Real strengths, and real weak spots. Overall, Ouistreham earns a C+: better than 36% of compared French towns, and #25 of 46 in Calvados. Homes are dear (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 9.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its schools beat most: brevet results 0.8 points above the expected rate. Walkability is a strength too — 93% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 15% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Each subject compares Ouistreham with other French towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far its rank is from the middle. American and UK towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ouistreham.
HousingCost of living D
Homes in Ouistreham cost more than in Calvados’ towns or across compared French towns, with a median sale of €3,500/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house in Ouistreham goes for €3,354/m², an apartment for €3,569/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €13.71/m² a month, above both Calvados’ towns (€12.67/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Renting a house costs an estimated €11.46/m² a month.
€3,500/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Ouistreham€3,500/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Calvados median€2,560/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,354/m²
321
Apartments
€3,569/m²
280
€13.71/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.26 to €16.68/m² a month)
9.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€11.46/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,510
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté urbaine Caen la Mer
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Older residents shape Ouistreham: 36% are 65 or over, above Calvados’ towns and compared French towns
9% of the population is aged 15 to 24, lower than both Calvados’ towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%). The middle age in Ouistreham is 56.3. Among adults, 27% have a degree.
56.3median age
OuistrehamCalvados medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
36%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma22%
CAP or BEP28%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education27%
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 81 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Calvados 52.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Calvados median and France median: the median of compared communes
Work & commuteJobs & income B−
A walkable place: Ouistreham beats 88% of compared French towns on foot
The unemployment rate comes to 12.9%. The median disposable income was €27,020 a year per consumption unit, higher than Calvados’ towns (€24,235) and near compared French towns (€25,970). Ouistreham has 2,850 jobs for 3,050 working residents, 0.9 per worker.
15%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving80%
On foot7%
Public transport5%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter1%
2,850
jobs based in Ouistreham, 0.9 per working resident
12.9%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,020
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 88% of compared French towns
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C
More deaths than expected: Ouistreham is above 73% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Ouistreham is Centre hospitalier Universitaire Cote de Nacre, 6.7 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,364 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,435, 5% more. After the care-home adjustment, the town’s deaths ran at 97 per 100 expected, higher than both Calvados’ towns (92) and compared French towns (88). The town has 12 family doctors.
−3%deaths against expected, after care homesCHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw105
Adjusted97
Median town88
Expected100
12
GPs in Ouistreham · 3.2 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
6.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Universitaire Cote de Nacre
7.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Universitaire Cote de Nacre
85.5 · 78.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Calvados, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Per resident, Ouistreham sees more crime than 63% of compared French towns
Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Ouistreham (2025). 205 offenses were reported in Ouistreham during 2025. Violence against people averaged 9 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 15.4.
9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage99
Family violence40
Burglary16
Theft from vehicles15
Sexual violence14
Vehicle theft12
Other physical violence9
Fraud64
Theft without violence58
Drug use40
Not in the gradeTheft without violence, drug use and fraud are shown for information but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence plus burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and criminal damage per resident.
9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
15.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
205
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.5%
of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · For armed robbery, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 0.5% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
3 historic monuments, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Ouistreham has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 2 inscrit, the second level. Protection here reaches back to the 13th century. Homes from before 1919 make up 4.5% of the total, below both Calvados’ towns (8.1%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Ouistreham
Is Ouistreham safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #31 of 46 in Calvados. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 16 burglaries and 99 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Ouistreham good?
They grade A−, better than 80% of compared French towns and #6 of 50 in Calvados. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Ouistreham expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Ouistreham grades D for cost of living.
About Ouistreham
Commune in Calvados, Normandy
Ouistreham is a commune of 9,212 people in the Communauté urbaine Caen la Mer. TownRatings compares communes, France’s local unit: each has its own mayor and its own statistics. Its area takes in the town and the countryside around it.
Built from INSEE’s 2026 official geography (COG) and IGN Admin Express boundaries
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.
