ITER, next to the CEA Cadarache site, is about 18 km away via the A51: Manosque houses research and energy workers, and 44.9% of its households consist of one person. Prices, rents, neighbourhoods, budgets and yield: what you need to know before buying in Manosque from abroad.
The public indicators that matter before buying to let in Manosque, each with its source.
Manosque has 22,718 inhabitants according to the 2023 INSEE census. 50.5% of main residences are occupied by tenants and 44.9% of households consist of one person.
The rent map of the Ministry of Housing and ANIL gives an advertised rent of about €15.3 per m² including charges for a 1- or 2-room apartment in Manosque, compared with €12.5 for 3 rooms or more.
Sales recorded in DVF show the average price per m² for apartments up 3.6% between July 2025 and June 2026 compared with the previous twelve months, with 209 apartments sold.
Vacancy stands at 12.2% of homes according to INSEE. This overall rate includes dilapidated older homes or homes under works: a renovated, well-located property at the right rent generally lets faster.
| Indicator | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median price per m² of apartments sold | €1,717/m² (1,147 sales) | DVF, statistics (data.gouv.fr), July 2021 to June 2026 |
| Average price per m² over the last 12 months | 2 006 €/m² | DVF, statistics (data.gouv.fr), July 2025 to June 2026 |
| Population | 22,718 inhabitants | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Average annual population change | +0.3% a year (2017 to 2023) | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Young people aged 18 to 24 in education | 624, i.e. 41.1% of 18-24 year olds | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Pupils, students and trainees among 15-64 year olds | 8,7 % | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Main residences occupied by tenants | 50,5 % | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Single-person households | 44.9% of households | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| One-room main residences | 3,0 % | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Vacant homes | 12.2% of homes | INSEE, census, 2023 |
| Advertised rent, apartment of 1 or 2 rooms | €15.3/m² including charges | 2025 rent map (Ministry of Housing, ANIL), 3rd quarter of 2025 |
| Advertised rent, apartment of 3 rooms or more | €12.5/m² including charges | 2025 rent map (Ministry of Housing, ANIL), 3rd quarter of 2025 |
| Change in the average price per m² of apartments sold | +3.6% (July 2025 to June 2026, compared with the previous 12 months) | DVF, monthly statistics (data.gouv.fr), average weighted by number of sales |
| Apartment sales over 12 months | 209 sales (July 2025 to June 2026) | DVF, monthly statistics (data.gouv.fr) |
| Main residences with one or two rooms | 16,8 % | INSEE, 2023 census, IRIS Housing database (calculation) |
| Vacant homes in the old town (Intra-Muros IRIS area) | 31.5% (12.2% for the city) | INSEE, 2023 census, IRIS Housing database (calculation) |
| Direct employees of ITER Organization | 1,311 at the end of 2025 | ITER Organization, 2025 information report |
| Staff on the CEA Cadarache site | 5,500, including more than 2,650 from the CEA (2024) | CEA, Cadarache 2024 Transparency and Nuclear Safety report |
| Passengers at Manosque - Gréoux-les-Bains station | 131,129 in 2024 | SNCF Gares & Connexions, station footfall |
| Unemployment rate in the Manosque employment area | 8.3% (8.3% in France) | INSEE, unemployment rate by employment area, 2nd quarter 2026 |
| Rental permit applications filed (April 2024 to November 2025) | 403, including 28 refusals | DLVA, review of the local housing programme (February 2026) |
Members supported by ImmoPourExpat, who live abroad, have already bought in Manosque: their property and their figures.
Three typical properties, at the median sale price and the town’s advertised rent: enough to place your budget before you start searching.
1 room of 33 m², the median size of studios sold
Market benchmark: 44.9% of households in Manosque live alone, which supports demand for small units (INSEE, 2023 census).
2 rooms of 46 m², the median floor area of two-room apartments sold
Market benchmark: 50.5% of main residences are rented in Manosque (INSEE, 2023 census).
