News on property investment in the south of France:

June 2008

If you’re planning a property purchase or wondering whether to move to Languedoc-Roussillon, you need to know about a report just published that lists the very best places to live in France.

We’re pleased to report that the Hérault area of the south of France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region has just been voted the number one “département heureux” – the happiest département, and a “paradise for young people”, by French news magazine l’Express.

Every year, l’Express updates its survey on the 96 French departments, including Corsica, based on 40 criteria designed to measure quality of life. There is one, overall winner - in 2008, it’s the Haute-Garonne département of the Midi-Pyrénées region, repeating its success of 2006 – and Hérault came a very respectable 6th in the general ranking.

The Express survey has fourteen categories which rate each département (out of 96) for its performance. The categories cover: families, students and young people, senior citizens, further education, inhabitants’ health, property prices, crime rate, culture, economic growth, internet provision, business and commerce, economic strength, quality of environment, weather, social welfare, medical provision, and finally (and how very French), la réussite au bac (Baccalauréat exam pass rates).

The property category is particularly interesting, as it ranks departments on the cost of bricks and mortar – so the winner of this category, with cheapest housing, is Indre (Centre region). Hérault is very popular, so its house prices are comparatively high, putting it in 76th place; Lozère is cheaper, in 24th place, and Aude gets a 27th ranking; Pyrénées-Orientales and Gard come in at 59th and 60th place respectively.

The sun-drenched department of Hérault, also known as “le 34” – its official, alphabetical index listing gives it this number – has been in the top ten charts of the Express survey in previous years, but in 2008 it comes up trumps on several counts, along with its four neighbours – Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales, Lozère and Gard – which make up Languedoc-Roussillon.

For those thinking of buying a property or making the Languedoc their home, the report is essential reading. To save you ploughing your way through all the findings, we’ve pulled out the Languedoc départements best scores in the table below.

LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON DEPARTEMENTS – HOW DID WE DO?