The average price per m² in Mazingarbe is 1 415 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 13 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of Mazingarbe, a municipality of the Pas-de-Calais mining basin between Lens and Béthune, marked by its UNESCO-listed mining heritage.
The average price recorded in Mazingarbe stands at 1 415 €/m². This average covers a stock dominated by houses, largely inherited from the former mining estates, alongside a more limited supply of apartments. The gaps around this average stem mainly from the type of property, its floor area, its state of renovation, the presence of a plot or garden, and its location, notably its proximity to the former workers' estates or to the chemical platform that succeeded the old coal-chemicals complex. This price level remains among the most affordable in the Lens-Liévin basin, well below that recorded in Lens or Béthune. These figures come from DVF, the French notarised sales database, which lists the sales actually signed before notaries, and provide a municipal benchmark to be refined property by property.
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 Mazingarbe market follows the dynamics of the Lens-Liévin basin, between Lens and Béthune, two employment and service centres of the Pas-de-Calais. Demand comes mainly from families and working people looking for affordable housing, attracted by prices well below those of the large cities of the region. The mining heritage of the municipality, with its renovated corons and workers' estates, shapes a supply of houses on a contained budget, complemented by a smaller share of apartments. The UNESCO recognition of the mining basin since 2012 helps enhance this built heritage in the eyes of some buyers attentive to its historic character.
Supply remains marked by the age of part of the stock, from corons and estates built between the late 19th century and the interwar period, which weighs on the energy performance of many properties and is becoming a growing negotiating criterion. Proximity to the chemical platform that succeeded the old coal-chemicals complex also influences decisions depending on the area. Buyers weigh the price level, among the most affordable in the mining basin, against the condition or precise location of the property, with renovated homes close to the centre and to the routes towards Lens and Béthune remaining the most sought after.
Between Liévin, Lens and Béthune, at the heart of the Artois mining basin, Mazingarbe sits above Liévin, but below Lens and Béthune.
Mazingarbe owes its name to the old forms Masengarba, attested in 1122, then Masengarbum in 1176 and Massengarbe in 1253, before settling as Mazingarbe from 1793. The etymology refers to land considered poor, mazen evoking meagre and garbe the sheaf, echoing soils ill-suited to crops. A villa of Mazengarba is mentioned as early as 1046, confirmed as a possession of the abbey of Marchiennes by the Count of Flanders Baudouin V. The estate and its lands remained monastic property until the Revolution. The territory was then divided between two seigneuries, that of Marchiennes, which owned a large farm in the municipality, and that of the locality of Saulchoy, which also had its own farm. Archaeological excavations have also revealed Gallo-Roman occupation at the locality of Marais de Bray, with a villa destroyed by fire in the second half of the 3rd century.
The mining boom profoundly transformed Mazingarbe from the late 19th century. Sinking of pit no. 3 began on 3 October 1874 and production started in March 1876; destroyed during the First World War, it was rebuilt in the architectural style specific to the Compagnie des mines de Béthune, with two reinforced concrete headframes, before closing in 1964 and having its shafts filled in 1968. The first corons, rows of terraced miners' houses, appeared in the same period, followed after the war by the large workers' estates such as the cité Maistre, the cité 7 or the cité 2. The church, built in 1858 in white stone in a pointed Gothic style inspired by the 12th century, completes this heritage, as does the town hall, the former Château Mercier, residence of the director of the Compagnie des mines de Béthune built in the early 20th century. This mining ensemble has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2012.
After the closure of the collieries, Mazingarbe relied on chemicals to extend its industrial vocation. The coal-chemicals complex, created in the 1920s by the Compagnie des mines de Béthune, produced ammonia from 1923; after the closure of the Mazingarbe and Drocourt coking plants in 1976, the site turned to fertiliser chemistry and PVC, an industrial activity still present today. Part of the Pas-de-Calais department, the municipality now belongs to the Communauté d'agglomération de Lens-Liévin, the local inter-municipal authority, between Lens, about seven kilometres away, and Béthune, around ten kilometres away. From a farming village on poor land, then a mining and industrial town, Mazingarbe has become an urban municipality of the Artois plain, marked by its coal and chemical past and by housing largely derived from the corons and workers' estates.
Mazingarbe has 8 217 inhabitants according to INSEE, the French statistics institute. The housing stock still strongly bears the mark of its mining history, with a majority of houses inherited from the corons and workers' estates, most of them now owned by their occupants. This profile attracts families and working people employed in the Lens-Liévin basin or in Béthune, drawn by entry prices well below those of the large neighbouring conurbations. First-time buyers find in Mazingarbe a supply of townhouses on a contained budget, while more recent or renovated properties appeal to households seeking greater comfort without leaving the mining basin.
The average price recorded in Mazingarbe stands at 1 415 €/m², based on sales registered with notaries and published in the DVF database. This figure aggregates varied properties, houses as well as apartments. The type of property, floor area, condition, plot and location, notably proximity to the former mining estates or to the chemical site, explain most of the gaps around this average. For a reliable valuation, it is better to rely on sales of comparable properties than on the municipal average alone.
Mazingarbe has its own railway halt, on the Arras to Dunkerque line, served by TER Hauts-de-France regional trains at weekends and on public holidays between Arras and Hazebrouck. The municipality is mainly connected by road, via exit 8 of the rocade minière (A21) expressway, which gives quick access to Lens, Béthune and Loos-en-Gohelle. Bus lines of the local network complement the service towards Lens and Liévin, a few kilometres away. This position, between two urban centres of the Pas-de-Calais, makes commuting easier for the municipality's residents.
Mazingarbe bears the imprint of its mining and industrial past: corons, workers' estates and the former headframe of pit no. 3 shape an urban landscape typical of the Pas-de-Calais mining basin, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2012. The municipality remains marked by the proximity of a chemical platform that succeeded the old coal-chemicals complex, a point to take into account depending on the area. The 19th-century church and the former Château Mercier, now the town hall, complete this heritage. This setting suits households looking for urban and affordable housing, close to the Lens and Béthune employment areas.
The Mazingarbe market is dominated by the individual house, a direct legacy of the corons and mining estates converted over the decades into private homes. These townhouses, often terraced and with a modest garden, dominate supply at accessible budgets. Apartments remain a minority and are concentrated in a few more recent residences. For a household looking for a first purchase or outdoor space without moving away from the mining basin, the house remains the most representative choice in the local market.
Mazingarbe is organised around its former mining estates, such as the cité Maistre, the cité 7 or the cité 2, where terraced coron housing remains the dominant urban fabric. The centre, around the church and the former Château Mercier, concentrates shops and facilities. The most sought-after areas are those located away from the chemical platform, where the environment remains the most residential. Each area has its own type of building and state of renovation, to be examined closely according to your purchase project.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).