The average price per m² in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is 4 662 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 108 transactions are recorded each year.
The harbour and the estuary of the Vie, between Saint-Gilles and Croix-de-Vie.
The average price of an apartment in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie stands at around 4 662 €/m². That level, high for a Vendée municipality, comes from its status as a seaside resort and from strong second-home demand along the Atlantic coast. The housing stock combines seafront apartments, town houses on either side of the estuary, and seaside villas. Properties close to the Grande Plage and to the harbour stand clearly apart from the more set-back districts. Seasonality marks the market strongly, with a summer population far above the winter one. This benchmark comes from sales signed before notaries (the DVF database, the French record of notarised property sales). It is a municipal average, to be refined on comparable properties for your own valuation.
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 Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie market is driven by the seaside appeal of the Vendée coast. Second-home demand, coming from across the region and beyond, concentrates on a coastline where buildable land is limited by the loi Littoral, the French coastal planning act. That scarcity, combined with the renown of the harbour and the beaches, keeps prices high, with about a hundred transactions a year.
On the supply side, seasonality shapes the market: a large share of the stock is occupied only part of the year, which limits the fluidity of transactions outside the season. Energy performance and exposure to coastal risk are becoming decisive criteria for buyers. Properties close to the sea and the harbour remain the most sought after, while the set-back districts offer better value for floor area.
A seaside resort of the Vendée coast, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie sits among the most expensive coastal municipalities of its area, above the neighbouring resorts but below the values of Les Sables-d'Olonne.
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie was born in 1967 from the merger of two municipalities separated by the Vie: Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie, on the left bank, and Croix-de-Vie, on the right bank. The estuary of the coastal river still divides the town in two, each bank keeping its own identity and atmosphere.
The site has a long history: Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie is thought to go back to a Phocaean colony in antiquity. In the ninth century, monks from Saint-Gilles-du-Gard settled there and built a priory and a fortified church. The name of the municipality combines that of the saint and the cross planted near the river Vie.
The town owes its reputation to its fishing harbour, long specialised in sardines, and to its canning factories. The sardine of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie now carries the Label Rouge quality mark. Classified as a seaside resort in 1982, the municipality combines a marina, the Grande Plage and the Vendée corniche, which make it a leading summer destination.
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie has about 8 333 year-round inhabitants, a figure that swells sharply during the summer season. The housing stock includes a high share of second homes, from seafront apartments to seaside villas. Many buyers are from the Vendée and the wider region, retirees looking for a coastal setting, and households seeking a second home or a coastal base. That holiday demand supports prices, particularly near the harbour and the beaches.
The average price is around 4 662 €/m² for an apartment. That is a municipal average: the real gap depends heavily on the distance to the sea, the view, the condition of the property and its position relative to the harbour and the Grande Plage. A seafront apartment and a more set-back dwelling are not valued in the same way. A valuation based on comparable sales remains the best basis for your project.
The town is organised around the estuary of the Vie: the Croix-de-Vie side, turned towards the fishing harbour and the marina, and the Saint-Gilles side, closer to the Grande Plage. The seafront and the immediate surroundings of the harbour concentrate the highest values. The districts set back from the coast offer more moderate prices while remaining sought after.
The municipality is a seaside resort where the share of second homes is high. Tourist and seasonal demand, with a summer population well above the winter one, supports prices over the long run. That pressure mostly benefits properties close to the sea and the harbour, which are scarcer and more contested.
Both markets are active. Apartments, especially on the seafront, attract second-home buyers and seasonal investors. The town house or the seaside villa appeals to families and year-round residents, with sought-after floor areas and outdoor space. The choice depends on your intended use and calls for a valuation based on genuinely comparable properties.
On the Vendée coast, some sectors are exposed to marine flooding risk and covered by the rules of the loi Littoral, the French coastal planning act, which restricts building near the shore. The local urban plan and the risk-prevention documents set out the areas concerned. It is prudent to check these constraints before buying, especially for a property close to the shoreline.
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Value my propertyThis analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).