The average cost of constructing a new property in France in 2010 was €1,035m², slightly down on that for 2009 (€1,048m²)

The figures come from the statistical service of the French government, who produce an annual report on new build construction costs.

There were some regional differences, reflecting the cost of building labour and materials in each region, as well as differences in the type of construction.

The cheapest region in which to build was Centre, where the average cost was €935m².

Other regions where costs were below €1,000m² were Aquitaine (€988m²), Champagne Ardenne (€972m²), Picardy (€970m²), Languedoc-Roussillon €940m², and Upper Normandy €967m².

The region where costs were highest was Corsica (€1,265m²), followed Alsace (€1,178m²) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (€1,148m²).

The study says nothing about the specification or standards used, or the quality of the final build, so the comparisons do not necessarily reflect the cost of materials and labour in each region, but the choices made by the client.

The average size of the homes was 132m², a figure that was broadly uniform across the country, excepting Alsace (159m²) and Lorraine (149m²).

In addition to the cost of construction, the average building land price was €58m², giving an average price of a building plot of €64K, for a plot of 1102m².

This gave a total average investment cost (land and construction) of €194K.

Unlike construction costs, there were significant regional variations in building land prices. You can read more at Building Land Prices in France 2010.