The average price per m² in La Clusaz is 8 213 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 71 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of La Clusaz, a resort in the Aravis range, in Haute-Savoie.
The average price of apartments in La Clusaz stands at 8 213 €/m², based on the DVF transactions actually registered with notaries (DVF is the French record of notarised property sales). This level, high for a mountain municipality, comes from its nature as a large winter sports resort in the Aravis range: a wide share of dwellings are second homes, bought for skiing and holiday stays rather than for year-round living. Demand is concentrated on the apartments and chalets close to the village centre and to the lifts, which the resort reaches directly. Altitude, aspect, the view over the Aravis chain and the distance to the slopes make values vary widely. Buildable land remains limited by the steep-sided relief of the valley and by the protection of the mountain pastures.
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 La Clusaz market remains active for a municipality of this size, driven by its role as a large winter sports resort in the Aravis range. The high share of second homes sustains a turnover of sales stronger than in a classic mountain village, as properties change hands with holiday plans and family wealth decisions. New supply remains limited: the steep-sided relief of the valley, the protection of the mountain pastures and reduced land availability concentrate transactions on resales and renovations within the existing fabric.
Several factors support this price level. The ski area spread across five massifs, the proximity of Annecy and the Swiss border, the renown of the village and the Aravis setting sustain tourist and residential demand that reaches well beyond the local area alone. Conversely, the distance from the large employment areas, the altitude and dependence on the ski season, sensitive to snow conditions, cap the rise in prices and set the municipality apart from the few Savoyard resorts rated higher still.
La Clusaz sits above Le Grand-Bornand, its direct Aravis neighbour about 7 kilometres away, and remains below Megève, a Val d'Arly resort among the most highly rated in Haute-Savoie, some fifteen kilometres off. The municipality trades clearly higher than Annecy, the main town of the area, some thirty kilometres downstream.
The name La Clusaz comes from the word cluse, denoting a narrow passage between two ridges, an image of the tight site at the mouth of the valley. Old parchments mention the form Clusa Locus Dei, a place closed off by the mountain, when the municipality came under the abbots of Talloires. The village was established in 1601. For a long time, the economy rested on pastoralism: the mountain pastures at the foot of the Aravis chain fed the herds coming up from the valleys, and the ram appears on the coat of arms in memory of this livestock calling.
La Clusaz belongs to the Thônes valley, birthplace of reblochon, a cheese born in the Middle Ages from the practice of the rebloche, a second milking long hidden from the owner of the mountain pastures. The village is tiered at around 1 000 metres of altitude, at the foot of the Aravis chain whose summits exceed 2 600 metres, and is surrounded by combes: Balme, Torchère, Juments and Fernuy. The river Nom rises near the col des Aravis before running down to Thônes and joining the Fier.
The opening of the col des Aravis road in 1902 linked Annecy to the Thônes valley and started summer tourism. Skiing appeared in the municipality around 1908 and durably transformed its economy: a skating rink was laid out in 1928, a sledge lift linked the village to La Ruade in 1931, then a first ski tow was installed towards the Crêt du Merle in 1934. The resort then developed across five massifs, Beauregard, Manigod, Étale, Aiguille and Balme, while keeping the clustered housing and the farming activity of its village.
La Clusaz has 1 623 inhabitants according to the INSEE census. A mountain municipality of the Aravis, its market is dominated by second homes: the housing stock serves first for ski stays in winter, and for hiking and cycling in summer, more than for a population settled year-round. Buyers are split between mountain enthusiasts, families from the Lyon area and the Geneva conurbation, and purchasers from Annecy and its basin. Apartments and chalets close to the village centre and to the lifts concentrate most of the demand, while properties further out or with less direct access appeal to buyers looking for quiet or for larger floor areas.
The average price of apartments in La Clusaz is 8 213 €/m², based on the DVF transactions actually registered with notaries. This average covers wide gaps depending on proximity to the village centre and to the lifts, aspect, floor level, the view over the Aravis, the presence of a balcony or outdoor space, the condition of the property and its energy performance. A renovated apartment at the foot of the slopes and an older home away from the resort do not trade at the same level.
The value of a property depends first on its distance from the village centre and from the start of the lifts. Homes in the heart of the resort, within walking distance of the slopes, sit at the top of the range. Properties further out, towards the hamlets and the combes, offer a quieter setting and generally more measured prices. The view over the Aravis chain, the altitude and the aspect also change the value from one address to another.
La Clusaz lies in the Aravis range, with no direct rail service. By car, the municipality is reached from Annecy by the Thônes valley road, then the climb up to the village. The col des Aravis, opened to traffic in 1902, links the resort to Savoie and to the Val d'Arly on the Megève side. The nearest station is Annecy, and Geneva airport is the largest airport nearby.
Yes. As in most large winter sports resorts, a wide share of the municipality's dwellings are second homes, occupied during holidays and in-season weekends. This structure feeds a steady turnover of sales and supports demand for properties close to the village and the slopes. Furnished tourist lets are subject to local rules to check with the town hall before any seasonal letting project.
The market is mostly in flats: the benchmark price of 8 213 €/m² covers apartments, which make up the bulk of resort supply. Chalets and detached houses are rarer on the market and generally trade above the level of apartments, given their floor area, their outdoor space and land limited by the relief of the valley. The choice depends mainly on intended use, ski stays or a base occupied more regularly.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).