FR France · Housing affordability

How much house can I afford in France?

A household in France with net income of EURa year, with EURin savings available, can afford ...

Maximum purchase price . HCSF affordability test

EUR 223k

Bound by your income (35% rule) · EUR 201k mortgage on EUR 22k down

The two rules

France has two rules. Both must be met.

Every French bank is bound by the HCSF regulation since 2022. The 35% cap is the hard one — but without enough savings, the notary fees alone can block you.

35%

Maximum debt-to-income

Total monthly debt service — mortgage repayment plus mandatory borrower insurance — cannot exceed 35% of net household income. This is a hard cap, not a guideline.

debt <= income x 0.35

10%

Expected down payment

Banks expect at least 10% of the purchase price as apport personnel to cover frais de notaire (~8% for existing properties) and guarantee fees. Not legally required, but practically mandatory.

apport >= 0.10 x price

Have a place in mind?

Drop in a price and see where it fails.

Each test is independent: you need to clear both. The 35% income rule limits your monthly payment; the down payment rule ensures you have cash for notary fees and bank guarantees.

Target purchase price

EUR

EUR 100kEUR 5M

1 of 2 tests fail.

✕35% income ruleshort EUR 15k

You have EUR 45k/yrNeed EUR 60k/yr

✓10% down paymentpass

You have EUR 40kNeed EUR 30k

The lever you can actually pull

Two ceilings. Whichever is lower wins.

With your savings fixed, the price you can afford scales linearly with income — until the down payment rule starts to bind. Above the kink, more salary will not buy you a bigger place; more savings will.

What you can affordIncome limit (5.6× gross)Total down (5× cash + pension)

Your monthly budget

What you would actually pay each month.

France uses the actual rate — no stress test. Your monthly payment at 3.5% over 25 years is what you qualify on and what you pay. The insurance adds about 0.3% on top.

Monthly headroom

The stress test charges you 1.0× what you will actually pay. That spread is what you have, in theory, to absorb a rate cycle, or invest, if you would rather.

Where this lands you

Median 3-room apartment, by city.

Your purchase-price ceiling (drawn in cyan) cuts across the price of a typical 3-room apartment (~65m2) in France's largest cities. Cities above the line are out of reach without more income or more savings.

Paris

EUR 630k

Nice

EUR 343k

Bordeaux

EUR 302k

Aix-en-Provence

EUR 340k

Lyon

EUR 293k

Strasbourg

EUR 254k

Lille

EUR 220k

Nantes

EUR 215k

Toulouse

EUR 214k

Marseille

EUR 230k

Within reachOut of reachYour ceiling · EUR 223k

Before you sign

This is probably the largest financial commitment of your life.

A home purchase is not just the price tag. There are significant costs on top that are not included in the affordability test above.

~8%

Frais de notaire (ancien)

For existing properties, notary fees run 7-8% of the purchase price. This covers registration taxes (droits de mutation), notary fees, and various administrative costs. Paid in cash at signing.

1-3%

Taxe fonciere + charges

Annual property tax (taxe fonciere) varies by commune but averages 1-2% of a reference value. Co-ownership charges (charges de copropriete) add another 1-3% for apartments.

Renting might still win

In Paris and other expensive cities, the rent-vs-buy math often favors renting and investing the difference, especially for stays under 8-10 years. Ownership locks your capital and has high transaction costs.

None of this means you should not buy. It means you should go in with open eyes. The affordability test tells you what you can do. Whether you should depends on how long you plan to stay, your alternative investments, and the local market dynamics.

For scale

What else costs about EUR 223k?

Maxing out a PEA (Plan d'Epargne en Actions) at the EUR 150,000 ceiling · EUR 150k1.49×
A two-bedroom apartment in Toulouse · EUR 180k1.24×
A 10-metre sailboat moored in La Rochelle with 10 years of berth fees · EUR 220k1.02×
A studio apartment in Paris (20m2, 11th arrondissement) · EUR 250k0.89×
EUR 800/month invested at 6% real for 20 years (final portfolio value) · EUR 380k0.59×
A three-bedroom apartment in Lyon's Presqu'ile · EUR 420k0.53×
A Haussmannian apartment in Nice (80m2, sea view) · EUR 520k0.43×
A stone farmhouse in Provence with 2 hectares of land · EUR 680k0.33×
A large family apartment in Paris 16th (100m2) · EUR 1.10M0.20×

See the full income x down payment matrix

income (down) / savings (right)

EUR 30k

EUR 60k

EUR 100k

EUR 200k

30 000/yr

EUR 149k

income-bound

EUR 149k

income-bound

EUR 149k

income-bound

EUR 149k

income-bound

50 000/yr

EUR 248k

income-bound

EUR 248k

income-bound

EUR 248k

income-bound

EUR 248k

income-bound

80 000/yr

EUR 300k

savings-bound

EUR 397k

income-bound

EUR 397k

income-bound

EUR 397k

income-bound

120 000/yr

EUR 300k

savings-bound

EUR 596k

income-bound

EUR 596k

income-bound

EUR 596k

income-bound

180 000/yr

EUR 300k

savings-bound

EUR 600k

savings-bound

EUR 894k

income-bound

EUR 894k

income-bound

Net income used. Insurance at 0.3% included.

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Next steps

Tools and guides to get you there.

Mortgage calculatorBuild an amortization schedule with extra payments. See total interest and how fast you pay it off.Calculate Savings goal plannerSet your down-payment target and a deadline. We back-solve the monthly savings rate you need.Plan Compound interestSee how your down-payment savings grow over time. Visualize the difference one extra year makes.Project Buying your first homeA step-by-step guide covering down payments, mortgage options, and the true cost of homeownership.Read

Frequently asked

The Haut Conseil de Stabilite Financiere (HCSF) mandates that total debt service — including loan repayment and mandatory borrower insurance — cannot exceed 35% of your net household income. This is a hard cap enforced on all French banks since January 2022.

Unlike Switzerland (5% imputed rate) or the UK (stress test at +3%), France considers the 35% cap itself to be sufficient protection. The reasoning: by capping debt service at 35% of net income at the actual rate, there is enough margin for moderate rate increases on variable-rate portions. The 25-year maximum term further limits risk exposure.

Frais de notaire are the mandatory transaction costs paid to the notary at purchase. For existing properties (ancien), they run about 7-8% of the purchase price. For new-build properties (neuf), they are much lower at 2-3%. These costs are not financeable — they must come from your savings on top of any down payment the bank requires.

Technically not legally required, but no French bank will grant a mortgage without it. Crucially, the insurance premium counts toward the 35% debt-to-income cap. Typical cost: 0.20-0.40% of the borrowed amount per year, depending on age and health. Since the Lemoine law (2022), you can switch insurers at any time without fees.

In theory, yes — unlike Switzerland, there is no legal minimum down payment in France. In practice, banks expect at least 10% to cover frais de notaire (~8% for ancien) and guarantee fees. Some banks will finance 110% (price + notary fees) for high-income borrowers with stable employment, but this has become rare since the HCSF tightened rules in 2022. The Pret a Taux Zero (PTZ) can also help first-time buyers reduce their cash outlay.

France is significantly more accessible. The 35% rule uses the actual rate (not a 5% stress test), so your borrowing capacity is much higher relative to income. Down payment expectations are lower (10% vs 20%), there is no pension/non-pension split, and property prices outside Paris are a fraction of Swiss urban prices. However, frais de notaire at 8% are a significant upfront cost that Switzerland does not have at the same level.

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