Own in the Secret South of France from $200,000

France’s Mediterranean coast is one of Europe’s most evocative destinations. It’s where you’ll find the French Riviera, stunning Mediterranean beaches and all the luxury and glamor of Cannes and Saint-Tropez. One of the most prestigious areas to vacation in Europe, it comes with a price tag to match.

But there’s another South of France where you can find much of what makes the French Riviera special, at a fraction of the price.

It’s the France people dream of…fairy-tale castles towering on rocky hillsides, medieval villages, and market squares alive with color and life. Farmhouse tables laden with bread, cheese, and fruits. In shaded town squares, locals sip ruby wines made from grapes grown in sight of the village.

You’ll find stretches of beach here too, where crashing waves and the call of the gulls are your music…

I’m talking about the Languedoc…

Situated to the west of the French Riviera bordering Spain, the Languedoc region is sometimes called the “Poor Man’s Provence” or “the real South of France.”

But this is no poor relation…

The Languedoc part of southern France has been high on my watchlist for years.

I looked closely at buying a European base for myself there before instead settling on Portugal’s Silver Coast. The Languedoc boasts sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches and colorful resort towns, wild mountain ranges, dramatic gorges, stunning hill towns, and big cities like Perpignan and Montpellier.

You’ll enjoy 300 days of sunshine a year, world-class wines, classic French restaurants, farmers markets selling fresh seasonal produce, charming medieval villages, and a countryside overflowing with vineyards and olive groves.

And it’s the biggest wine-producing region in France. In fact, it accounts for 5% of global wine production.

It’s a popular second home and vacation destination. But without the same volume of tourists you’ll find in Provence to the east. It’s also got a more affordable cost of living and it offers some of the best-value real estate in the entire country.

Find the right property in the Languedoc and you could make a decent income, too, when you’re not enjoying yourself there.

The nickname “Poor Man’s Provence” really doesn’t do it justice. Indeed, it might be entirely inaccurate. You’ll find plenty of foreigners who could easily afford to buy and live in Provence but for whom the Languedoc offers a more alluring and tranquil retreat away from the crowds.

A significant uptick of wealthier folks have been arriving here in the past few years from Paris and other French cities, partly spurred on by the pandemic and the desire for more space.

Nevertheless, this region is still more affordable.

It’s been too long since my scouts put boots on the ground in this part of France. Nearly three years in fact. (I was last there in 2019.)

I last sent scouts here back in 2021 to explore opportunities in the fallout from Brexit—the British exit from the European Union—which led to some British expats selling their homes.

My scouts covered thousands of miles between them and found some interesting opportunities…

Nearly three years later, with the dust having settled on Brexit, I sent my scout Oliver Lovett back to the Languedoc to look for opportunities…

But Oliver wasn’t just scouting for you and I…

This was also a personal journey…

Like all my team Oliver’s job is fully remote. He currently lives full-time in Panama City. But if you can work from anywhere in the world, why not work from the South of France?

His parents moved to the Languedoc in 2021, and Oliver has been considering buying a property there to spend a few months at a time in the region with his wife and young son.

This is what he found…

An Idyllic Village, a Dream Mansion, and $5 Bottles of Wine

After disembarking the packed Ryanair flight from Dublin and collecting my hire car, I navigated the light Sunday traffic out of Toulouse and took my ticket onto the Péage toll road.

My destination was the medieval village of Pouzols-Minervois, 90 miles to the east. In 1355, Pouzols-Minervois had been sacked by Edward the Black Prince, sent to the South of France by his father, Edward III King of England, on mission to wreak maximum havoc and destruction. His orders were to cut a swift and brutal path through the Languedoc in a type of raid the French call a chevauchee.

As I drove, I thought about my own chevauchee and the new home I was hoping to find. Mine would be a more peaceful journey though, and my destruction limited to the region’s excellent cheeseboards.

The three-lane péage was smooth and mostly deserted, giving me the opportunity to take in a little of the countryside. Dormant vineyards and small villages nestled in the low hills and the occasional plumes of smoke from wood-burning stoves rose up.

I arrived in Pouzols-Minervois mid-afternoon, but a blanket of slate-grey cloud made it seem later than it was. The smell of smoke from wood burning fires and stoves was in the air. I took a stroll around the village, walking between the steep houses which flank the narrow, winding streets and up the hill to the fort, which the Black Prince had sacked.

On the outskirts of the village, by the gravel car park where the locals like to play pétanque I found the small cemetery dedicated to the men and women of Pouzols-Minervois who died during the battles with the Black Prince’s army.

