Property tax in Arles in 2026: a municipal rate of 44,95 % unchanged, a campaign argument for Patrick de Carolis, but a notice that climbs through the household waste collection tax and the revaluation of the bases. Calculation, amounts by profile and simulator.
Illustration : Property tax in Arles in 2026: the frozen rate and the real rise.
In Arles, tax stability has become a political argument. In the run-up to the municipal elections of March 2026, the outgoing mayor Patrick de Carolis points to a term in which "the tax rate has not risen". On the municipal share of the property tax, the figures of the French public finances directorate bear him out: 44,95 %, unchanged since the start of the term. And yet the notice that Arles owners receive has indeed climbed. Understanding that gap means understanding where the real rise is hiding: on the side of the household waste collection tax and of the national revaluation of the bases. Here is what you pay in Arles, and why "stable rate" does not mean "stable notice".
The municipal rate of the property tax on built properties in Arles is 44,95 %, unchanged throughout the 2021-2025 period according to the DGFiP. The municipality adds no inter-municipal share on built property. That rate freeze is real, and the outgoing mayor Patrick de Carolis makes it an argument for his record in the run-up to the municipal elections of March 2026.
The property tax shown on your notice adds up several lines. In Arles, the municipal share holds most of it: 44,95 %, a high but stable level. Unlike many municipalities, the Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette inter-municipal authority applies no additional rate on built property: your property tax bill therefore depends almost entirely on the city and on the national revaluation of the bases.
That rate of 44,95 % has included since 2021 the former departmental share, transferred to municipalities to compensate for the abolition of the residence tax on main homes. It has not moved since. That is a fact confirmed by the public data of the DGFiP, and the basis of the municipal message of tax stability.
"The rate has not risen" is accurate for the municipal share of the property tax. But a tax notice is not limited to that rate: it also includes the household waste collection tax and a base revalued every year. That is where the rise actually felt is decided (see section 5).
The property tax is the product of a locally voted rate and a base, the cadastral rental value, set by the state and then revalued every year. In Arles, the municipal rate (44,95 %) does not move: it is the revaluation of the base and the household waste collection tax that make your notice vary.
The calculation starts from the cadastral rental value of your property, meant to represent a theoretical annual rent. A flat-rate allowance of 50 % is applied to it to obtain the tax base, and that base is then multiplied by the rate voted by the municipality.
On your Arles notice, two main lines stand out: the property tax itself (municipal share at 44,95 %) and the household waste collection tax (18,67 % in 2025), calculated on the same base. Those two lines move independently: the property tax rate can be frozen while the waste tax rises.
In Arles, the municipal share of the property tax most often falls between 500 € for a studio and 1 400 € for a house, depending on the rental value of the property. Properties in the old centre and in La Roquette carry the highest bills, with the household waste collection tax on top.
The exact amount depends on the rental value of your home, and therefore on its floor area, its address and its condition. Here are indicative orders of magnitude for the municipal share alone, for profiles representative of the districts of Arles. The prices per m² quoted come from DVF data and from the Immover single source (2026).
| Property profile | District | Indicative price per m² | 2026 property tax, municipal share (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio 25 m² | Old centre / La Roquette | 3 838 €/m² | ~ 520 € |
| 3 rooms, 65 m² | Trinquetaille | 2 738 €/m² | ~ 850 € |
| Apartment 80 m² | Town centre | 3 838 €/m² | ~ 1 150 € |
| House 100 m² | Trébon / Pont-de-Crau | 2 007 €/m² | ~ 1 400 € |
These estimates cover the municipal share, excluding the household waste collection tax (18,67 %). They should be set against an Arles market with an average price of 2 919 €/m² for an apartment and around 3 185 €/m² for a house in 2026, moderate levels for a sub-prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhône.
Enter the amount of the municipal share of your 2026 property tax (the 1st line of your notice). The simulator estimates what you were paying on 2020 bases and quantifies the part of your bill that comes from the revaluation of the cadastral bases alone, with the municipal rate unchanged.
The municipal property tax rate has not moved, but two other factors have pushed your notice up. First, the household waste collection tax went from 16,15 % to 18,67 % in 2022, or +2,5 points, and has stayed there. Second, the national revaluation of the cadastral bases, around +18 % since 2020. A frozen rate can therefore sit alongside a rising notice.
This is the point that the phrase "the rate has not risen" leaves in the shade. On your Arles notice, two mechanisms have been at work outside the municipal property tax rate.
The household waste collection tax. According to DGFiP data, the waste collection tax applied in Arles went from 16,15 % in 2021 to 18,67 % in 2022, a level kept since. That line, distinct from the property tax itself but collected on the same notice and the same base, represents a real rise for all owners, without the municipal property tax rate having been changed.
The revaluation of the bases. The cadastral rental values are revalued every year by the state: +7,1 % in 2023, +3,9 % in 2024, +1,7 % in 2025 and +0,8 % in 2026 according to INSEE, or around +18 % cumulated since 2020. That mechanical rise is added every year, independently of local decisions.
