French Riviera buying guide: notaire fees, taxes and the coastal markets
Notaire fees explained line by line, plus taxe foncière, IFI thresholds and how Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Saint-Tropez differ as markets.
The Riviera is the most procedurally transparent market in the Mediterranean and the second most expensive to transact in. Everything runs through a notaire, the costs are published, and there are very few surprises — provided you budget for them from the start.
What "frais de notaire" actually contains
| Component | Resale | New build |
|---|---|---|
| Droits de mutation (departmental + communal transfer duty) | ~5.8% | 0.7% |
| Notaire's regulated emoluments | ~1%, degressive | ~1% |
| Disbursements & registration | ~0.3% | ~0.3% |
| Total added to the price | 7–8% | 2–3% |
Note the misnomer: only about one euro in eight of the "notaire's fees" goes to the notaire. The rest is tax. New-build carries 20% VAT already inside the advertised price, which is why its duties are so much lower.
Annual costs
- Taxe foncière — the owner's tax, set by the commune on the cadastral rental value. The main recurring cost.
- Taxe d'habitation — abolished on main residences, still payable on second homes, with surcharges of up to 60% in tension-zone communes, which covers most of the coast.
- IFI — property wealth tax at 0.5–1.5% on net French property assets above €1.3m. On the Riviera this catches ordinary villa owners, not just the very wealthy. Mortgage debt is deductible.
The coastal markets, briefly
Cap Ferrat and Cap d'Antibes — the blue-chip addresses. Supply has been fixed for a century, transactions are thin and often off-market, and values hold through cycles.
Nice — the most accessible entry point and the only genuine city economy on the coast. Belle Époque apartments in Carré d'Or, plus a real year-round rental market that is not dependent on August.
Cannes — trades on the Croisette and the events calendar. Congress-season lettings underpin yields in a way they do not elsewhere.
Antibes and Juan-les-Pins — the family choice: international schools, Port Vauban for boat owners, a functioning winter town.
Saint-Tropez — the strongest summer rental economics on the coast and the quietest winters. Buy it for July and August or do not buy it.
Process and timeline
- Offer accepted → compromis de vente signed, 10% deposit into the notaire's escrow.
- 10-day cooling-off — the buyer can withdraw without penalty, the seller cannot.
- Conditions suspensives — mortgage clause, planning searches, pre-emption rights. Typically 6–10 weeks.
- Acte authentique at the notaire's office. Three to four months from offer to keys is normal.
Before you sign
- Read the diagnostics pack — asbestos, lead, termites, electrics, energy rating. It is seller-paid and legally required.
- Check whether the commune has a right of pre-emption over the sale.
- Ask the notaire for a written cost estimate at compromis stage; they will provide one.
- If you are buying with others or planning succession, ask about an SCI before signing, not after — restructuring afterwards triggers duty again.
Source for statutory rates: Service-Public.fr, frais d'acquisition immobilière.