I fell for the charm of Pouzols-Minervois straight away. It gave me my first view of the snow-capped Pyerenees from near the top of the hill, a view many of the houses up here enjoy.

Pouzols-Minervois a quiet village, but there’s an active local community. Own a home here and you could easily integrate into the village life for the duration of your stay.

Pouzols-Minervois has a school but no shops or cafés. During the summer there’s live music on the square every third Friday. Year-round, there’s a van which arrives on Friday lunchtime to sell fresh poultry near the fountain outside the fort. On Saturday mornings there’s a small market down by the local Cave.

Cave co-operatives are where the local winegrowers sell their produce. Most villages have their own and, in the Languedoc, they can be relied on for quality wine at a bargain price.

I sampled numerous wines for less than $5 and they were all excellent. For even better value, locals will often bring a big container and fill it with wine straight from the vat.

Ronan had told me to keep a look out for renovated old homes for sale by expats. These kinds of sales can offer good value…sometimes the seller is motivated and you can negotiate, and you avoid the cost and hassle of extensive renovations.

I came across this home on the outskirts of Pouzols-Minervois which fits the bill. It’s in a location that tourists might appreciate. A 50-minute drive to Beziers airport, and a 45-minute drive to the nearest popular beach at Narbonne Plage.

I learned that it’s currently owned by an American lady who’s wants to return to the U.S. The house has been completely renovated and has a swimming pool, a big plus for the rental market. It’s listed for €500,000 (around $540,000) but there would likely be room for negotiation.

What The Expats Say…

While walking in Pouzols-Minervois, I met Ali and John, a retired expat couple from England who have been living in the Languedoc for nearly 20 years.Soon after arriving they got into the real estate game and with nearly two decades worth of experience, buying, selling, renovating, and renting out real estate in the Languedoc, I was delighted when they agreed to meet up later in the week for a coffee and chat about real estate here.

Like many expats in the South of France Ali and John decided to buy in the Languedoc after vacationing here. Their first home was close to the coast, but they didn’t like it. They found that there were too many tourists and during the summer it got too busy for their everyday life.

After stumbling onto Pouzols-Minervois by chance, they bought a house in the village as a renovation project and have been in the area ever since.

Over time, they went on to buy several houses in the Languedoc which they would renovate and rent out.

Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation…

On What to Look for in a Rental Property

• To maximize rental yield your house must have some kind of outside space. This doesn’t have to be big. It could be a terrace or BBQ area, but tourists who come to the South of France during the summer months want to spend time outside.

• For the best returns you should be marketing your home to tourists and not the locals.

• Proximity to water is a major plus. The beach is best, but a river or lake is also good.

• A rental property with a pool will always do well, but a swimming pool impacts your ability to lock-up-and-leave.

• One way to maximize returns is to for somewhere with space for a pool and install it yourself.

• Buying a rental property in a village which has a bar or café in will do wonders for your occupancy rates.

On Dealing with Red Tape in France

• If you speak with an attorney and do things by the book, making renovations to a home in France can be straightforward, that said there are some quirks…

• For example, before installing a swimming pool, you need to ask for planning permission. In this part of France, not everyone bothers with it but as an expat you should make a point of following the rules.

• Planning permission in villages can be subject certain restrictions. If you’re in a village that has anything classed as an historic monument (an ancient church, or ruins of a fort) you’ll need to get your planning permission approved by the ABF, a government organization of qualified architects. They’ll have six months to approve or reject your proposal. If they reject your proposal, you cannot appeal the decision.

• France wouldn’t be France without some strange bureaucracy. For reasons unknown, you can’t put a blue plastic lining in your pool, it must be white. Blue pool covers are perfectly acceptable.

Pro Tip: Roof terraces are no longer allowed to be built in historic villages. If you find a house in an historic village that already has a roof terrace installed, you’re onto a winner.

On Life in the Languedoc and Things They’ve Learned Along the Way

• Eating the local seasonal produce is the norm here. Ali and John tell me that their diet has improved dramatically since they arrived.

• The locals are welcoming, and you can integrate into the local community, but you must make the effort. Say hello to everyone you meet and show your face at local events.

• American friends of theirs love the authenticity of the Languedoc. They had been to a wine harvest in the Nappa Valley, where everything is sanitized, and loved experiencing the streets of the Languedoc sticky with grape juice and watching the small, overloaded ¬tractors carrying the harvest.

• An overlooked benefit of buying in a small village is that the locals will know you and keep an eye on your home while you’re away.

• Negotiating a real estate purchase with the French is a little different to anywhere else. The French name a price they think is fair and stick with it. This is why you can see homes being sold by French owners staying on the market for months and even years.