4 rooms or more, 78 m², the median size sold
The advertised rent is an average for the town: depending on the neighbourhood, the condition of the property and its features, the rent you obtain may be higher or lower.
Median DVF sale prices from January 2025 to December 2025 in Manosque. Rents estimated at the advertised rent of the 2025 rent map, including charges (€15.3 per m² for 1 or 2 rooms, €12.5 for 3 rooms or more). Notary fees estimated at 8% of the price (7 to 8% for older properties according to the Notaires de France). Gross yield compares the annual rent with the purchase price, excluding fees and charges.
Manosque concentrates its small homes in the old town, where there is a lot of letting but nearly one home in three is empty; around it, the neighbourhoods are more recent and more family-oriented. The figures come from INSEE, IRIS area by IRIS area.
Between the Saunerie and Soubeyran gates, 71.8% of main residences are rented and 41.2% have one or two rooms, according to INSEE; but 31.5% of homes are vacant and 56.5% of main residences date from before 1946. Every letting there requires a rental permit, external works require the opinion of the Architecte des Bâtiments de France, and the OPAH-RU supports renovation.
To the south-east of the centre, 60.2% of main residences are rented, of which 19.4% are social housing, and 24.7% have one or two rooms, according to INSEE. The area has the Lycée Les Iscles and the Mûriers garden city, designed by Candilis, Josic and Woods, labelled "Remarkable Contemporary Architecture" and part of the listed heritage area (site patrimonial remarquable); the station is just to the south.
To the south of the centre, 67.9% of main residences are rented, but 38.0% are social housing, according to INSEE: the private stock is smaller there. Manosque - Gréoux-les-Bains station, to the east of the area, welcomed 131,129 passengers in 2024; it offers 6 direct TER trains to Marseille on a weekday, and ZOU! coach line 66 to Cadarache and Marseille Provence airport.
The Louis Raffalli hospital and the International School, which gives priority to the children of ITER staff, are in the Périphérie IRIS area, which surrounds the city to the north and east. 37.7% of main residences there are rented and only 11.4% have one or two rooms, according to INSEE. The school had more than 800 pupils of 31 nationalities in 2020-2021, 62% of them from ITER families.
INSEE figures (2023 census, IRIS Housing database), grouped by sector; DVF prices are only published at municipal level: €1,717 per m² median price for apartments from July 2021 to June 2026. To the south-west of the centre, La Burlière and La Luquèce have 59.0% of main residences rented; to the north, Les Chauvinets, Séminaire and Colombier, only 39.4%. The city has two priority neighbourhoods, Quartier Est (the former "Centre Ville - Saint-Lazare") and Quartier Ouest (Serrets, Plantiers, Aliziers), the latter undergoing urban renewal.
Research and energy workers, people living alone and families: in Manosque, rental demand comes first from working professionals.
According to INSEE, 624 young people aged 18 to 24 are in education in Manosque: student demand remains modest. The International School of Manosque, by contrast, had more than 800 pupils of 31 nationalities in 2020-2021, 62% of them from ITER families, according to ITER Organization.
ITER Organization employed 1,311 people at the end of 2025, and about 6,015 people worked on its site in 2025; the neighbouring CEA Cadarache has 5,500 staff on its site (2024). Engineers, technicians and contractors make up a demand from working professionals about twenty kilometres away.
According to INSEE, 3.0% of main residences in Manosque have only one room. A furnished studio or two-room flat meets this demand for single-person homes.
According to INSEE, 13.1% of households in Manosque moved in less than two years ago: plan for regular re-letting and a property that is easy to re-let.
Sources: Ministry of Higher Education, 2025-2026 enrolment atlas; ITER Organization (2025 and 2020-2021); CEA (2024); INSEE, 2023 census. Unemployment stands at 8.3% in the Manosque employment area in the second quarter of 2026, the same as in France (INSEE).
