The average price per m² in Cognac is 1 843 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 65 transactions are recorded each year.
Illustration of Cognac, on the river Charente, in the department of the Charente.
The average price of apartments in Cognac stands at 1 843 €/m², based on DVF transactions actually recorded at the notary (DVF is the French notarised sales database). This average covers a contrasted stock: town buildings and apartments of the historic centre around the castle and the church of Saint-Léger, merchant houses and bourgeois mansions inherited from the brandy trade, more recent suburban districts on the outskirts and homes along the quays of the Charente. The location, the property's condition, the floor, whether there is outdoor space and the proximity of the centre cause a home's value to vary widely. The dense old fabric around Vieux Cognac and the residential areas open onto the Grande Champagne vineyard do not sell at the same level.
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 Cognac market remains steady for a town of this size, with around sixty-five apartment sales recorded each year in the DVF data. This activity stems from the municipality's role as a hub of employment and services for the western Charente, which keeps up continuous main-residence demand. Supply concentrates on the old stock of the centre and on resales of suburban homes on the outskirts, without large-scale new schemes.
Several factors support the local market. The brandy trade, a long-standing economic engine, keeps up employment and the town's fame, while the heritage setting of Vieux Cognac, the quays of the Charente and the proximity of the vineyard sustain steady residential demand. Conversely, the distance from the large metropolitan areas and a market geared towards use rather than holidaymaking explain measured price levels, appreciably below those of the nearby Charente coast.
Cognac sits at a level close to Angoulême, the prefecture, some forty kilometres upstream. The municipality remains below Saintes, its Charente-Maritime neighbour, and well behind coastal resorts such as Royan, where prices reach far higher levels.
Cognac is an old town, born of the river. From the Middle Ages, the trade in salt and then in wine on the Charente turned the stronghold into a merchant centre. The town is best known as the birthplace of Francis I, future King of France, born at the Valois castle in 1494. This building, also called the castle of Cognac, has overlooked the river since the 10th century and keeps a Renaissance facade adorned with the salamander, emblem of the sovereign.
The turning point came in the 17th century with the arrival of distillation, introduced by Dutch merchants who came in search of wines and brandies. The product took the town's name. The great trading houses settled the following century along the quays of the Charente: Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin, Otard and Camus established their cellars there. The Otard house, founded in 1795, set up its own in the François I castle, which it bought and turned into a place for ageing brandy.
The vineyard remains the foundation of the local identity. The controlled designation of origin Cognac, whose classification into crus dates from 1938, covers the Charente and the Charente-Maritime and is divided into six terroirs. The most central, the Grande Champagne, extends between the Charente and its tributary the Né, on chalky soils renowned for the finesse of their brandies. A sub-prefecture of the Charente, Cognac today lives to the rhythm of trade, of tourism tied to brandy and of its built heritage.
Cognac has 18 532 residents, which makes it the second-largest municipality in the Charente after Angoulême, the prefecture. A sub-prefecture, it plays the role of a hub of employment, commerce and services for a catchment area that extends well beyond the municipality, driven by the brandy trade and its associated industries such as cooperage, glassmaking and logistics. The property market appeals first to a year-round population: working people of the Cognac area, families, first-time buyers and long-standing owners. Demand is spread between the historic centre, the residential districts of the outskirts and the surrounding vineyard municipalities. Town houses and centre apartments sit alongside a more recent suburban stock.
The average price of apartments in Cognac is 1 843 €/m², based on DVF transactions actually recorded at the notary. This average covers wide gaps depending on the district, the floor, the property's condition, whether there is outdoor space and the proximity of the historic centre. A renovated apartment in Vieux Cognac and an older home on the outskirts do not sell at the same level.
Value depends first on location. The historic centre around the castle and the quays, with its merchant houses and old buildings, stands apart from the suburban districts of the outskirts and the homes open onto the vineyard. The property's condition, the presence of a garden or a courtyard and energy performance also weigh heavily on a home's price.
Cognac has a station on the line linking Angoulême to Saintes and Royan, with regional trains serving the prefecture in about thirty minutes. By car, the municipality is linked to Angoulême and the A10 by the RN141, the route between Limoges and Saintes. The Angoulême-Cognac airport is nearby, and Bordeaux can be reached in a little over an hour.
No. Unlike the coastal municipalities of Charente-Maritime, Cognac is above all a town of main residences, driven by local employment and the Cognac catchment area. The market appeals mainly to year-round households, first-time buyers and families. The tourist appeal tied to brandy supports occasional demand, but does not structure the market as in a seaside resort.
The benchmark price of 1 843 €/m² applies to apartments, found mainly in the centre and the old buildings. Houses, from the town houses of the historic centre to the outskirts' suburban homes, form an important share of the stock and sell according to their floor area, their land and their location. The choice depends on the plan: proximity to shops and quays, or the search for outdoor space in a residential area.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).