Original Research · July 2026
French Riviera Real Estate Data 2026
An original report on prices, yields, short-term rental occupancy, foreign buyer nationality mix and taxation across the French Riviera — from Nice and Villefranche to Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu and Monaco. Compiled from Velmira Living’s portfolio of 60+ managed properties, Notaires de France transaction data and the Mairie de Nice short-term rental register.
+3.6%
Median Nice price growth YoY
Notaires de France, Q1 2026
4.9%
Avg. gross rental yield Nice
Velmira portfolio, weighted
38%
Share of foreign buyers
Alpes-Maritimes, 2025
12,400
Registered STR units (Nice)
Mairie de Nice, 2025
€520K
Median transaction (Nice apt.)
1-bed, 45m², Q1 2026
68
Avg. days-on-market
Riviera-wide, prime segments
Executive summary
The French Riviera market is neither collapsing nor overheating in 2026. Prices in Nice grew a disciplined +3.6% year-on-year — outperforming Paris (+1.1%) but well below the 2019–2022 boom. Ultra-prime segments (Cap Ferrat, Mont Boron) continue to outpace the general market.
American buyers are the fastest-rising cohort. The US now represents 22% of the foreign-buyer pool in the Alpes-Maritimes — up from 14% in 2023, driven by direct JFK↔NCE flights, the strong dollar and English-speaking healthcare access.
Short-term rentals remain profitable — but only for compliant operators. The Mairie de Nice’s 2025 enforcement wave removed an estimated 18% of unregistered listings. Registered LMNP operators saw occupancy hold above 78% at ADRs of €215–245 in prime Nice.
Prices by neighborhood
Median €/m² and yields, Q1 2026
Median transacted price per square metre and typical gross rental yield for a professionally managed short-term rental. Monaco is included as a reference ultra-prime benchmark.
| Area | Median €/m² | YoY | Typical stock | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nice — Old Town & Port | €6,800 | +3.4% | Compact 1-2 bed | 5.2% |
| Nice — Carré d'Or & Musiciens | €7,900 | +2.1% | Haussmann 2-3 bed | 4.4% |
| Nice — Mont Boron | €9,600 | +4.7% | Villas & sea view | 3.9% |
| Villefranche-sur-Mer | €10,400 | +5.2% | Waterfront villas | 3.6% |
| Cap Ferrat | €22,500 | +6.8% | Estate class | 2.9% |
| Beaulieu-sur-Mer | €11,200 | +4.1% | Belle Époque | 3.7% |
| Menton | €5,900 | +3.2% | Mid-market apts | 5.6% |
| Monaco (reference) | €54,000 | +2.4% | Ultra-prime | 1.8% |
Sources: Notaires de France (Q1 2026 index), Velmira Living portfolio (weighted, 60+ managed units).
Short-term rental performance
Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, 2026
Trailing 12-month averages from the Velmira Living managed portfolio — professionally operated, mairie-registered, LMNP-declared units. “Y-round” indicates a substantially stable occupancy curve outside of peak-summer.
| Area | Occupancy | ADR | RevPAR | Season profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nice — Carré d'Or | 82% | €245 | €201 | Y-round |
| Nice — Old Town | 88% | €215 | €189 | Y-round |
| Nice — Cimiez | 71% | €180 | €128 | Y-round |
| Villefranche-sur-Mer | 76% | €310 | €236 | Apr–Oct heavy |
| Cap Ferrat | 62% | €820 | €508 | May–Sep heavy |
| Beaulieu-sur-Mer | 68% | €290 | €197 | Apr–Oct heavy |
Foreign buyer nationality mix
Who’s buying on the Riviera in 2026
Share of foreign-national buyers in Alpes-Maritimes, 2025 full-year (most recent complete data). Foreign buyers accounted for 38% of total transactions in the département — the highest share of any French coastal region.
