The Lyon market and its financing
Price per square metre by district in Lyon: where to read the medians, and what your budget buys
Price per square metre in Lyon: where to read the median of actual sales in each district, the caveats involved, and the floor area your budget can purchase.
Lyon does not have a single price per square metre, but nine markets, one per district, each highly dispersed. The median of sales actually concluded can be read, along with its sample size and year, in the file of property value requests opened by the tax authority. The accessible floor area is obtained by deducting costs from the budget, then dividing the financeable price by this median.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
Key points
- Lyon does not have one market but nine, one per district, each with significant internal dispersion.
- Only the median of sales actually concluded matters; never an average or an unverifiable online estimate.
- The bank assesses the collateral value, not the market price: a property bought at a high price may still be acceptable if the equity covers the difference.
- Within the same district, the gap between sales often exceeds that between two neighbouring districts.
- The cheapest district in Lyon does not really exist: a low median reflects the composition of the housing stock, not a uniform discount.
A price per square metre tells you what others have paid, not what you can buy. Read it arrondissement by arrondissement, then convert it into floor area based on your borrowing capacity. The context: the Lyon market and its financing, how to read official interest rate reports.
What is the price per square metre in Lyon today?
Not a single price, but nine markets, each highly dispersed. Read each median alongside its sample size and vintage, in the public file of transactions.
What this reference measures
Medians of actual completed sales, drawn from the real estate value requests opened by Etalab:
- sales only, of a single dwelling;
- extreme prices and very small floor areas excluded;
- median, never mean.
The vintage read is that of transactions in the calendar year 2025, in the municipal files of the Rhône department. It does not reflect the current market, nor the price of your property: condition, floor level, orientation and energy performance rating account for most of the difference. (Calculation based on 2025 DVF data.)
The centre: Presqu'île and Croix-Rousse
Presqu'île: uneven old building stock, few lifts. Croix-Rousse: strong family demand, premium for outdoor spaces.
| Reference value | Under what reservation it should be read |
|---|---|
| Median price per square metre — sold apartments, Lyon 1st | The old building stock there is very heterogeneous: the dispersion around the median matters more than the median itself. |
| Median price per square metre — sold apartments, Lyon 2nd | Sample size of the same order as that of the 1st, in an arrondissement where the weight of large floor areas pulls the value upwards. |
| Median price per square metre — sold apartments, Lyon 4th | A distinct market: an arrondissement median there covers situations that are hardly comparable depending on whether one is on the plateau or on the slopes. |
The Left Bank: 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th arrondissements
The bulk of the market: the highest volume of sales in the 3rd, the highest prices in the 6th, and the most significant changes in the 7th and 8th.
| Reference value | Under what condition it should be read |
|---|---|
| Median price per m² — sold apartments, Lyon 3rd | The most liquid arrondissement in Lyon: this is the most robust median in the reference, and the only one that can be read in isolation to some extent. |
| Median price per m² — sold apartments, Lyon 6th | The most expensive arrondissement in Lyon. A high median there does not signal homogeneity: the gap between the lower and upper ends of the market remains considerable. |
| Median price per m² — sold apartments, Lyon 7th | A very solid sample, in an arrondissement undergoing rapid transformation: the value becomes outdated faster than that of an established market. |
| Median price per m² — sold apartments, Lyon 8th | Very marked internal disparities. The median there aggregates sectors that are not comparable to one another. |
The Hills: 5th and 9th arrondissements
The median is most misleading there: sought-after hills and affordable neighbourhoods are mixed, and the relief weighs on usage.
| Reference value | Under what condition it should be read |
|---|---|
| Median price per m² — sold apartments, Lyon 5th | One of the two arrondissements where the median is the lowest, and the one where it is most misleading: the composition of the housing stock, not a uniform discount. |
| Median price per m² — sold apartments, Lyon 9th | A low median for the same reason as in the 5th. The gateway to western Lyon, where the question is posed in different terms. |
Why rely on actual sales rather than an online estimate?
An online estimate is an opaque model. A median of sales is a fact, with the method and sample size published.
