Ski in winter, hike in summer, and buy where the same budget goes much further than in Chamonix. Our team works in English and French.
Median price per m² of houses sold in 2024-2025 (DVF register, French tax authority). Housing stock: INSEE census 2023.
On completed sales in 2024-2025, a house in Chamonix sells at a median price of 13 810 € per m². In Passy it is 4 262 € (69 % less), in Sallanches 4 474 € (68 % less) and in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains 7 209 € (48 % less). The budget for a 100 m² house in Chamonix buys about 324 m² in Passy. Swixim Sallanches, an independent estate agency in the Mont-Blanc valley, helps international buyers in English and French through Sébastien Blasco (+33 6 40 19 89 64).
Sources: DVF register (French tax authority), 2024-2025 sales; INSEE census 2023. Market data checked in October 2026.
Every figure is a completed sale price, not an asking price. Houses and chalets are where the commune matters most: in Chamonix, a house costs 3.2 times as much per m² as a house in Passy.
Median sale prices per m², DVF register (French tax authority), 2024-2025 sales. The median apartment price appears under each house price.
Why the gap? In Chamonix, 69 % of homes are second homes: it is a resort market. In Sallanches and Passy, about eight homes in ten are main residences (80 % and 83 %): people live there all year, with shops, schools and services. Prices reflect those two different markets.
Take a 100 m² house at the median Chamonix price: 1 381 000 €. The same budget, at each commune’s median price, buys on average:
An order of magnitude worked out from the median price per m² of all houses sold. The price of any one chalet depends on its location, condition, plot and view: this is neither a valuation nor an offer.
Chamonix and Megève remain exceptional markets, and their prices say so. But the slopes, the trails and the summits are shared: what changes from one commune to the next is the price of the roof. On the valley floor, the budget for a house in Chamonix can pay for a far larger house, with land. The lower valley — Le Fayet, Passy, Sallanches — is the market we work every day from our Sallanches agency.
Already own in Chamonix or Megève? See how owners are using this price gap.
Chamonix hosted the first Winter Olympics, in 1924. Further down, the Évasion Mont-Blanc area links Megève, Saint-Gervais, Les Contamines, Combloux and other villages: 400 km of slopes, between 1,113 m and 2,350 m above sea level (source: Savoie Mont-Blanc).
Mont Blanc rises to 4,805 m. The Tour du Mont-Blanc, the classic hiking circuit, crosses France, Italy and Switzerland; trail running, climbing, paragliding and mountain biking make the valley a hub for mountain sports.
The A40 motorway runs through the valley and Geneva airport is about an hour away by road (indicative, outside heavy traffic). The Sallanches – Combloux – Megève and Saint-Gervais – Le Fayet stations serve the valley floor; the latter is the start of the Mont-Blanc Express line to Chamonix.
In Sallanches, 80 % of homes are main residences (83 % in Passy): shops, schools and local life all year round, close to the resorts.
Our team works in English and French. We regularly work with buyers from the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries. Sébastien Blasco, your English-speaking contact, follows your file from the first viewing to the signing at the notaire.
You view in person, or by video call if you are abroad: the property is shown to you room by room and your questions are answered live.
Surveys, running costs, co-ownership rules, planning: each document is explained to you in your language before you sign.
You can choose a firm that works in English, or a notaire you already know, without paying a euro more. See the financing guide.
Budget, area and use: second home, family stays, or a purchase to let. That decides the commune.
In person or live by video, with a shortlist matched to your plan.
The agency negotiates the offer, which the seller then accepts in writing.
The preliminary contract (compromis de vente) is signed with the notaire. After signing, the buyer has a 10-day withdrawal period.
If you are borrowing, the compromis includes a condition that the loan is granted. See our financing guide.
At the notaire, usually two to three months after the compromis, in person or by power of attorney.
Swixim buys and sells; letting is the business of Care Concierge, our sister company. Buying with us does not oblige you to use it. But before buying to let short-term, one rule can steer the choice of commune.
A change-of-use authorisation is required before letting, limited to one per owner, valid for three years and renewable.
A simple declaration to the town hall, with no authorisation and no quota.
Rules checked with the valley’s communes in September 2026; they change. For other communes, check with the mairie. This is general information, not legal advice.
Buying to let? Care Concierge manages more than 250 properties in the Chamonix valley, on short-term and long-term lets.
Discover Care ConciergeYes. There is no nationality restriction on buying a home in France, and the purchase follows the same steps as for a French resident: an offer, a preliminary contract (compromis de vente) and a final deed signed before a notaire, the public officer who completes property sales in France.
You will normally visit, or view the property live by video call, and sign in front of the notaire. If you cannot attend the signing, you can usually give a power of attorney (procuration) to someone who signs on your behalf. Your notaire confirms what is possible in your case.
On completed sales in 2024-2025, the median price of a house is 13 810 € per m² in Chamonix, against 4 262 € in Passy (69 % less), 4 474 € in Sallanches (68 % less) and 7 209 € in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (48 % less). For apartments the medians are 9 583 € in Chamonix, 3 384 € in Passy and 3 694 € in Sallanches. Source: DVF register, French tax authority.
In Haute-Savoie, notary costs on an existing (non-new) property are around 7.5 to 8 % of the price. Our financing guide sets out the calculation and its sources. The agency fee is always stated on the listing.
Some French banks lend to non-residents, but the terms depend on your country of residence, your income and your deposit. It is worth speaking to a broker or bank before you make an offer. We do not give financial advice; our financing guide explains how rates and costs are worked out.
It depends on the commune. In Chamonix and Les Houches you need a change-of-use authorisation before letting, with a limit of one per owner. In Saint-Gervais and Combloux a simple declaration to the town hall is enough. Always check with the mairie before you buy: this is general information, not legal advice. Letting is handled separately by Care Concierge, our sister company, and buying with us does not oblige you to use it.
The owner pays the taxe foncière (property tax) every year and, on a second home, the taxe d’habitation on secondary residences. Rental income is taxed separately. Read our guides below, then confirm your own situation with a tax adviser.
Our team works in English and French. Sébastien Blasco is your English-speaking contact in the valley, and follows your file from the first call to the notaire.
Our guides
Sell, value or buy: median prices per m², completed sales and a free valuation with Sébastien Blasco.
Sell an apartment, buy a chalet further down the valley: the calculation with real prices.
Buying to let short term: letting rules, the two communes compared and support through to management.
Tell us your budget, the communes you have in mind and the language you would like us to use. Sébastien replies personally.
