Because of this, we used average temperature proximity to optimal, number of rainy days and average daily sunshine hours per month (taken from Holiday Weather) to supplement our ranking. After we calculated everything into our IM Score, we got our list of best places to retire in France. Let’s check it out.

10. Paris

IM Score: 12
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $794
Meal Cost: $53.22

Don’t freak out now, although the city is packed with tourists, dangerous and unbelievably expensive, Paris can still be tremendous retirement location. Just imagine drinking your coffee, taking a bite of croissant and watching the Eiffel tower every day. Now, if you don’t have big money to spend, the apartments are considerably cheaper outside the city, so you can make some adjustments there. January and December are the coldest and rainiest months with the temperature dropping to 37°F. August is the warmest month with 77°F average, 8 daily sunshine hours and least rain.

9. Strasbourg

IM Score: 14
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $285
Meal Cost: $53.59

If you want to retire in France but be able to go to Germany whenever you want, why not pick Strasbourg that ranks 9th in our list of best places to retire in France. Of course, you will be better off avoiding the metropolitan area and settling for quieter neighborhoods where the apartments cost $100 per square feet less. Unfortunately, the weather isn’t the best since there is an average of 14 rainy days per month and temperatures can drop to 30°F in January.

8. Aix-en-Provence

IM Score: 16
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $390
Meal Cost: $47.90

If you want to go smaller, Aix-en-Provence, may be the answer. The city is packed with things to do and see while allowing you to find the peace you need. There are plenty of museums and historic sites but also beautiful nature landscapes you can visit and enjoy. Aix-en-Provence may be pricier than some other entries on our list of best places to retire in France, but it is well worth it. The weather is pleasant and you will be able to enjoy in plenty of daily sunshine hours.

7. Toulouse

IM Score: 16
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $273
Meal Cost: $53.59

If you are not ready to spend your retirement days calmly, then Toulouse, the number 7 in our list of best places to retire in France may be a good choice. Magazine L’Express ranked Toulouse as the country’s most dynamic city. We recommend settling outside the city’s center, where the average costs of apartments are around $230 per square feet. The things you may not like are less daily sunshine hours and considerable rainfall.

6. Antibes

IM Score: 19
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $333
Meal Cost: $53.59

This is where it becomes good. If you have your eyes set on the Côte d’Azur, Antibes that ranks 6th in our list of best places to retire in France is there to give you a nice retirement option. Beautiful beaches, astonishing nature, museums, festivals, you name it, Antibes has it. This luxury has its price of course, with Antibes being among the expensive cities on our list. Even apartments outside center cost up to $300 per square feet. However, the weather is just awesome. The city has the average temperatures closest to optimal, lots of daily sunshine hours and least rainy days per month on average.

5. La Rochelle

IM Score: 19
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $363
Meal Cost: $42.58

While the accommodation isn’t the cheapest, you will be able to wine and dine in La Rochelle for an affordable price. Besides having a rich culture and interesting architecture, the city is often suggested as an ideal base for exploring other parts of France. While the temperatures can be often low, there are plenty of daily sunshine hours and a small amount of rainfall.

4. Bordeaux

IM Score: 21
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $306
Meal Cost: $42.58

If you want to retire to France so you can enjoy in all those amazing wines, look no further than Bordeaux that’s up next in our list of best places to retire in France, and the city’s surrounding area. Bordeaux is known as the world’s wine capital and place where the biggest wine festival, Vinexpo, is held. When you are not enjoying wine and cheese, there will be plenty of things to do in the city. It is considered the “city of art and history”, with breathtaking architecture, numerous museums and other significant points of interest. In case you wonder, yes, there is even a museum dedicated to wine. The thing that might throw you off is the poor and cold weather with up to 18 rainy days in April and temperatures dropping to 37°F in January and December.

3. Pau

IM Score: 23
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $208
Meal Cost: $42.87

Being located less than an hour of driving from the Pyrenees, Pau is ideal for those who like mountain climbing and winter sports. You will be also able to enjoy in beautiful landscapes and top French cuisine. The city is considered a perfect fit for people that don’t want to break the bank since the average apartment costs are the lowest considering all other entries on our list of best places to retire in France. As you know, there is always “but..”. Pau’s is the weather, which is rainy and cold with a low number of daily sunshine hours on average.

2. Avignon

IM Score: 25
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $271
Meal Cost: $48.23

While other potential destinations have highs and lows, Avignon is somewhere in the middle. The city may not be located on the beach, or have Eiffel tower, but you can still spend your retirement days in pleasant fashion. There are plenty of things to explore, and the wine is great. The Côte d’Azur is fairly near, while the prices are cheap. All of this coupled with comfortable weather makes Avignon one of our favorites.

1. Montpellier

IM Score: 25
Average Cost of Apartment per Square Feet: $307
Meal Cost: $45.55

Topping our list of best places to retire in France, Montpellier is considered the fastest growing city in France in the last 20 years, so you know there is something good happening here. Besides being located on the Côte d’Azur, which is always a plus, you can find lots of interesting things to do and see in and around Montpellier. Also, the city is highly recommended as a base for people who would like to explore other parts of Côte d’Azur. Being able to eat in Michelin starred restaurants and soak in the beautiful architecture is just a plus. As expected, the city has pleasant temperatures through the year, with most daily sunshine hours than any other entry on the list.