In Manosque, rents are not capped and demand comes mainly from people living alone and working professionals: choose the formula according to the neighbourhood and the tenant you are targeting.
Investing in a house share from abroad →| Option | In Manosque | Our view |
|---|---|---|
| Unfurnished rental | The rent is free at each lease. Homes of three rooms or more, which make up 83.2% of main residences, are let to families on three-year leases. | For a large home |
| Furnished | 44.9% of households live alone, but only 16.8% of main residences have one or two rooms: a renovated furnished studio or two-room flat finds takers among working professionals, with one month’s notice. | To prioritise |
| House share | Possible in a large home, for young working professionals rather than students, who are few: check the co-ownership rules. | Worth studying |
| Mobility lease | From 1 to 10 months, furnished, for a tenant on an internship, a training course, a job transfer or a temporary assignment, for example on the ITER site, where about 550 subcontracting companies work (2026). | For a few months |
| Short-term rental | Declaration compulsory and registration number on the listing since 20 May 2026; no surcharge on the residence tax for second homes; the rental permit does not apply to tourist lettings. | Possible, with declaration |
In Manosque, rents are not capped, but the old town has its rental permit, its renovation aid and its heritage rules. Check the points below before costing your project.
In the old town, every letting of an unfurnished or furnished home as a main residence has required prior rental authorisation from the town hall since 8 April 2024, for leases signed from 8 May 2024. It is renewed with each new tenant, after an inspection of the home. Without authorisation, the fine can reach €5,000, then €15,000; from April 2024 to November 2025, 28 applications out of 403 were refused.
Manosque is not in a tight housing zone: you set the rent freely, at the first letting as on re-letting. The only limit: the rent of a home rated F or G can no longer be revised or increased, according to service-public.gouv.fr.
A home that has been empty for more than two years pays the residence tax on vacant homes, voted by the City in 2011. This scheme ends on 1 January 2027: the commune may replace it with the new vacancy tax, optional outside tight housing zones. Ask at the town hall before buying an empty home.
The OPAH-RU, renewed for 2026, covers a perimeter that includes the old town: it funds 30 to 80% of the cost of works excluding tax, under ANAH conditions, for homes more than 15 years old. Do not start anything before the funders agree.
The centre of Manosque is a listed heritage area (site patrimonial remarquable), with regulations dating from 2020: external works there require the opinion of the Architecte des Bâtiments de France. The Saunerie and Soubeyran gates are protected as historic monuments.
Manosque is in seismic zone 4 (moderate), on a scale of 1 to 5: new buildings there follow earthquake-resistant rules. A natural risk prevention plan, a forest fire plan and a technological risk prevention plan, around the underground storage sites of Géosel and Géométhane, also cover the commune. Read the risk report for each property.
Since 1 January 2025, a home rated G can no longer be let under a new lease, F-rated homes will follow in 2028 and E-rated homes in 2034, according to service-public.gouv.fr. In the old town, the rental permit involves an inspection of the home with each new tenant.
Your rents are taxed in France, whatever your country of residence. What changes is how they are treated at home and the rate of social contributions.
BelgiumFor a property held directly and let unfurnished, Belgium exempts these rents but uses them to set your tax rate. Social contributions: 7.5% if you are affiliated to Belgian social security and not dependent on any compulsory French scheme.
Investing from Belgium →
United KingdomThe United Kingdom also taxes your rents, with a credit for French income tax. The British tax authority (HMRC) includes in this credit the 7.5% solidarity levy, which is due if you are affiliated in the United Kingdom. Only the CSG and CRDS are excluded from it by the tax treaty.
Investing from the United Kingdom →
SwitzerlandSwitzerland exempts your French rents, but takes them into account for your tax rate. The 7.5% rate requires you to be covered by Swiss compulsory health insurance (LAMal) and not to be dependent on any compulsory French scheme.
