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.
EUR
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
17
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.CalculateSavings goal plannerSet your down-payment target and a deadline. We back-solve the monthly savings rate you need.PlanCompound interestSee how your down-payment savings grow over time. Visualize the difference one extra year makes.ProjectBuying 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.