The 10 most expensive cities
in the Alpes-Maritimes

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is the most expensive town in the Alpes-Maritimes department—and one of the most expensive in France. Occupying just 2.5 km² on a peninsula suspended between Nice and Monaco, the entire territory is coveted by the world's wealthiest buyers. Land has been saturated for decades, urban planning regulations block any new construction, and a protected nature reserve covers nearly half of the territory. It is this absolute scarcity, guaranteed by law, that sustains prices among the highest in the world.

There are approximately 156 luxury properties available on the peninsula at any given time. Belle Époque mansions, contemporary seaside villas, and properties in private estates make up the bulk of the offerings. The most significant transactions regularly reach €30 to €50 million—a contemporary villa on over 7,000 square meters of land sold for €32 million in recent years. The clientele is exclusively international: European oligarchs, American industrialists, and Gulf royal families.

Villefranche-sur-Mer is one of the most exclusive towns on the French Riviera—and one of the most sought-after. Nestled between Nice and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, it borders one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the Mediterranean, a deep, sheltered body of water well-known to sailing and yachting enthusiasts. Apartments with harbor views average around €7,000/m², but houses in the Vinaigrier district—which overlooks the bay from its heights—can exceed €17,000/m² and reach over €10 million for the most desirable properties.

The average price of houses in Villefranche-sur-Mer in 2024 was €12,076/m² according to DVF data compiled by Orpi, representing a 23.58% increase over six years. This exceptional growth is explained by the combination of land scarcity, the beauty of the location, and its immediate proximity to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Monaco.

Cap d'Antibes is the equivalent on the western Riviera of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the eastern Riviera—an exceptional peninsula, wooded with pines and eucalyptus trees, whose seafront villas are among the most valuable properties in France. The Garoupe beach, the Belle Époque villas hidden behind their walls, and the cape's international reputation have made it a destination for wealthy Europeans and Americans for over a century.

In 2024, a seafront château set in over ten hectares of parkland sold for €66 million—one of the most significant transactions on the French Riviera. Premium villas range from €10,000 to €26,000 per square meter, depending on their orientation, views, and amenities. The Garoupe area and the hills above Cap Corse are home to the most secluded and highly valued properties.

Èze is one of the most unique towns on the French Riviera — a medieval village perched at an altitude of 429 meters on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea, halfway between Nice and Monaco. Its dual identity — a hilltop village with preserved medieval architecture and a seaside resort with direct access to the sea via the Basse Corniche — generates two very different real estate markets within the same town.

Villas with direct views of Monaco and the sea, located in the hills above Èze, command a considerable premium due to the rarity of this unique location. The town attracts a discerning international clientele seeking both the authenticity of a Provençal village and the proximity of the Principality—less than 10 minutes from Monaco. The average price of €8,460/m², according to DVF data, masks significant differences between properties with panoramic views and those without.

Cannes is the only major city in the Alpes-Maritimes department to appear in this ranking—and this is primarily due to the strength of two areas: the Boulevard de la Croisette and the Palm Beach/La Californie district. The city's average price is €8,668/m² according to June 2026 data, but this average masks dramatic differences between ordinary residential neighborhoods and apartments on the Croisette overlooking the bay.

An apartment with a direct view of the Mediterranean on Boulevard de la Croisette can reach €20,000 to €24,000 per square meter—a price range comparable to the best locations in Monaco. The Cannes Film Festival, which maintains the city's international profile, helps to sustain demand for prestigious Cannes properties from a clientele of producers, distributors, and investors from around the world.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer is one of the least known and most secluded towns on the French Riviera — which doesn't prevent it from having some of the highest prices in the department. Nestled between Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Èze, sheltered from the mistral wind by the Riviera hill to the north, Beaulieu enjoys an exceptional microclimate that attracted European aristocracy as early as the late 19th century.

Villa Kérylos—a faithful replica of an ancient Greek villa built between 1902 and 1908—is the architectural emblem of this opulent past. The Beaulieu real estate market remains highly selective, dominated by large Belle Époque properties on the seafront and prestigious apartments in period seaside residences. The town has only 3,796 inhabitants, which helps keep the supply at very low levels.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin enjoys an exceptional geographical position: the town borders the Principality of Monaco, separated from the Rock by only a few hundred meters. This immediate proximity to Monaco gives properties in Cap Martin and on the Plateau du Cap a significant location advantage—particularly for apartments with direct views of the Principality and the sea.

The average price, according to DVF Orpi 2024 data, is €7,865/m², but the most sought-after areas of Cap Martin reach €10,000 to €15,000/m², or even more for beachfront villas with views of Monaco. The Plateau du Cap, a discreet residential area just two minutes from Monaco, attracts an international clientele who choose the tranquility of Roquebrune while enjoying the advantages of being close to Monaco.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence is one of the most famous medieval villages in France—and one of the most expensive in the Alpes-Maritimes. Perched on a hill 15 kilometers from Nice and the coast, surrounded by 16th-century ramparts, it has welcomed numerous artists and intellectuals since the 1920s, from Picasso to Matisse, from Chagall to Prévert. The Maeght Foundation, one of the world's leading contemporary art foundations, firmly establishes Saint-Paul within the international cultural sphere.

The Saint-Paul real estate market is dominated by Provençal villas and farmhouses on private estates in the surrounding hills, often with sea views and swimming pools. The village itself offers a few exceptionally rare apartments and townhouses. The clientele is international and sophisticated—artists, collectors, and American film stars have been regulars for decades.

Mont-Boron is the most sought-after area of ​​Nice—a wooded hill overlooking the Bay of Angels to the west and the harbor of Villefranche to the east, offering 180° views of the Mediterranean from almost every property. The Boulevard du Mont-Boron, Avenue Jean-Lorrain, and Route Forestière are home to the most prestigious addresses, with apartments and private mansions dating from the 1900s whose deep terraces open onto the sea.

In the most exclusive residences on Mont-Boron—La Résidence Haussmann and Le Cap de Nice—properties with breathtaking sea views exceed €15,000/m², with some reaching €20,000/m². Over 70% of sales on Mont-Boron are to international buyers—British, Scandinavian, Italian, and American. There is direct access from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (20 minutes) and the city center (10 minutes) without any noise pollution.

Mougins closes this ranking with a unique position: the least spectacularly positioned town on the list, yet its private estates and villas on the hills overlooking Cannes are among the most sought-after properties in the French Riviera hinterland. Mougins is historically associated with Picasso, who lived there for the last twelve years of his life—this connection with the world of contemporary art has contributed to its international appeal.

The median price of houses in Mougins is €6,633/m² according to DVF 2025 data, representing a 28.3% increase since 2014. Private estates—gated and guarded residences with villas ranging from 300 to 800 m² on plots of several thousand square meters—constitute the most valuable segment, with prices well above this average. The sea view from the heights of Mougins, at an altitude of 260 meters, helps justify the highest price levels.