The most common questions people ask us is how we chose where to live in France. Or sometimes “where is the best place to live in France”? While the answer to that question is specific to what’s most important to each family or person, I can share what things we looked for that lead us here. If your criteria are similar, this might be an area for you too.
Weather in Southwest France – Four Seasons!
We quickly ruled out the north of France based on the amount of rainy, gray days they tend to have. After living in Texas and Colorado for years, we needed the sun! We still wanted seasons, and I wasn’t interested in being somewhere it got super hot like far south France, but to have more sunny days that not, see leaves change in the winter, wear my coat for a couple months during the Christmas season, see the flowers bud and bloom in spring, and then have a couple months we could enjoy the pool…southwest France ticked the boxs. The only thing we really miss is the sunny but snowy days in Colorado. Southwest France doesn’t really get snow, just rain in the winter.
City Balanced with Countryside – Best of Both
I love Paris, but I don’t think I want to live there. At the same time, after a couple of months in the countryside, I’m craving the energy of the city and the big cultural events of the museums and theater. So we were looking for a place that was within 90 minutes of a large city with great cultural events, an airport, train connections, and resources like bigger shops, specialty hospitals or government services.
At the same time, we enjoy being outside and were looking to be within a couple of hours of the ocean and mountains for quick getaways. We found it here at the edge of the Dordogne. We can be at the Atlantic coast in 2 hours, the Pyrenees mountains in 2 1/2 hours, and there’s lots of camping, cycling, and walking opportunities in between. There’s also a highspeed rail connection between Bordeaux and Paris, meaning I have actually left the countryside, had lunch in Paris with a friend, and been back home to tuck in our daughter in one day. Yes, it was 3 hours each way on the train, but I just worked and had a coffee from the bar cart. It was easy.
We’ve seen things that are beautiful and cheaper much further into the center of France, the Dordogne and beyond. Especially around the Sarlat-Canada area. But it’s almost four hours away from any major city or airport on winding roads. That felt too isolating.
Cost of Living – We Can Actually Buy a House Here!
We wanted a place that was affordable. A place that if we decided to stay longer term, the possibility of owning a house was real. Coming from Boulder County Colorado where a 3/2 with a small yard in a very average area costs $750,000, having our own place had been feeling out of reach.
We quickly ruled out the east of France near the Swiss border. It’s absolutely beautiful near Annecy and the Alps, but very expensive. We also ruled out some of the areas in the South of France near the Mediterranean, although we now know that while you pay a premium for Provence, there are some nearby areas with less name recognition that have similar weather and access to the sea, but cost a lot less.
We knew based on looking online, international property magazines, expat forums, and government statistics that Southwest and central France real estate prices were lower than many other areas.
Expat Community – It’s a Huge Support While You Adjust
While we moved here to immerse ourselves in the community and are progressing our French learning every day, it still takes time. Being in a place that has an expect community you can easily and quickly tap into is a huge, huge resource that can help you feel less alone while you adjust to a new country, help you learn the ropes, and recommend vetted resources in the area.
We knew there was a small but active English speaking community in this area and I found a woman’s association to join that hosts social activities, then another that promotes cultural exchange between the English and French residents of the village.
How to Choose Your Own Place
I think if we were doing it over again, choosing a region and town here’s how I’d think about it:
First, choose the weather, that should bring you to one of the four corners of France. Next, choose a “hub city”. Something big enough to have a good-sized hospital, a high-speed train station to connect or an airport.
After that, decide if you want to live without a car or if you’re Ok with one. If you want to live without a car, don’t choose anywhere with less than 100k population and plan to live fairly central.
Think about activities you enjoy now in the U.S. where you need to be, what facilities you need to continue to do those or learn? Let that be the final guiding item! Maybe you love to play pickle ball and one town has a much better court. Maybe you like taking hikes but like to do it with a group. Look up the associations in town (usually you can do this on the townhall website) and see if people are doing things in the area you enjoy too.
There are markets, wonderful culture, beautiful architecture, and friendly people all over France. You can’t really go wrong. And worse case senerio – you move. 😉
We did a video on choosing Southwest France ⬅️ too! (it’s an early one 😉)
Baguettes and Butter 4eva -❤️
Raina, Jason and Juliana