• There are no building regulations in France. Expats usually renovate to a high standard, but if you’re buying an old house from a local owner, check absolutely everything.

Ali and John love the Languedoc region and told me they can’t see themselves ever leaving.

A Four-Bedroom House by the Canal du Midi for €277,000

The next day I set off to explore some of the villages close to Pouzols-Minervois.

My first stop was Argens Minervois. The sky was overcast, and the bare fields were subdued shades of brown and yellow under the watery sun.

Arriving in Argens I watched a farmer park up his rickety Renault tractor on the side of the road and shuffle into the post office. With his collar turned up against the wind, I got the impression that he, both he and the whole countryside were just biding time until spring arrived. (I was there in January!)

Like Pouzols-Minervois, Argens is a medieval village with a hill fort. But where the fort in Pouzols has been renovated and is now a popular place for summer rentals, the fort in Argen looked abandoned and decaying. It did offer a great view of the surrounding countryside, though.

I’m told that Argens is a lovely spot when the weather is nice, with scenic walks along the Canal du Midi, which begins in Toulouse and meanders over 149 miles until it reaches the Mediterranean.

On a cold January afternoon the path didn’t appeal, so I set my satnav for the nearby village of Roubia to see what I could find.

The charming village Roubia is a 20-minute drive from Argens, down a narrow road which snakes around vineyard perimeters and dissects olive fields.

Roubia is a quiet, pretty village, with just enough amenities to make it appealing to tourists and anyone looking to enjoy a relaxed stay in the Languedoc countryside.

I quickly lost myself in the ancient streets of Roubia which had an immediate insulating effect from the speed of the modern world. Forgetting about my phone and the emails I needed to send later in the day, I made my way through the village, completely absorbed in the moment. Eventually I found myself once again by the Canal du Midi which woke me from my wandering trance, and I left Roubia pleased with my find.

I scoured the Roubia real estate listings later that evening looking to see if there were any homes for sale.

I found an interesting four bedroom house for sale at a very reasonable €277,000 (around $300,000). Unfortunately, it’s under offer but I’ll be keeping an eye on the Roubia.

Olonzac is the nearest town to both Roubia and Pouzols-Minervois, and on Tuesday mornings there’s a traditional farmers’ market that I was keen to explore.

Farmers markets are a big part of life in the Languedoc. There’s an emphasis on eating fresh, local produce. Of course, you can still buy imported fruit and veg at the supermarket, but people tend to eat according to the seasons.

I parked on the edge of town and followed the circulade into the town square where the market is held. In the Languedoc a circulade is a traditional village built in concentric circles. Follow the circles of the circulade and you’ll always find your way to the town center.

I arrived early but it was clear the market had been open for some time. The stalls were filled with crates of local fruit, vegetables, cheeses, meats, and shellfish. Cheerful venders chatted with market goers and the tantalizing smells of rotisserie chicken drifted through the square.

I filled my provision bag with fresh walnuts and a some locally produced cheeses (Tomme des Pyrenees, Comte, Osseau-Irta and Brie) before walking on to see more of Olonzac.

I found a tremendous bakery named Maison Sieurac which I would recommend to anyone visiting the Languedoc. They make some of the best baguettes and croissants I’ve ever tasted.

I learned that they also do magnificent pain au chocolate, and that in the Languedoc, you must ask for a chocolatine. Ask for a pain au chocolate and the venders will assume you’re a foreigner, or worse, a Parisian, and pretend not to understand what you mean.

Stopping off for a coffee on the pavement seating outside the Cote Brasserie, a local bar with appealing prices, I scoured the listings for Olonzac.

In our RETA we have a group chat, where we share interesting real estate news from around the world. Someone had posted an article about the price of real estate in California and I couldn’t help but compare these with the prices in the Languedoc.

With the average median price of a house in LA at $918,087 someone looking to relocate from LA to the Languedoc could move into this stunning four-bedroom house, listed at €685,000, (around $745,000) and have plenty of money left over for chocolatines.

The old town in Olonzac was livelier than the villages I’d seen before, but still had that tranquility that you expect in this part of France. If you’re looking for a blend of convenience and small-town life in a Mediterranean town then Olonzac should be on your list.

At lunch I got acquainted with some of Languedoc’s excellent cheeses. Comte, Saint Agur and a fromage de chevere, along with a brie.

Afterwards I took a drive out to Bize Minervois, a 15-minute drive inland from Olonzac, towards the hills.

Bize Minervois is a quiet town with a river running through it.

