Top 10 most popular cities for French people in 2020

Paris, still at the top of the national ranking (apartments and houses combined)

The City of Light comes at the top of the ranking with 34523 transactions (apartments and houses) in 2020, including 177 houses and 34346 apartments purchased.

The 18th arrondissement in Paris is the one where there were the most purchases with 3731 transactions. Paris 15 comes in second with 3265 transactions, then Paris 17 with 2954 purchases of apartments and houses combined. The 16th arrondissement of Paris comes in fourth with 2875 transactions (37 houses and 2838 apartments).

Then comes Marseille in second position in the national ranking. The Phocaean city has 10737 transactions (9427 apartments and 1310 houses). The most popular Marseille district is the 13th with 1122 apartments and houses purchased.

For the rest of the ranking, Nice is the third most popular city with 9276 transactions, Nantes (6176), Bordeaux (6047), Lille (5849), Lyon (5580), Saint-Étienne (4008), Rennes (3935) and in tenth place, Le Havre (3867).

Bordeaux, the most cherished city for buying a house

If we focus on buying houses only, the national ranking evolves by putting the medium-sized cities in the spotlight.

Bordeaux is in first place with 1376 houses purchased in 2020. Marseille retains its second place with 1310 transactions (houses only). Le Mans closes the podium with 1285 houses sold.

Nantes then comes in fourth position with 1259 transactions, Lille (1173), Tourcoing (1078), Amiens (953), Les Sables d'Olonnes (929), Le Havre (923) and last in the Top 10 “houses” is placed Nîmes with 899 houses purchased.

Paris, Marseille and Nice, popular cities for buying an apartment

Similar to the ranking bringing together the purchase of houses and apartments, Paris (34346), Marseille (9427) and Nice (8819) are on the podium of the cities with the most apartment purchases in 2020.

In fourth position is Lyon, with 5410 apartments acquired, followed by Nantes (4917), Lille (4676), Bordeaux (4671), Saint-Étienne (3686), Rennes (3688) and Toulouse (3182).

“If it is logical that the capital is at the top of this ranking, we notice that it is the most populous districts that generate the most sales and here again we are in a logic. But what is important to note is that the future should be still positive in 2021. To date and in our Capifrance network, the taking of mandate in Paris is at its highest ... this augurs well for a year 2021 still rich in sales real estate in the French capital ”, declares Franck Bernard, Capifrance real estate advisor in Paris.

* data from DVF for DRIMKI, April 2021