Paris

The Paris housing market in 2025 is stabilizing after recent price declines and a very tight rental market. Around 65% of Parisians rent their homes, with the remaining 35% owning, making Paris one of the most renter-dominated major cities in Europe. The latest figures put the median price to buy an apartment in Paris at about 9,350 to 9,420 euros per square meter, following a nearly 10% fall over two years. Median rents are above 35 euros per square meter monthly for apartments, especially for furnished rentals, which are highly sought after.

Publicly owned and social housing play a central role. In Paris, about 21-23% of housing stock is classified as social housing, surpassing France’s national legal target of 25%. Social housing (logement social or HLM – Habitations à Loyer Modéré) is provided through a mix of public, semi-public, and non-profit agencies and is aimed at low- and moderate-income households. In local context, the terms “public housing” and “social housing” are effectively synonymous, both referring to subsidized rental units controlled or overseen by public authorities.

Public agencies and city policy strongly influence what gets built and where, using a combination of direct ownership and partnerships to expand affordable housing. Social housing is well-integrated into many neighborhoods, not relegated to isolated blocks, and construction remains a high political priority in Paris, even as funding challenges persist.

Paris faces a chronic housing crisis marked by high costs, a shortage of affordable units, and a sharp disparity between supply and demand. The volume of rental listings had dropped by over 50% in the past three years, with 2025 only seeing a modest recovery in available rental properties. Prices remain extreme: for the cost of a small Paris studio, you could rent a much larger apartment elsewhere in France. Residents spend a notably high proportion of income on housing, with Paris rentals costing 164% more per square meter than other French cities. Construction of new housing continues to decline, reaching near historic lows due to higher costs, economic uncertainty, and stringent regulations. The crisis is felt intensely by tenants, with students, young workers, lower-income families, and even middle-income earners struggling to secure accommodation. International employees, students, and artists are also heavily impacted. While social housing makes up over 23% of Paris’s housing stock, the demand is so high that many eligible residents remain on waitlists for years. The boom in short-term rentals, especially via platforms like Airbnb, has further reduced the stock of long-term affordable housing, contributing to the ongoing scarcity, driving rents up, and intensifying competition for the limited supply.

The Paris city administration is pursuing an ambitious housing strategy centered on expanding affordable and sustainable housing. The city recently set a target to raise the share of social (public) housing to 40% of primary residences by 2035, with about 30% of new units allocated to low-income households and 10% to middle-income groups. A key policy lever is “pre-emption deals,” where the city intervenes in private real estate transactions to acquire properties and convert them into social housing. Paris is also converting non-residential sites—such as offices, parking lots, and vacant government buildings—into housing, and labeling hundreds of structures as candidates for expropriation.

To address sustainability, Paris prioritizes energy-efficient renovations and mixed-use developments. New policies require developers and office owners to include substantial social housing in all major projects and mandate green building standards. The city’s annual housing budget is around 800 million euros, focusing on long-term financing for sustainable, affordable construction. Large-scale projects are often financed through partnerships, such as recent green bonds with EU support.

Complementing construction, the APL housing assistance program continues to provide rent relief to students, young workers, and low-income renters. Through these tools, Paris aims to ensure inclusive access while supporting environmental objectives and social diversity.

Housing cooperatives in Paris constitute a small but growing part of the city’s housing landscape. Their main role is to offer accessible home ownership, targeting households not eligible for traditional market prices yet often above social housing thresholds. As of 2025, cooperative housing represents a marginal share of total housing units—estimated at well below 1% of the Paris housing stock. However, the sector is gaining momentum through mechanisms such as the “Bail Réel Solidaire” (BRS), enabling separation of land use and building ownership to maintain affordability over time.

Recent dynamics show active support from the city and regional authorities, who encourage the development of cooperative models through partnerships with housing operators and dedicated calls for projects. Annual production of new cooperative homes in Paris remains modest but is increasing, with targets like 200 new BRS units per year by regional cooperatives.

To promote cooperative housing, Paris relies on income and price ceilings for access, updated regularly to reflect market conditions. The city also backs cooperative housing as part of its inclusive housing strategies and supports legislative initiatives that facilitate long-term affordable models. While the overall impact remains limited numerically, cooperative housing is positioned as a promising alternative within the broader policy push for inclusion, affordability, and housing innovation in Paris.