The average price per m² in Merlimont is 4 122 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 59 transactions are recorded each year.
Mood illustration of Merlimont, on the Côte d'Opale, in the Pas-de-Calais.
The average price of apartments in Merlimont stands at 4 122 €/m², according to the DVF database, which records the transactions actually registered before notaries. That average covers a minority segment of the municipality, where apartments account for only a third of the stock: it mostly reflects the developments of Merlimont-Plage, of the seafront and of the streets behind, many of which serve as second homes. The sea view, the distance to the beach, the aspect and the condition of the property make the value of a home vary widely, between the buildings close to the sea wall and the more recent schemes set back from the dunes.
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 Merlimont market remains active for a municipality of that size, with around sixty apartment sales recorded each year in the DVF data. That turnover owes to the very marked second-home character of the stock: more than two thirds of the dwellings are not lived in year-round and change hands more often than main residences. New supply remains limited by the protection of the dune massif and by the already built-up nature of the seafront, which concentrates transactions on existing property.
Several factors sustain that price level. The position of Merlimont between Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Berck, on a sought-after coastline, and its accessibility from the Lille region and the Île-de-France support holiday demand. Conversely, the 60 % surcharge on second homes voted by the municipality seeks to weigh on that market and to preserve year-round housing, a concern shared by the coastal municipalities of the Côte d'Opale.
Merlimont sits at an intermediate level on this coastline: clearly below Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, close to the level of its immediate neighbour Cucq, and above Berck. The most telling comparison is with those neighbouring resorts of the Côte d'Opale.
Merlimont was attached to the parish of Cucq before being made a municipality in the territorial reorganisation that followed the revolutionary years of 1789. In the 19th century, the population lived from fishing and from small-scale farming, grouped in the districts of what is now Merlimont Village, inland. The trade of fisherman gradually disappeared during the 20th century, as tourism took over along the coast.
Merlimont-Plage was created in 1900 by a group of owners who divided up the dune ridge facing the Manche. Villas, chalets and hotels were laid out along the avenue de la Plage, at first for a well-to-do clientele, notably from Paris, who came in search of sea air. The seafront as it is known today was mostly built in the 1950s, a period when the resort opened up to a wider family custom.
The municipality covers nearly 21,5 square kilometres between Le Touquet-Paris-Plage to the north and Berck to the south, with a vast protected dune massif bordering its beaches. It was on those dunes that the Bagatelle amusement park opened in 1955, spread over the territories of Merlimont and Rang-du-Fliers, and regarded as the oldest park of its kind still operating in France. The village also keeps its church of Saint-Nicolas and a war memorial by the sculptor Jules Déchin, restored in 2022.
Merlimont has 3 342 inhabitants according to INSEE, the French national statistics institute. The municipality counts around 5 289 dwellings, of which only 30,3 % are main residences and 67,5 % second or occasional homes: the population actually present varies widely between winter and the high summer season. Again according to INSEE, houses make up 65,3 % of the stock and apartments 34,4 %, and 77,3 % of main residences are occupied by their owners. Buyers divide between households settled year-round, retired people and second-home purchasers from the Lille region, the former mining basin and the Île-de-France, with steady demand for property close to the beach.
The average price of apartments in Merlimont is 4 122 €/m², according to the DVF transactions actually completed before notaries. That average covers wide gaps depending on the sea view, the distance to the beach, the storey, the aspect and the condition of the property. An apartment on the seafront and a home in the streets behind Merlimont-Plage do not trade at the same level.
Merlimont has voted the maximum increase of 60 % in the taxe d'habitation, the French residence tax, on second homes, applicable since 2024, a decision linked to the very high share of that type of housing in the municipality. The scheme concerns owners who do not occupy their property year-round. Its terms change from one year to the next and should be checked with the town hall before any purchase.
Merlimont lies on the Côte d'Opale, between Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Berck, to which it is linked by the coastal departmental road. The A16 motorway serves the sector through the exits for the baie d'Authie. The nearest station, Rang-du-Fliers - Verton - Berck, is served by trains towards Amiens, Boulogne-sur-Mer and Paris, with a road connection to the resort.
The stock is mainly made up of detached housing: according to INSEE, around 65 % of the dwellings in the municipality are houses, often holiday villas or second homes. The benchmark price of 4 122 €/m² covers apartments, which are more concentrated in Merlimont-Plage and near the seafront. The choice depends on the budget and on the intended use, a year-round main residence or a pied-à-terre close to the beach.
Merlimont is a family seaside resort on the Côte d'Opale, whose appeal rests on its beaches, its protected dune massif and the closeness of the Bagatelle park. Demand is largely carried by second-home buyers from the region and from the Île-de-France. Seasonality strongly marks the market, with activity concentrated on property close to the sea.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).