One half is made up of the old town, with medieval buildings, cafés and bars. This is the side of town favored by tourists, expats, and second homeowners.

The other half, with the newer buildings, is favored by the French, especially those with young families, who appreciate the central heating and other amenities that some of the old houses in this part of France don’t have (unless they’ve been renovated by expats).

The locals dammed the river that runs through Bize, and in the summer it’s a popular place for tourists and locals to come and swim. But on a chilly January afternoon even the golden cocker spaniels out with their owner would only paddle.

A pleasant walk around the old town confirmed to me Bize Minervois would be the sort of village where you could combine a relaxed place to live with some rental potential during the summer months. There was a good deal of renovation going on, including a new restaurant being built, presumably with one eye on being ready in time for summer.

I noticed a house for sale with views overlooking the river. It has a modern interior, seven bedrooms and is listed for €388,724 (around $442,000). Theres a small outside terrace with riverside views. With no garden to take care of this is a perfect lock-up-and leave.

I left Bize-Minervois and called in at the nearby L’Oulibo olive cooperative. L’Oulibo brand themselves as the Rolls Royce of olive producers and get good trade from the summer tourists.

I poked around their small shop and bought some green olives in a jar and a small spoon for cooking rice made from olive wood. That evening, I ate the olives, washing them down with a glass of beer. They were good but I discovered later on that the locals buy their olives from Le Moulin de la Restanque, whose olives are cheaper and tastier.

It was a good reminder of the importance of local knowledge!

Off-Grid Home with Potential Gross Yield of 11%

Wednesday morning bought a change in the weather.

It was already warm at 9 a.m. when I set off for the town of Laurens, and by lunchtime the mercury was above 71.6°F.

The bright sunshine brought the countryside to life and for the first time I noticed the white flowers of the wild rocket which carpet the fields.

I was in Laurens to view a house that I was particularly excited about.

I’ve always been a fan of off-grid homes. In life, you never know what’s round the corner, and the peace of mind that comes with being completely self-sufficient is something that greatly appeals to me.

With a vegetable garden, a few chickens, and possibly access to the river or sea for fishing, an off-grid house would let you ride out any storm in complete comfort.

So, when I saw an off-grid house listed for sale close to Laurens, I knew I had to see it.

The English owners had made the home fully off-grid and installed modern fittings throughout including a gas central heating system.

They had put a massive set of solar panels by the saltwater pool which charges up a huge stack of batteries, providing electricity to the house.

There’s also a big fuel tank to power the generator if the sun stops shining for any reason. They’ve got their own well too.

The only expense would be keeping the gas tank topped up.

It sounded perfect, and the real estate agent said you could rent it out for €2,500 (around $2,700) a week and be pretty sure of 100% occupancy from June through mid-September.

It’s listed for €335,000 but the real estate agent intimated to me an offer of €310,000 (around $335,000) might be enough.

That would give a gross yield renting high season of over 11%. Then I could spend time there with my family in the spring and/or fall.

A Lock-and Leave for €210,000

Cessenon-sur-orb is a 20-minute drive from Laurens and one of the most picturesque villages I’ve seen in the Languedoc.

It struck me as somewhere you could live year-round if you wanted to. Even on a weekday in January, the local café and restaurant was full of workers enjoying their lunch break and friends catching up.

Cessenon-sur-orb is also a great location for tourists and expats alike. It’s a 25-minute drive from Beziers airport and just 35-minutes from the beach.

The home I was there to see had a few unique selling points which can help it to stand out on the rental market. It’s a three-minute walk from a swimmable river. The local café and a few bars are even closer. It has a third-floor terrace where you can enjoy a glass of wine outside during those long summer nights.

There’s also a spacious garage on the ground floor, which would be a very nice feature, as parking in Cessenon-sur-orb was at a premium even in January.

The price is €220,000 but it’s possible that an offer of around €210,000 (around $230,000) would be accepted and include all the furniture (and maybe even the old Peugeot in the garage as well).

In terms of rental yield, you could likely ask for €1,200 (around $1,300) during the high season and expect 100% occupancy for the 14 weeks between June and mid-September.

That would give a gross yield renting high season of 8%.

From here I drove to Fleury…

Fleury, unofficially known as Fleury-d’Aude, which sounded like Florida to my untrained ear, was the closest I got to the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Sea is just over a 10-minute drive from Fleury and the beach, named Cabanes de Fleury has been awarded the prestigious blue flag for cleanliness and quality.

I would imagine it’s due to the extra tourism that beach towns receive, but Fleury just looked that bit more touristy than the places I’d visited previously.

