House prices in metropolitan France rose by 0.2% between January and March on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared to an increase of 0.3% in the final quarter of last year, according to new data from French statistics body Insee.
As the data showed, prices for second-hand dwellings rose by 0.2% during the quarter, matching the overall market increase and following a 0.3% rise in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, prices for new dwellings rebounded, increasing by 0.5% after a decline of 0.1% in the final three months of 2025.
Annual increase
Despite the quarter-on-quarter gains, annual growth remained limited, with house prices just 0.1% higher in the first quarter of 2026, compared with the corresponding quarter a year ago. This represents a slowdown from the 0.9% year-on-year increase recorded in the fourth quarter of last year.
As Insee noted, prices for second-hand homes increased by 0.1% year on year, compared with growth of 1.0% in the previous quarter. New dwelling prices also recorded annual growth of 0.1%, down from 0.7% in the final quarter of 2025.
Overall dwelling prices
According to the index, which uses 2015 as its base year, overall dwelling prices reached 127.7 in the first quarter of 2026. New dwellings recorded an index level of 131.2, while second-hand dwellings stood at 127.4.
Existing homes continue to dominate the French housing market, accounting for 91.9% of the weighting used in the index, while new dwellings represent 8.1%.
Insee also revised its estimate for the fourth quarter of 2025. The quarterly increase previously reported for that period was adjusted down by 0.1 percentage points, from 0.4% to 0.3%.
The statistics body said that its next update on French house prices is scheduled for publication on 18 September 2026. Read more here.