A free estimate serves first to capture a contact, and its price to the nearest euro is an illusion. The lender, however, seeks the security value: an atypical property paid at the asking price may be refused.
What your budget buys, district by district
Budget minus costs: the affordable price. Price divided by the median: the floor area. In that order.
Step 1 — From total budget to purchase price
First, deduct the acquisition costs. In the case of existing properties, these are mainly registration duties, at the rate voted by the department, plus fees, real estate security contribution, disbursements and guarantee: the real budget for a first-time purchase in Lyon.
Step 2 — From purchase price to floor area
You obtain an indicative floor area. Three pitfalls:
- The median is not your property: floor level, lift, energy performance certificate shift the price more than two districts.
- Renovation works require a separate financing plan.
- Small floor areas cost more per square metre.
Step 3 — Start from your borrowing capacity, not the dream property
Your borrowing capacity determines the price, and the price determines the floor area.
New-build and existing properties: two prices per m² that cannot be compared
The median applies to existing properties. New-build properties cost more per square metre, with lower costs, but with staged payments and interim interest. The 5th district in detail: the page dedicated to the 5th district.
Intra-district differences are often greater than between districts
A median frames a budget, never a property listing: the street and the building matter more.
- The floor level and the lift.
- The orientation and the view.
- The co-ownership: read the minutes.
- The energy performance certificate, regarding the price and the number of buyers.
- The intended use: a student studio is sold on its yield, residential financing in Lyon.
Which is the cheapest neighbourhood in Lyon?
None in a stable manner: a low median depends on the composition of the housing stock.
A low price comes at a cost: access, energy, shared ownership, resale. Quantify it.
And in the first ring, for the same budget?
The ratio of the two medians gives the gain in surface area. Compare neighbourhoods, not municipalities.
Villeurbanne or Lyon 6: the method of arbitrage · the bridge loan in the western Lyon area.
What effect does the EPC have on the listed price?
A variable discount, and a renovation budget that weighs on your capacity.
A poorly rated property is financed along with its works: properties rated F and G.
How does the bank assess the property you are buying?
Price consistency, property liquidity, financed share. A property that is hard to resell blocks more than a high price covered by the down payment.
The proportion is a role of the personal contribution. All this comes after income and expenses: what the bank looks at, and in what order.
Translating a price per m² into a monthly payment: the complete method
Start from the sustainable monthly payment and work back to the surface area: this is the reading direction of the bank.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 1er — Légifrance
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 1er — Légifrance
The debt-to-income ratio · the article on the salary required to borrow 300,000 euros.
- Your monthly capacity: the maximum effort rate on your income.
- The borrowable amount: the monthly payment formula, taken in reverse, at the rate that has been written to you, or at the official records.
- The more the contribution, the less the fees: the financeable price.
- Divided by the median: the surface area to look for.
Your capacity in hand? Create your file or have your capacity checked by telephone.
Sources
- data.gouv.fr — Demandes de valeurs foncières
- files.data.gouv.fr/geo-dvf/latest/csv/2025/departements/69.csv.gz
- immobilier.notaires.fr — Prix immobilier
- notaires.fr/fr/immobilier-fiscalite/prix-et-tendances-de-limmobilier
- Insee — Indice des prix des logements anciens, France métropolitaine, ensemble, série brute
Read next
- Mortgage in Lyon: one file, several banks
- West Lyon or Lyon 5th and 9th Arrondissements: The Trade-off at Equal Monthly Instalments West Lyon or Lyon 5th-9th? Compare at equal instalments: the four-step method, the costs listings omit, and the cases where the west loses.
- What salary do you need to borrow €300,000 in Lyon? The income you require, calculated from the loan amount, including the full cost of the transaction — notary, guarantee, fees — that no one counts.
- Silk-weaver’s apartment in Croix-Rousse: valuation and financing High ceilings, mezzanine, period building: how a silk-weaver’s apartment affects the measured floor area, the valuation and the dossier presented to the lender.
All articles on this topic: The Lyon market and its financing
Passer au calcul : Borrowing capacity