The houses seemed better maintained, shutters were freshly painted and there were very few of the run-down looking buildings that you can come across.

I was in Fleury to view a large three-bedroom stone house with a courtyard and garage.

The location was superb. A two-minute stroll to the nearest café, and right in the heart of Fleury, which is a decent-sized town.

With the proximity to the beach and the outside courtyard, the tourist potential was immediately clear and at a level where you wouldn’t need to do any major renovations.

After an expresso on the square and a mooch about Fleury, I left feeling good about both the house and the town.

You can find a video walkthrough of the house here.

The asking price is €249,000 (around $270,000) and the real estate agent said you could get €1,300 (around $1,400) during the summer months. That makes a gross yield of just over 7%.

My only concern would be whether it gets too busy even in the early summer. I’d like to come back in May and see how busy things are before the high season kicks off.

A Swimming Pool and Hot Tub in the Hills

Caunes-Minervois is a popular tourist town set up in the hills.

I was in town to view a home with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, and bags of rental potential.

The real estate agent who showed me around said you could get a rental income of €2,500 (around $2,700) a week from June to mid-September. From easter to June and perhaps October, you could rent for €1,250 (around $1,350) a week and still expect close to 100% occupancy.

The asking price was €435,000 (around $475,000) which translates as a gross rental yield around 8% over the peak season.

The house was certainly in a prime location. From the second-floor terrace there was a spectacular view across to the Andorra and the Pyrenees mountains which make up the border with Spain. (The mountains and ski resorts are a two-hour drive away from Caunes-Minervois.)

The pool area could also provide you with a nice view across the valley, although you’d need to cut down some trees to open it up a little.

The house was an easy five-minute walk into town, which has a few restaurants, bars and a lively expat community made up of Brits and Americans.

I took a walk into town to get a feel for the place and see some of the famous red marble statues as well as the 8th-century church.

Caune-Minervois is famous for its red marble, which was beloved by everyone from the Romans to Napoleon. You can find sculptures made of this red marble throughout the town, lining the riverside, or in courtyards.

Caunes Minervois was exactly the type of place I could imagine living in. You could buy a fresh baguette every morning from the bakery and take a stroll to one of the local bars in the evening.

France’s Most Fashionable Wine Region?

The Languedoc, and especially the Minervois, is one of France’s hottest wine regions. For a long time, the region was associated with cheap table wine, but today it’s at the forefront of the organic wine trend, and vineyards here are winning major awards.

Once again, it’s the Languedoc’s lack of reputation which is providing value.

The price of land here is cheaper than in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and some of the more famous regions, allowing the next generation of wine growers an easier route into the market.

But how easy would it be to buy a small vineyard and have a crack at growing your own wine?

I spoke with a local winegrower who is doing just that.

He told me that it’s easier than you might think, but to temper your expectations of producing an award-winning wine off the bat.

The most difficult thing is finding the right vineyard.

Unfortunately, the best vineyards don’t often make it onto the market as the locals get first refusal and anything they pass on is unlikely to be great.

However, locals will sometimes pass on small vineyards, which might have excellent vines, but are just too small to be economically viable.

This is where the opportunity lies. You can buy a small plot at a reasonable price, and potentially in a very good area.

While local knowledge is important, the biggest barrier to entry to growing your own wine is the time involved.

Wine growing is a year-round occupation. The vines need pruning in the spring and spraying every 10-14 days once the summer arrives. They also need spraying after each rainfall.

Something to consider is whether you want to buy an irrigated vineyard.

Irrigated land provides the grapes with more water, so you get big juicy grapes, but the flavor is diluted. On the plus side it’s harder to fail with an irrigated vineyard so they’d be the perfect starting point for a novice grower.

To give you some flavor of what’s available, I found this listing for a 25-acre vineyard in the Minervois. There are 20 acres of vineyard, with the rest being unplanted land. It’s listed for €86,000 (around $95,000) and the seller is happy to include farming equipment such as tractor, rotovator, trimmer, etc. for an additional €37,500 (around $45,000).

Minervois is a part of the Languedoc known for good wines. Here’s some facts about it from Wine Searcher.

What are my conclusions after a week in the Langeudoc?

On a personal level I was impressed. I saw homes which would be perfect for me to relocate with my family. The price point was appealing, and the Mediterranean lifestyle was in evidence even during January.

I spoke to people who have kids in school here and they all remarked on how good the French education system is.

Looking at the wider real estate market, prices here are no longer a screaming bargain, but there’s still value to be found.

It’s difficult for me to imagine anyone not being charmed by this very special part of France.

Own in the Secret South
of France from $200,000