Strasbourg, Metz and Dijon among the bad students
While 2020 and 2021 were marked by very low borrowing rates and record transactions, the year 2022 is quite different, due to inflation (6.2% in November, according to INSEE) and conflict in Ukraine.
Credit rates have been spread upwards since the start of the year and continue to climb, making access to property more difficult. On the employment side, 2022 is rather privileged by the recovery with, at the end of the year, an unemployment rate of 7.3%, according to INSEE.
In this context, in which cities to settle? Who are the most attractive in terms of employment and real estate purchasing power? Answers with a study* by Meteojob, job search site, and Meilleurtaux, mortgage broker.
Orléans, Mulhouse and Rouen: on the podium of the most attractive cities
Orléans ranks first in the Meteojob and Meilleurtaux rankings, followed by Mulhouse and Rouen.
In detail, Orléans promises 4.81% of CDI offers for 100 inhabitants, a median net monthly salary of €2,417 and an average living area of 63 m2. The borrowing capacity for an Orléans resident is €167,209 with a borrowing rate of 2% over 20 years.
Mulhouse offers 2.73% of open-ended positions per 100 inhabitants, a net monthly salary of €2,010 and a purchasing power of 78m2. The borrowing capacity of a Mulhouse resident is €139,077, with a borrowing rate of 2% over 20 years.
As for Rouen, 3.30% of offers are permanent contracts per 100 inhabitants. The number of m2 accessible is 60 m2 and the median net monthly salary of a Rouennais is €2,417. He can borrow €167,209 over 20 years at a rate of 2%.
“Secondary towns are once again confirming their attractiveness and seduce by their attractive labor pool and their interesting real estate purchasing power, underlines the study. The aspirations of the French have changed since the pandemic and the big cities are no longer so dreamy. With multiple confinements, the development of telework and accessible TGV lines, cities less than 2 hours from Paris are all the rage. »
Grenoble well placed
Grenoble comes in fourth place in the ranking, with 3.64% of CDI offers per 100 inhabitants. With many public and private research centers, the Grenoble metropolis is home to many head offices and R&D centers.
The net monthly salary of a Grenoble resident is €2,178 and his borrowing capacity is €150,713, with an interest rate of 2% over 20 years. Its real estate purchasing power amounts to 51 m2.
Lyon: attractive in terms of employment, but not real estate
Lyon is the second city with the most attractive employment pool, behind Orléans, with 4.35% of open-ended contracts per 100 inhabitants, but only 27 m2 are accessible at the median net salary offered in the city (€2,168 per month).
The price per m2 is the second most expensive in France, behind Paris, with €5,618 per m2.
Strasbourg, Metz, Dijon: when the prices per m2 are too high
In Strasbourg, with a borrowing capacity of €140,140 identical to that of Saint-Étienne, one can only acquire 34 m2while in Saint-Étienne, real estate purchasing power climbed to 89m2 (i.e. the second highest in the ranking). The reason: a purchase price of €4,102 per m2 in the first and €1,580 per m2 in the second…
The cities of Metz and Dijon are in the same situation as Strasbourg. The borrowing capacity of a Messin or a Dijonnais is even slightly higher than that of Saint-Étienne (respectively €141,010 and €141,554), but one can acquire only 51 m2 in Metz and 49 m2 in Dijon, with a respective price per m2 €2,776 and €2,876.
In these cities, except in Metz, the employment terrain is not very fertile with less than 2% of open-ended contracts per 100 inhabitants.
Besançon: the lowest borrowing capacity in the ranking
Besançon also has only 1.57% of open-ended contracts per 100 inhabitants and a real estate purchasing power identical to that of Dijon (49 m2), due this time not so much to real estate prices (€2,466 per m2), but with the lowest borrowing capacity for the Besançon in the ranking (€120,764).
* It measures the number of open-ended job offers in relation to the number of inhabitants, as well as real estate purchasing power (calculated from the median salary in each city, local interest rates and the price of real estate).