What does it cost to buy property in France in 2026?
Quick answer: On top of the price, budget roughly 7% in notaire fees on a resale. Other one-off costs are currency transfer and any mortgage fees. After that come annual taxe foncière and second-home taxe d’habitation, then capital gains tax when you sell. On a €1.5M Riviera villa, the one-off costs alone come to about €105,000.
The asking price tells you part of the story. A French purchase has three layers of cost: what you pay to buy (one-off), what you pay to own (annual) and what you pay to sell (on exit). This guide adds up all three for an international buyer on the Riviera. Each figure comes from one of our detailed guides, which cite primary sources.
General guidance, not advice
This is an overview for foreign buyers, not tax or financial advice. The figures are indicative and depend on the property, the commune and your own situation. Confirm them with your notaire and advisers. Verified 29 June 2026.
One-off costs: what you pay to buy
Notaire fees are the largest one-off cost, at about 7% of the price on a resale in the Alpes-Maritimes, which kept a 4.50% transfer-tax rate (7–8% in departments at 5.00%). Add the cost of transferring currency (often 1–3% if handled badly) and any mortgage arrangement and broker fees.
| One-off cost | Typical amount (€1.5M resale) |
|---|---|
| Notaire fees (resale) | ~€105,000 (~7%) |
| Currency transfer (vs a poor rate) | save 1–3% with a specialist |
| Mortgage arrangement + broker | ~1% of loan (if borrowing) |
| Survey / legal extras (optional) | €1,000–3,000 |
On a new-build (VEFA), notaire fees drop to roughly 2–3%. Valbonne, Mougins, Biot, Grasse and the hinterland villages are all in the Alpes-Maritimes, where the departmental transfer tax stayed at 4.50% in 2026. Most departments adopted 5.00%. Total fees here therefore stay close to 7% rather than going higher.
Annual costs: what you pay to own
Every year you owe taxe foncière (all owners) and, on a second home, the taxe d’habitation, often with a zone-tendue surcharge of up to 60%. Add co-ownership charges, insurance and utilities. If you hold more than €1.3M of French property, the IFI wealth tax applies as well.
Holding costs are modest next to the value of the asset, but you will feel them. Our taxe foncière & d’habitation guide covers the two local property taxes. Both use the property’s cadastral rental value, and the commune sets the rates. If your net French real estate exceeds €1.3M, the IFI wealth tax applies at 0.5–1.5%. Budget too for maintenance, the pool and garden, and insurance on a high-value home.
Exit costs: what you pay to sell
When you sell a second home, you pay capital gains tax: about 36.2% for non-EU sellers and ~26.5% for UK/EU sellers, tapering to zero over 22–30 years of ownership. Non-EU sellers above €150,000 also pay for a fiscal representative, and agency commission applies if you sell through an agent.
France taxes the gain, not the sale price, and long ownership reduces it to nothing. Our capital gains guide sets out the rates, the UK/EU position, the taper and the fiscal-representative rule in full. Your French principal residence is exempt. If you build the exit cost into your numbers at purchase, you get a truer picture of net returns, above all on a shorter hold. If a sale comes sooner than planned, our guide to what selling involves covers pricing, the mandate and the timeline.
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