Best Place to Live in France

Where is the best place to live in France? How we made the decision based on cost of living, weather, location in France, and the natural environment. Of course, this is very personal for each person, but we hope sharing the process we thought through to narrow down the region of France will spark your own ideas on the best place for you!

00:00 - Where we think the best place to live in France is and why.
00:31 - Affordable Cost of Living
02:36 - Nice Weather
05:17 - Great Location
08:35 - Beautiful Natural Environment

About Us:
We are an American family of 3 who moved to France for an extended stay adventure in 2022.
We wanted to experience Europe as more than rushed tourists on a 10-day vacation. To dive into the culture, learn a new language, experience daily life, and truly know what it was like to work and live somewhere other than the US.

In France, we set up a business, enrolled in a middle school, found housing, and even got our cat a European passport!

While in the US preparing to leave, the information we found about staying in France for longer than a short vacation was directed at college students, young & single digital nomads, or retirees. Where was the useful information for families like us?

With a year under our belts in France, we created Baguette Bound to pass on what we have learned. We hope to make it easier and inspire other families who are interested in experiencing a long stay in France with their families. Stay tuned for more information on French culture, local travel ideas, and the logistics of moving across the world.

[Steph-iwhr]

Choice is very specific and personal
For me it will be most likely in Britanny
Sea, forests, seafood, rocky or sandy coast . Nice place to live

[candaceclark]

We moved to France 2 years ago from the US and rented a home in the campagne between 2 medium sized medieval towns in the Dordogne. Spectacular countryside with green hills and valleys and architecture for any history lover to adore. We are 45 minutes from the prefecture of Perigueux, 1 hour from Limoges and 2 hours from Bordeaux. It is as you describe- all the seasons sans the mountains but the foothills are only a few hours away. We feel so fortunate to be here. And yes, you definitely need a car. Bon courage on your adventure!

[duncansmith]

Département 66! Mediterranean beaches, Pyrenees, 4 seasons, abundance of sunny, dry weather, Barcelona Airport just 2 hours away, Catalan culture, affordable cost of living with very high quality of life. It's a great alternative if SW France doesn't work out for you!

[DanielNestlerode]

My family and landed in L'Aisne about six years ago.
Easy access to Reims, Amiens, Arras, Lille, Calais, Brussels, Bruges, and Paris. 1 hour 30 mins to Charles Degaulle airport.
Very affordable housing...
4 seasons, beautiful villages, etc.
Probably not quite as warm here in the summer as your location.

[PazuVaucluse]

Southwest France is also the foie gras heartland, which is one of my top favorite delicacy

[philippem]

Normandie et Bretagne sont fantastiques. Et avec le réchauffement climatique, ce sont des Place to be

[thierryf]

In Europe, that's a different approach to flight. All airport don't have to be connected to the whole world, we use more interconnexions, even with trains.

[Lalalanddaily]

I lived in Toulouse for a year and I absolutely loved it! The city is beautiful and the people are so friendly. The nature and architecture is amazing. I highly recommend Toulouse for both families and young single or married people.

[sylvainb]

Le pays de mon ancêtre (sud-ouest) that I'd really like to visit before it's too late. Je suis Québécois.

[mikegill]

I've been watching your videos for weeks now and I love them all ! From what I understand and the few clues you gave us, it seems as if you live in "lot et Garonne " ! I have been living as an Amercain in Bordeaux for over 50 years ! Here are 2 towns that you should absolutly see ; Sarlat "in Dordogne " and Saint Emilion " in Gironde" ! While you are in Sarlat ; order a magret de canard with pomme de terre Sarladaise ! You will find that specialty in every restaurant ! Both towns are 2 hours away though ! Mike

[antoinebeaulieu]

An autolike on this one : I'm from Bayonne and we sometimes say that the South of France is the best part of the country, though there is the "good South" (west, obviously) and th "bad South" :p

[ellofky]

On vit très bien dans beaucoup de régions, mais j'irai surtout chercher des petites villes ou (les villages autour) à fort qualité de vie et à moins de 30 min d'une grande ville. Ce ne sont pas des villes chef lieu de département mais des plus des villes secondaires de 10 000 - 20 000 habitants.

Par exemple Beaune. Cadre magnifique, la ville est propre, très peu de criminalité, on y circule bien, y'a un dynamisme économique avec le vin, tout les services et si jamais y'a Dijon à 30 min par autoroute pour le CHU régional et les pôles santé régionaux, les universités et la Gare TGV. Et en comparaison d'autres villes avec pourtant ces mêmes avantages, les prix de l'immobilier ne sont pas hors sol.

[terrya]

My wife and I cycled southern France. I would pick a village 1 hour north of Montpellier. Love the city.

[kristenkim]

I only live in France for half of the year, 90 days at a time, the rest of the time in California, where I am still working part time and am retired in France. I chose Lille because I’m an hour from Paris and I spend every weekend in Paris with a friend. Lille is more expensive than south west France and weather is similar to Paris’, but I love that I’m an hour from Paris, and I’m 15 minutes from my apartment to either train station in Lille.

[gsbeak]

A few years ago, I decided to leave the crazy life in the Paris area with long work days and an awful commute (leaving home at 8 am and back at home often at 8 pm). I love mountains too. I checked Annecy but it was too much expensive and too touristy for me. I chose a medium town (40 000 inhabitants) in the Southern Alps. I have 300 sunny days per year. I see 9000 ft mountains from my kitchen window. With the price I sold my Paris suburb 1 bedroom flat, I bought a 3 bedrooms flat and with cash to spare. I have ski resorts 10 miles from home. I can go for a mountain bike ride on single tracks directly from home. Absolutely no regrets as my quality of life improved so much.

[benjaminlamey]

if you like both mountain and green, I recommend Alsace. great wine, close to germany, nice weather in summer, pretty cold in winter, but if you are on the slopes of the Vosges still sunny (the plain is quite grey wheather. it may be a bit more expensive than southwest france but by far not as expensive a many areas.

[leeonhell]

Bretagne ! It s still quite affordable, you have beautiful country, coast is awesome. And its the region of crepes and Kouign Aman!

[nico_dudu]

You also do not judge and really explain well. Well done

[jmbig]

Si vous aimez les montagnes et que vous voulez rester dans le sud ouest ... Il faut aller dans le Béarn ... Aux alentours de Pau ... ou le pays basque ... Dans l'arrière pays ... Ou entre les deux ... Dans le gers ... Aux alentours de mont de marsan ... Ou du côté de montauban ... 😄

[pnwesty]

New sub. 😊 We are a bit older (50) and looking to retire early to France in the next 4-5 years just starting real research on locations. Where you are coming from (or used to) makes a huge difference (I think) in what you're looking for. We're outside of Portland, and while we don't really have the seasons - it's rainy a lot - that rain brings lush green, and while we love a warm beach, being near a rocky coast is super appealing. So for now, we're thinking Brittany. That said, we're planning on taking trips to several regions to get the feel for it - this fall is Burgundy/Alsace, and next year will be the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Med. So at least for now, it's be satisfied with taking French classes, and looking forward to exploring a new part of France and all that includes. Salut!