For rent Featured
5Cap Ferrat
Summer Villa — Cap Ferrat€150,000 per week
78900 m²
Private beachInfinity poolStaff
By Élodie Laurent
Listed 31 days ago
Cannes
Cannes runs its prime market on three registers: apartments fronting the Croisette, the walled villa estates of La Californie, and the gated heights of Super Cannes. Croisette prices open near €20,000 per square metre and reach €50,000 at the most exclusive addresses, while Californie villas trade between €20,000 and €25,000 — figures from Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty's Cannes office. Trophy apartments on the seafront peak around €45,000 per square metre.
No residences
Indicative prime price€25,000 per m²
Indicative prime benchmark — not a valuation.
districtContent.cannes.body
See how Cannes ranks in the Riviera Prime IndexNearby on the Riviera
For sale Featured
5Larvotto
Sea-View Apartment€12,900,000
33210 m²
Sea viewConciergeSpa access
By Sofia Marchetti
Listed 31 days ago
For sale Featured
5Cap Ferrat
Belle Époque Villa€120,000,000
8101,200 m²
Private beachInfinity poolStaff quarters
By Élodie Laurent
Listed 31 days ago
Buying here
How to buy in Cannes
This is a market of international buyers who arrive for the festivals and stay for the address; Sotheby's Cannes office reported an international clientele returning to invest through 2025. The pattern is fewer transactions with no price decline — correctly priced properties sell, the rest sit. Carlton International's 2025 review puts luxury values 3–4% ahead of 2024, against a citywide apartment average near €6,100 per square metre that underlines the prime premium.
The process
- 1
Engage a Riviera advisor
Your agent curates on- and off-market villas and represents you through to signing — the off-market layer is where Cap-Ferrat and Saint-Tropez trophies trade.
- 2
Offer & compromis de vente
On agreement you sign a compromis (preliminary contract) with a deposit (commonly 5–10%); the buyer has a 10-day cooling-off right.
- 3
Notaire & due diligence
The notaire runs title, surveys (DDT diagnostics), planning and charge checks over roughly 8–12 weeks.
- 4
Structuring & funds
Decide on direct or SCI ownership, arrange financing, and budget the annual IFI wealth tax if net French real estate exceeds €1.3M.
- 5
Acte authentique
The final deed is signed before the notaire; the balance, duties and fees settle and possession transfers.
Acquisition costs
- Notaire (older property)
- ~7–8%
- Notaire (new-build, VEFA)
- ~2–3%
- Agency commission
- ~3–5%
- IFI wealth tax (net French RE > €1.3M)
- 0.5–1.5% / yr
Indicative figures — confirm exact costs with your advisor and notaire.
Buying property in Cannes — FAQ
- Can foreigners buy property on the French Riviera?
- Yes — there are no nationality restrictions; non-residents buy freely in France. Many international buyers hold through an SCI (a French property-holding company) for succession and co-ownership flexibility.
- What does it cost to buy in Cannes?
- Budget roughly 7–8% in notaire fees on an older property (about 2–3% on a new-build VEFA), plus 3–5% agency commission. Net French real estate above €1.3M attracts the annual IFI wealth tax at 0.5–1.5%.
- How much is prime property in Cannes per m²?
- Cannes runs at an indicative €25,000/m² for prime stock in 2026 — see the Riviera Prime Index for the full ranking.