The average price per m² in Chamrousse is 3 082 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 75 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of Chamrousse, a resort in the Belledonne range, above Grenoble, in Isère.
The average price of apartments in Chamrousse stands at 3 082 €/m², based on the DVF transactions actually registered with notaries (DVF is the French record of notarised property sales). This average covers a stock made up almost entirely of resort housing: studios and small holiday units in Le Recoin, more recent apartments in Roche-Béranger, blocks built between the 1960s and the 1980s as the resort grew. Floor level, aspect, the view over the valley or the slopes, the condition of the property and above all the scale of renovation work make values vary widely. Renovated properties close to the lifts trade above older apartments left untouched.
Prices from the DVF file (Demandes de valeurs foncières, published by the DGFiP), transactions actually recorded at the notary at municipality level. Cross-referenced with the Notaires de France - INSEE indices. Learn more about our methodology.
The Chamrousse market remains active despite the small size of the municipality, with around seventy-five apartment sales recorded each year in the DVF data. This turnover comes from the nature of the stock, more than nine tenths of it second homes, which change hands more often than year-round dwellings. New supply remains limited: available land is constrained by the terrain and by the boundary of the ski area, and the market rests mainly on the resale of existing properties, often in older developments.
Several factors sustain this price level. The proximity of Grenoble, some thirty kilometres away, makes Chamrousse the most accessible ski resort for the city's residents, which supports steady second-home demand. The Olympic legacy of 1968 and the resort's twofold winter and summer use reinforce its appeal. Conversely, the condition of part of the stock, marked by older developments, weighs on values: the premium goes to renovated, well-oriented properties, while homes needing work remain more affordable.
Chamrousse sits at a level close to that of residential municipalities in the Grenoble metropolitan area such as Meylan, and above Grenoble itself. The market nevertheless remains well below the large high-altitude resorts of the Isère such as Huez, which reach an entirely different tier.
Chamrousse has existed as a municipality only since 1989, when it was detached from three neighbouring municipalities: Saint-Martin-d'Uriage, Séchilienne and Vaulnaveys-le-Haut. The first municipal council was elected in March 1989. Until then, the resort had grown on the heights of those three territories, at the southern tip of the Belledonne range, above the Grésivaudan valley and the Grenoble conurbation. Development of the mountain accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s, notably with the opening of a first cable car in 1952.
The resort gained fame with the Grenoble Winter Olympic Games, from 6 to 18 February 1968. Chamrousse, the closest to Grenoble, was chosen to host the alpine skiing events, the downhill races and the slaloms. The French team shone there: Jean-Claude Killy won his three Olympic titles (downhill, giant slalom and slalom), while Marielle Goitschel and Isabelle Mir took further medals. The Olympic cauldron, relit in 2018 for the fiftieth anniversary of the Games, recalls that episode on the place de Belledonne.
The municipality is organised today around several sectors tiered by altitude: Le Recoin, at around 1 650 metres, Roche-Béranger at about 1 750 metres, and the Arselle area near Bachat-Bouloud. The ski area extends up to the Croix de Chamrousse, at 2 250 metres, served by cable car. A resort for both winter and summer, Chamrousse lives off skiing in winter and off hiking, mountain biking and outdoor activities in summer, with a housing stock devoted almost exclusively to holiday use.
Chamrousse had 453 inhabitants at the 2023 census. According to INSEE (France's national statistics institute), the municipality counts around 3 020 dwellings, of which only 7,5 % are main residences and 92,4 % second homes: the population actually present varies sharply between peak seasons and the rest of the year. Still according to INSEE, apartments account for close to 90,5 % of the stock, a hallmark of a winter sports resort, and 56 % of main residences are owner-occupied. Buyers are overwhelmingly second-home purchasers, often from Grenoble and its region, looking for a ski base close to the city.
The average price of apartments in Chamrousse is 3 082 €/m², based on the DVF transactions actually registered with notaries. This average covers wide gaps depending on the sector, floor level, aspect, view and above all the condition of the property. An older studio in need of renovation and a recently refurbished apartment close to the slopes do not trade at the same level.
Chamrousse was built as a winter sports resort, with holiday developments and blocks tiered between Le Recoin and Roche-Béranger. According to INSEE, apartments account for about 90,5 % of the municipality's dwellings, and more than nine dwellings in ten are second homes. Detached houses are rare and available land is limited by the terrain and by the ski area.
Chamrousse lies some thirty kilometres from Grenoble, at the southern tip of the Belledonne range. Access is by road from the valley, via Uriage and the Vaulnaveys municipalities, with a winding climb up to the Le Recoin and Roche-Béranger sectors. Seasonal shuttles connect the resort to the Grenoble conurbation during busy periods.
Yes, in the vast majority of cases. According to INSEE, more than 92 % of the municipality's dwellings are second homes. The market is driven by buyers looking for a ski base, most often households from Grenoble and its region. Seasonal letting is a common use for these properties, which shapes demand for smaller units.
Both approaches coexist on the market. Renovated, well-located apartments close to the lifts sell faster and above the average. Older properties in need of refreshing, numerous in the blocks from the 1960s to the 1980s, are listed at lower levels but mean factoring in the cost of works. The renovation budget is one of the main sources of price gaps in the resort.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).