The average price per m² in Tarare is 1 805 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. For a house or villa, it is 2 815 €/m². About 77 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of Tarare, the muslin town in the Tarare hills, in the Rhône.
In Tarare, apartments sell on average for 1 805 €/m², based on transactions actually registered in DVF data, the French notarised sales database. This is one of the most affordable levels in the Rhône department, well below Lyon and the municipalities west of Lyon. The house market is higher, at around 2 815 €/m², a common gap in a town where detached housing and townhouses dominate. The housing stock reflects the town's industrial past: town-centre buildings, former workers' housing, houses in the old outskirts and housing estates on the edge of town. The condition of the property, its energy performance, its location in the valley and the quality of transport links to Lyon explain most of the differences from one home to another. These figures, drawn from sales signed before notaries, provide a reliable benchmark for the municipality; an accurate valuation then relies on comparable sales, examined property by property.
House : 2 815 €/m²
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 Tarare market is that of a mid-sized town, driven by local demand and by households seeking floor areas that the Lyon conurbation no longer allows within their budget. Low prices attract first-time buyers and families. Energy performance has become an important negotiating point in an older, sometimes energy-hungry housing stock, where the lowest-rated homes sell at a discount. Location in the valley and access to the routes towards Lyon carry increasing weight.
Supply remains relatively plentiful, which limits pressure and lengthens selling times compared with the metropolitan area. For a seller, a correctly valued and well-presented property stands out, while an overambitious price lingers on the market for a long time. The functional link with Lyon, by road and rail, and the redevelopment of some industrial sites are the main levers of value in the medium term.
Tarare shows far more affordable prices than the residential western Lyon area, such as Écully, or than the neighbouring sub-prefecture of Villefranche-sur-Saône, and remains a long way from the tight Lyon market.
Tarare grew up in a narrow valley of the Tarare hills, some forty kilometres north-west of Lyon, at the confluence of the Turdine and the Taret. The town owes its prosperity to muslin, the fine, light cotton fabric whose manufacture was introduced at the end of the eighteenth century by the Simonet family. The fast-flowing water from the granite hills and the town's position on communication routes did the rest.
The town then became the capital of muslin, and later of curtains. It reached more than 15 000 inhabitants in the second half of the nineteenth century, driven by its mills, the arrival of the railway and intense textile activity. In the twentieth century, the town diversified, notably with the creation in 1947 of Taraflex, a plastic floor covering now used in major sports competitions, which became Gerflor and the main local employer.
From the 1960s onwards, foreign competition hit Tarare's textile industry hard, and almost nothing of it remains. Tarare nonetheless still bears the mark of this past, in its industrial buildings, its muslin festivals and its urban heritage, while seeking a new economic balance.
Tarare has nearly 11 000 inhabitants and acts as a service centre for the west of the department, on the edge of the Lyonnais hills. The property market is driven by local demand: first-time buyers drawn by some of the lowest prices in the Rhône, families looking for a house with a garden, and working people who are employed locally or commute to Lyon by road and train. The affordable price level makes the town a gateway to home ownership for modest budgets. Buyers from the Lyon conurbation find larger floor areas than in the city, at the cost of a daily commute.
The average apartment price in Tarare is 1 805 €/m², based on DVF transactions actually completed before notaries. This average covers very varied situations, from an old apartment in need of renovation in the centre to more recent homes. The floor level, general condition, energy performance and location in the valley explain the variations around this figure. In a market at this level, a reliable valuation relies on comparable sales rather than on the municipal average alone.
The average house price in Tarare is around 2 815 €/m², above the price of apartments. This gap is common in a town where detached houses and houses in the old outskirts dominate the housing stock. The size of the plot, the condition of the property, its energy rating and its location, in the centre or on the edge of town, weigh on the final price. Each comparable sale helps to pinpoint the value of a house.
Tarare is among the most affordable towns in the Rhône. The decline of the textile industry, a relative distance from Lyon and long-stagnant population figures weigh on demand. In return, the town offers low entry prices, an urban heritage inherited from its industrial past and generous floor areas. This gap with the Lyon conurbation makes it an option for tight budgets and first-time buyers.
Tarare lies some forty kilometres north-west of Lyon, linked by road and by a railway line towards Lyon and Roanne. This connection allows working people to be employed in the Lyon conurbation while living in Tarare, where housing is considerably cheaper. The quality of transport links and the proximity of the station also influence the value of properties from one area to another.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).