A new study shows average property prices for the main ski stations across France, which range from around €1,000/m² up to €17,000/m².

From the Pyrénées to the Alps, to the Massif Central and Jura or Vosges, France is blessed with several mountain ranges with skiing potential.

Not surprisingly, most international buyers head for the Northern Alps (Haute-Savoie), where there is a better guarantee of good powder and the best ski-ing stations are located. Inevitably they come with a price tag that matches the facilities they offer.

Topping the pile as the most expensive station is Val-d'Isère, where the average price for a chalet is €17K/m², whilst for an apartment they average over €11K/m², which is dearer than most property in the capital city Paris.

You would also need to pay double-digit figures per/m² for a chalet in Courchevel, Megève, Méribel, Avoriaz and Bessans Val d'Arc.

Last year, property prices in the Haute-Savoie rose by nearly 6%, buoyed by strong interest from wealthy Parisiens and (mainly British) international buyers.

Nevertheless, prices do not reach stratospheric heights in all stations in the Northern Alps, with prices in Gresse-en-Vercors averaging €1,600/m², and such variation in prices explains why, across the whole of the range, prices average €4,695/m².

We published a broad review of trends in the property market in Haute-Savoie in our 2018 article Property Prices in Haute-Savoie.

In the Southern Alps, the resort of Auron is at the top of the podium, with chalet prices averaging €6,171/m², whilst for apartments they average €3,979/m².

Overall, in the Southern Alps prices average €2,549/m², a fall of -2.5% in a year. The lower prices can be explained by the lack of accessibility of the resorts and their smaller average size than those in the Northern Alps. Properties here are mainly sought after by the inhabitants of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

The prices in Southern Alps are roughly similar to those in Jura, which average €2,484/m², both almost half those in the Northern Alps.

The Pyrénées is the cheapest of the six French massifs, where prices average €1,940/m², up by +1.7% on average last year. The most expensive resort is Cauterets with a price of €2,268/m² although you can pick up a chalet in La Mongie for around €1,423/m². The resorts here are favoured by French residents living in and around Toulouse and Bordeaux. International buyers are fewer in number, with the exception of Spanish skiers

If you are heading towards the Vosges in North Eastern France, the resort of Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle is the cheapest in France, with prices averageing €1,189/m².

In this massif, the property market is more local, as is the case in the Massif Central where prices average €2,083/m²

All ranges taken together, the proximity of the ski lifts has a noticeable effect on prices, the study reveals: properties within a few minutes of the lifts increase in price by 12.5% compared to properties located between 15 and 20 minutes' walk.

As we pointed out in our article Uncertain Future for Ski Stations in Pyrénées, if you are buying in smaller, low-lying stations in France you need to know what you are doing. A significant number of stations are in a precarious financial state, and there have been a number of closures.

More generally, investors need to be cautious about investing in off-plan investment schemes a large number of which are located in ski resorts, as many have failed to live up to the promises made and have been the subject of substantial controversy and litigation.

Source: Meilleur Agents

View a selection of ski properties for sale in France