Investing from Switzerland →The reduced rate depends on your affiliation, not your country: without affiliation in the European Union, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, or if you are dependent on a compulsory French scheme, you pay the full rate.
Tax treaties by country →Rules taken from our country pages and our tax page, for 2025 income. Your exact situation depends on your affiliation and on your country’s tax treaty.
Your rents and your capital gain are taxed in France, even if you live abroad.
On resale, the tax on the capital gain is withheld by the notary, with allowances for length of ownership from the 6th year: exemption from tax after 22 years, and from social contributions after 30 years.
Depending on your situation, our strategies and the way your purchase is structured can reduce, or even neutralise, the tax: we look at them with you from the very first call.
Taxation for the expat investor →Property tax and household waste tax apply to half the cadastral rental value of the home: ask the seller for their latest notice to know the amount. Sources: collectivites-locales.gouv.fr, impots.gouv.fr, notaires.fr.
Here is a simple example, for illustration purposes: a 40 m² two-room flat, at the median sale price and the average advertised rent.
| Furnished letting, micro-BIC regime | Affiliated in the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom | Other cases (full rate) |
|---|---|---|
| Rents over one year | 7 344 € | 7 344 € |
| Taxable income after the 50% allowance | 3 672 € | 3 672 € |
| Income tax at the 20% minimum rate | − 734 € | − 734 € |
| Social contributions | − 275 € (7,5 %) | − 683 € (18,6 %) |
| Left after tax | 6 335 € | 5 927 € |
| Yield after tax | ≈ 9,2 % | ≈ 8,6 % |
Assumptions: furnished letting under the micro-BIC regime, 50% allowance, 20% minimum rate for non-residents (2025 income), rents received counted in full. The 7.5% rate also requires you not to be dependent on any compulsory French scheme: a retired person who receives only a French pension pays the full rate. Charges, property tax, notary fees and loan interest are not deducted: under the actual regime (régime réel), the tax can be significantly lower.
An advertised rentThe rent from the map is an advertised rent including charges, so it is higher than the rent excluding charges that you will receive.
The rent at your addressThe advertised rent is an average for the town: depending on the neighbourhood, the condition of the property and its size, the rent you obtain may be higher or lower.
Costs and chargesNotary fees, renovation works, property tax, insurance and management then reduce the net yield.
This calculation helps compare cities or properties; it does not guarantee any result.
Do you live abroad and are you looking at Manosque? In 45 minutes, we tell you what is feasible with your budget, your down payment and your country of residence.
Book a call →Manosque has no TGV: its station puts Marseille 1 h 18 and Aix-en-Provence 41 minutes away by direct TER, and ZOU! coach line 66 links it to Marseille Provence airport. ITER is about 18 km away via the A51.
6 direct TER trains on Tuesday 17 November 2026, from 1 h 18 to 1 h 24, from Manosque - Gréoux-les-Bains to Marseille Saint-Charles.
6 direct TER trains on Tuesday 17 November 2026, to Aix-en-Provence centre station.
4 direct TER trains on Tuesday 17 November 2026, towards the Hautes-Alpes.
Via the A51 (exit 17), according to Agence ITER France; Monday to Friday, ZOU! coach line 66 also serves the Cadarache stop from the station.
The airport is reached by ZOU! coach line 66 from Manosque station, via Aix-en-Provence TGV station, according to Région Sud.
16 direct TGVs on Tuesday 17 November 2026 from Marseille Saint-Charles to Paris Gare de Lyon, after the TER from Manosque.
Timetables noted on 11 November 2026 in the official SNCF timetable (Tuesday 17 November 2026, a weekday without engineering works), on the ZOU! 66 line page of Région Sud and on the destinations page of Marseille Provence airport (consulted on 10 November 2026); they vary from day to day.