- United States22%
- United Kingdom18%
- Turkey12%
- Belgium9%
- Germany8%
- Switzerland7%
- Italy6%
- France (outside 06)18%
United States
22%Rising fastest — direct JFK ↔ Nice flights + €/$ parity
United Kingdom
18%Steady since post-Brexit correction
Turkey
12%New — driven by lira volatility & residency planning
Belgium
9%Historical retirement corridor
Germany
8%Second-home buyers, Beaulieu / Menton
Switzerland
7%Cross-border optimisation & Monaco spillover
Italy
6%Cross-Alps second-home purchases
France (outside 06)
18%Paris & Lyon second-home buyers
Taxation snapshot
What foreign buyers should budget for
| Item | Typical range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Notaire fees (existing property) | 7.0% – 8.0% | Paid once at purchase |
| Notaire fees (new-build) | 2.0% – 3.0% | Reduced-rate — VAT paid on the property |
| Taxe foncière (annual) | 0.6% – 1.2% | Local land tax, varies by commune |
| Taxe d'habitation (secondary home) | 1.0% – 3.0% | Nice applies a 60% surcharge for 2nd homes |
| LMNP rental income tax | Effective ~10-15% | Micro-BIC 50% abatement or real-régime after depreciation |
| Wealth tax (IFI) threshold | €1.3M net real-estate | Progressive 0.5% → 1.5% |
| Capital gains (non-resident sale) | 19% + 17.2% | Prélèvements sociaux; tapered after 5 years |
Not tax advice — figures reflect typical ranges observed in 2026 transactions. Always consult a French notaire and fiscaliste before purchase.
Key findings
Five things to know before buying
01. Nice is the rational Riviera entry point.
Median €6,800/m² buys a professionally rentable Old Town or Musiciens 1-bed with a realistic 5%+ gross yield — a combination no other coastal European capital offers in 2026.
02. The €520K median hides a big premium curve.
Mont Boron and Villefranche trade at a 40–55% premium to the Nice median; Cap Ferrat trades 3.3× the median. Choose neighborhood first, m² second.
03. American demand is structural, not cyclical.
The +22% US share is driven by post-COVID lifestyle relocations and direct JFK-NCE flights (JetBlue, Delta) — not a short-term FX play. Expect sustained pressure on Nice prime through 2028.
04. Short-term rental yield is a compliance business.
Only mairie-registered, LMNP-declared, professionally managed units are hitting 5%+ net. Unregistered listings are being removed at scale — factor a boutique operator into the underwrite.
05. Tax friction is manageable — timing matters.
Notaire fees (7–8%) and secondary-home surcharges (60% in Nice) are the two costs foreign buyers most often underestimate. LMNP structuring can offset 60–90% of rental tax.
Methodology & sources
Price data is drawn from the Notaires de France Q1 2026 index for the Alpes-Maritimes département, cross-checked against completed transactions in Velmira Living’s advisory pipeline. Yields are computed from actual gross rental revenue on our managed portfolio of 60+ units, divided by observed acquisition prices.
Short-term rental data (occupancy, ADR, RevPAR) is drawn exclusively from the Velmira Living managed portfolio — professionally operated, mairie-registered, LMNP-declared units. Third-party AirDNA / STR aggregator estimates are typically 15–25% below observed portfolio performance for compliant operators, and are not used here.
Foreign-buyer nationality mix reflects a proprietary sampling of notaire-confirmed transactions in Alpes-Maritimes for calendar year 2025, weighted to reflect the département’s 38% foreign-buyer share.
License: This report is published under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license. Journalists, researchers and analysts are welcome to quote, chart or excerpt any figure with attribution to Velmira Living and a link back to this page.
Cite this report
Velmira Living (2026). French Riviera Real Estate Data 2026: Prices, Yields, Foreign Buyers and Short-Term Rentals in Nice, Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and Monaco. Retrieved from https://velmiraliving.com/riviera-real-estate-data-2026
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