The Chamonix valley is the most sought-after market in the Pays du Mont-Blanc, and the most tightly regulated. In Les Houches the square metre costs 23 % less than in Chamonix, while the reference rent is only 10 % lower — ten minutes down the road. That gap is the whole case for buying here rather than in central Chamonix.
Same valley, same buyers, same rules — but not the same entry price. Every figure below comes from a public source, named and dated.
Median prices per square metre, completed sales 2024-2025 (DVF), 2025 reference rents and INSEE population.
DVF (DGFiP), communes 74143 and 74056, 2024 and 2025 sales. 2025 rent indicator, French Ministry of Housing. INSEE, official population figures.
Our reading of the same data. It applies to a purchase intended for letting, not to a main home.
These percentages are based on the long-term reference rent published by the French Ministry of Housing, not on short-term letting income. They are there to compare two communes with each other, not to advertise a yield: that depends on the property, the occupancy rate, the running costs and the tax regime you choose.
Les Houches is gaining residents while Chamonix loses them: the commune lives all year round, which also supports resale.
This is the figure that explains everything else. In Chamonix and Les Houches, housing is first and foremost tourist accommodation ; ten minutes further down the valley it is the other way round. Share of second homes and occasional dwellings in the total housing stock.
INSEE, 2023 population census (main analysis), dwellings by category. 2023 official population figures.
dwellings in Chamonix, for 8,705 residents. In Les Houches, 4,725 dwellings for 3,515 residents.
A housing stock sized for a population passing through, not for the one that lives here all year.
of Sallanches dwellings are main homes, and 82,6 % in Passy. People buy here to live, not to let by the week.
That is why our commune pages do not tell the same story from one end of the valley to the other.
He lives in the valley, works here all year round and is fluent in French and English — which matters when a good share of buyers come from abroad. He is also a partner in Care Concierge, which manages more than 250 short-term lets in this same valley : he knows what gets let, in which season, and on what terms.
In practice, he will tell you before you buy whether the property you are looking at can be authorised for short-term letting, and what that involves. It is the question that costs the most when it is asked after the contract is signed.
We sell in both communes : 4 properties for sale right now, on top of what we handle off market.
Talk to SébastienNo obligation : buying with Swixim does not commit you to handing over the management.
It is every investor's first question, and the answer changes from one commune to the next. Here are the rules as the communes themselves publish them.
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Les Houches, Servoz and Vallorcine apply the strictest rules in the area.
Sources: the valley communes' official portal (valleedechamonix.declaloc.fr), and the town halls of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Les Houches. Checked on 28 September 2026.
In practice that points to two different approaches:
One property, the best one you can get. If the Chamonix valley is where you want to be, and you only get one permit, it may as well cover the best located and best equipped property available. This is where the choice of property matters most.
A second property, further down the valley. Saint-Gervais, Combloux and Les Contamines-Montjoie require only a simple declaration at the town hall, with no prior permit and no quota per person. For a second investment that is administratively simpler — and the square metre costs less.
See the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains market →
A national register of furnished tourist lets takes effect on 20 May 2026 (decree no. 2026-196 of 19 March 2026): existing local numbers will have to be transferred to it or renewed.
Buying a property for short-term letting in the Chamonix valley raises questions few agencies can answer all the way through: the change-of-use permit, the registration number, how seasonal the area really is, the standard of fit-out guests now expect, and who manages the place once you own it.
Care Concierge, our partner company, manages more than 250 properties in the Chamonix valley. Sébastien is a partner in it, and already looks after French and international investors in this area. That is what lets us answer your questions, with the figures and the constraints in hand, before you make an offer — not after.
The two businesses stay separate, deliberately: Swixim handles buying and selling, Care Concierge handles letting and management. You are never required to hand the management to one in order to buy with the other.
Property management in Les Houches — Care Concierge →
Property management in Chamonix — Care Concierge →
The right person is not the one with the most listings, it is the one who knows the ground and knows the letting business.
We have also handled 1 sale in Les Houches and Chamonix and its hamlets. This list updates automatically from our agency software.
Median price per square metre for an apartment, based on sales completed in 2024 and 2025. Between Passy and Megève, the square metre is multiplied by 2.8. Each commune has its own page and its own figures.
Prices : DVF (DGFiP), 2024-2025 sales. The bars are proportional to the median price.
Published as FAQPage structured data, with the figures and their sources inside each answer.
In Les Houches the median price is 7 407 € per square metre against 9 583 € in Chamonix, which is 23 % less, while the reference rent is only 10 % lower. Ten minutes apart and in the same valley, the ratio of rent to purchase price is therefore better in Les Houches. Chamonix keeps the advantage on name recognition and international footfall.
Not in the same commune. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Les Houches limit every owner, individual or company, to a single change-of-use permit. Servoz and Vallorcine allow two. For a second investment, the communes further down the valley — Saint-Gervais, Combloux, Les Contamines-Montjoie — require only a simple declaration at the town hall. Source: the valley communes' official portal, checked in September 2026.
In the Chamonix valley: a change-of-use permit obtained in advance, valid for 3 renewable years; an energy performance certificate (DPE) rated between A and E; then a registration number displayed on every listing. Platforms are required to remove listings without a number. A national register takes effect on 20 May 2026. Have your own case confirmed by the town hall: these rules are applied property by property.
We have 4 properties for sale in Les Houches and Chamonix, from 480 000 € to 798 000 €. The list updates automatically from our agency software.
Care Concierge, our partner company, manages more than 250 short-term lets in the Chamonix valley and can take over once the purchase completes. The two businesses stay separate: you can buy with Swixim without handing the management to Care Concierge.
Sébastien Blasco, who covers this area for Swixim, on +33 6 40 19 89 64 or s.blasco@swixim.com. He works in French and English. The agency can be reached on +33 6 86 02 01 78 and at sallanches@swixim.com.
Sébastien will call you back within one working day, in French or English, with the letting rules that apply in this area.
Sébastien receives your message directly, with the agency copied in. We reply within one working day, in French or English.
