For rent Featured
5Cap Ferrat
Summer Villa — Cap Ferrat€150,000 per week
78900 m²
Private beachInfinity poolStaff
By Élodie Laurent
Listed 40 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.
Indicative prime price€25,000 per m²
Indicative prime benchmark — not a valuation.
Cannes' prime map runs from the Croisette's grand apartment houses up through La Californie's walled estates to the gated heights of Super Cannes, with the Vieux Port and the old town of Le Suquet anchoring the western end. The Palais des Festivals powers a calendar economy — the Film Festival, MIPIM, Cannes Lions — that hands owners a rental season few Riviera markets can match. Nice airport sits roughly thirty-five minutes up the A8, and the Îles de Lérins are a short tender ride off the beach clubs.
See how Cannes ranks in the Riviera Prime IndexNearby on the Riviera
For sale Featured
5Cap Ferrat
Belle Époque Villa€120,000,000
8101,200 m²
Private beachInfinity poolStaff quarters
By Élodie Laurent
Listed 40 days ago
For sale
12Les Pissarelles
Sublime 3-room apartment - Panoramic sea view - Residence with swimming poolPrice on request
298 m²
Sea viewPoolParking
Listed 14 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.