The debate on local taxation gains from separating responsibilities. Freezing the municipal property tax rate is a municipal choice, verifiable in the public data. The rise in the waste collection tax comes from a local service (waste collection) whose cost is going up. The revaluation of the bases, for its part, is national. For an owner, what counts remains the total of the notice: that is what should be looked at, line by line, rather than the headline rate alone.
Arles is the largest municipality in mainland France, with a territory running from the historic centre to the far reaches of the Camargue. That extent translates into wide gaps in value: from the old centre on the UNESCO World Heritage list, at around 3 838 €/m², to more working-class districts such as Griffeuille, at around 1 197 €/m², the ratio runs from 1 to more than 3.
With nearly 759 km², Arles is the most extensive municipality in mainland France. Its territory takes in the Roman and medieval historic centre, suburbs, villages and a large part of the Camargue. That exceptional geography explains a spread of prices rare for a town of this size.
The old centre and La Roquette, driven by the UNESCO listing and cultural tourism, pull values upwards, to around 3 500 to 3 800 €/m². Conversely, districts such as Griffeuille remain markedly more affordable, at around 1 200 €/m². Two owners in Arles can therefore carry very different rental values, and so very different property tax bills, depending on their area, even though they come under the same municipal rate.
A high level of property tax weighs at the margin on value, above all for buyers attentive to annual charges. In Arles, that effect remains secondary against the heritage appeal of the centre and the diversity of the districts. The location, the condition of the property and the standing of the area remain the first factors of value.
Three effects are worth keeping in mind.
1. A point of caution for the buyer. A purchaser compares the annual cost of holding: property tax and waste collection weigh in the equation, without being decisive against the location and the character of a property in Arles.
2. A relative weight depending on the district. In an affordable area such as Griffeuille or Trébon, the property tax bill stays moderate in absolute terms. In the old centre, where rental values are higher, it weighs more: that is where the tax line deserves to be anticipated before buying.
3. A value driven by heritage. The UNESCO listing, the cultural scene and the tourist appeal sustain demand in the centre. To place the value of your property from the actual transactions in your district, see our page on property prices per m² in Arles, or get a free estimate below.
The municipal rate of the property tax on built properties in Arles is 44,95 %, unchanged over the 2021-2025 period according to the DGFiP, the French public finances directorate. The Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette inter-municipal authority applies no additional rate on built property. Added to that municipal share, on the same notice, is the household waste collection tax, the taxe d'enlèvement des ordures ménagères, at 18,67 % in 2025. The exact rate appears on your tax notice.
No, not the municipal share. The municipal property tax rate has stayed at 44,95 % throughout the 2021-2025 period according to the DGFiP, which the outgoing mayor Patrick de Carolis has made a campaign argument for the municipal elections of March 2026. The household waste collection tax, however, went from 16,15 % to 18,67 % in 2022, and the cadastral bases are revalued every year: the notice has therefore risen, even with the property tax rate frozen.
Two effects add up outside the municipal property tax rate. First, the household waste collection tax rose from 16,15 % to 18,67 % in 2022, an increase maintained since. Second, the cadastral rental values are revalued every year at national level: +7,1 % in 2023, +3,9 % in 2024, +1,7 % in 2025 and +0,8 % in 2026 according to INSEE, or around +18 % cumulated since 2020. A frozen rate can therefore sit alongside a rising notice.
The property tax is the product of the cadastral rental value of your property, reduced by a flat-rate allowance of 50 %, multiplied by the rate voted by the municipality (44,95 %). The rental value, set by the tax authority, dates for the most part from the 1970s and is revalued every year at national level. In Arles, the municipal rate does not move: it is mainly that revaluation, plus the household waste collection tax, that makes your notice vary.
It all depends on the cadastral rental value of the property. As an order of magnitude, on the municipal share alone, expect around 520 € for a studio in the centre, around 850 € for a 3-room flat in Trinquetaille and in the order of 1 150 € for an 80 m² apartment in the town centre. Those amounts do not include the household waste collection tax, calculated on the same base at a rate of 18,67 %.
The municipal rate of 44,95 % is structurally high and has included since 2021 the former departmental share transferred to municipalities. It funds the services of a municipality with an immense territory, the largest in mainland France with nearly 759 km². But a high rate does not mechanically translate into a high bill: in an affordable district such as Griffeuille, at around 1 200 €/m², the rental value stays moderate, and so does the bill.
Only at the margin. A high holding cost can weigh on the decision of a buyer attentive to annual charges, but it is largely offset by the heritage appeal of Arles: a historic centre on the UNESCO World Heritage list, a cultural scene and tourism sustain lasting demand in the sought-after areas. The location, the character and the condition of the property remain the first determinants of the value of a home in Arles.
Property tax notices are posted online in your personal area at impots.gouv.fr and sent by post from the end of August, for payment due in mid-October (slightly later for online payment). Owners paying monthly see their instalments adjusted at the end of the year. The precise 2026 timetable is published each summer by the French public finances directorate.
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