Yes, in the historic centre: a list of streets and certain sides of the boulevards that ring it. Since 8 April 2024, and for any lease signed from 8 May 2024, every letting of an unfurnished or furnished home, as the tenant’s main residence, requires prior rental authorisation from the town hall. It is renewed with each new tenant, after an inspection of the home, and the town hall replies within a month. Tourist lettings are not subject to it. Letting without authorisation exposes you to a fine of up to €5,000, then €15,000 for a repeat offence.
No. Manosque is not among the cities where rent is capped, and it is classed as a non-tight housing zone: it does not appear in the decree of 25 August 2026, which sets the list of communes concerned from 2027. You set the rent freely, at the first letting as on re-letting, except for a home rated F or G, whose rent can no longer increase. Stay close to the market, however: with vacancy at 12.2%, a rent that is too high quickly lengthens the search for a tenant.
INSEE counts 12.2% of vacant homes in Manosque in 2023, and 31.5% in the old town, where 56.5% of main residences date from before 1946. Many of these homes are old, poorly insulated or in need of renovation. The City has launched a rental permit and a housing improvement scheme there, renewed in 2026. For an investor, a renovated property with a good energy rating stands out clearly from this supply.
DVF gives a median price of €1,717 per m² for apartments, over 1,147 sales recorded in the last ten half-years. With 12.2% of homes vacant according to INSEE, the buyer can compare several properties before committing, and the condition of the property weighs heavily in the final price.
Yes. The programmed housing improvement and urban renewal operation (OPAH-RU), renewed for 2026, covers a perimeter that includes the old town. According to the City, it funds 30 to 80% of the cost of works excluding tax, under conditions set by ANAH, for homes more than 15 years old: energy, full renovation, façades, adaptation. Contact the Cœur de Ville et Habitat department before signing quotes: aid must be applied for before works begin.
Entrust the property to a local property management agency. It selects the tenant, collects the rents, oversees minor works and, in the old town centre, prepares the rental permit application at each re-letting. For the purchase, a notarised power of attorney avoids the need to travel. Plan for unpaid-rent insurance and a cash reserve for works.
Yes. The ITER site, next to the CEA Cadarache site, is about 18 km from Manosque via the A51 (exit 17), or 21 km by the departmental road via Vinon-sur-Verdon, according to Agence ITER France. ZOU! coach line 66 also links Manosque station to the Cadarache stop, Monday to Friday. ITER Organization employed 1,311 people at the end of 2025.
Via Marseille Provence airport, linked to Manosque station by ZOU! coach line 66, via Aix-en-Provence TGV station, according to Région Sud. By train, Manosque is 1 h 18 from Marseille Saint-Charles and 41 minutes from Aix-en-Provence by direct TER; from Marseille, Paris is 3 h 03 away by direct TGV.
Yes. Manosque is classed in seismic zone 4 (moderate), on a scale of 1 to 5, according to Géorisques. New buildings there follow earthquake-resistant rules. The risk report, handed over at every sale and every lease, mentions it, together with the natural and technological risk prevention plans that cover the commune.
According to sales recorded in DVF from January 2025 to December 2025, a studio sold for a median price of €59,600, a two-room apartment for a median price of €100,000 and a large home for a median price of €125,000. Allow about 8% notary fees on top for older properties, and a works budget if the energy rating is poor.
In 2026, the municipal property tax rate is 48.66%, plus 1.80% for the inter-municipal authority. These rates apply to half the cadastral rental value of the home: ask the seller for their latest property tax notice to know the amount.
For a 40 m² furnished two-room apartment bought for €68,680 and let for €612 a month, about 9.2% of the price remains after tax if you are covered by a scheme in the European Union, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom without depending on a mandatory French scheme, and 8.6% otherwise, under the micro-BIC regime and at the minimum rate of 20%. Charges, property tax and purchase costs are not deducted.
The capital gain is taxed in France at 19%, plus social contributions, and the notary withholds this tax at the time of sale, with an exemption from tax after 22 years and from social contributions after 30 years of ownership.
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