La Flotte, #1 on this list · Photo: Patrick Despoix (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Charente-Maritime · 2026

Best places to live in Charente-Maritime

La Flotte ranks first of 44 ranked towns of 2,500 or more in Charente-Maritime, and #270 of 3,798 French towns. 5 of the 44 grade A− or better; scores run from 67.9 down to 24.3.

The overall score, sorted within the département; the letter compares each town with every French town of 2,500+, and its rank among French towns sits beside it. How grades work

La Flotte

3,150 people

Score 67.9·#270 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: health A, schools A⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

Sainte-Marie-de-Ré

3,412 people

Score 67.6·#285 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: safety A, health A·lowest: cost of living C⁻

Nieul-sur-Mer

5,811 people

Score 65.9·#387 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: safety A⁺, health A·lowest: cost of living D

All 44 towns, ranked

By overall score against French towns; ranks are within the département, and each French rank links to the national list.

Every town in Charente-Maritime →

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44 towns

#TownScoreGrade · French rankWhat drives it

1La Flotte3,150 people67.9top 7.1%A#270 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A, schools A⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

2Sainte-Marie-de-Ré3,412 people67.6top 7.5%A#285 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health A·lowest: cost of living C⁻

3Nieul-sur-Mer5,811 people65.9top 10.2%A#387 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, health A·lowest: cost of living D

4Gémozac3,052 people62.7top 15.4%A⁻#584 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A, safety A·lowest: walkability C

5Angoulins4,240 people58.3top 24.5%A⁻#931 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living D

6Dompierre-sur-Mer6,315 people57.7top 26.0%B⁺#987 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A⁻, safety A⁻·lowest: cost of living D

7Bourcefranc-le-Chapus3,486 people57.1top 27.3%B⁺#1,036 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁻, safety A⁻·lowest: cost of living C

8Saint-Sulpice-de-Royan3,446 people57.1top 27.5%B⁺#1,044 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: cost of living C⁻

9Saint-Xandre5,677 people57.0top 27.5%B⁺#1,047 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, health B⁺·lowest: cost of living D

10Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis4,677 people56.6top 28.6%B⁺#1,088 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

11Périgny8,877 people56.5top 28.7%B⁺#1,092 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D⁻

12Lagord7,802 people55.0top 31.9%B⁺#1,214 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D

13Arvert3,917 people54.0top 35.1%B#1,332 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, schools A·lowest: cost of living C

14Marans4,476 people51.8top 41.5%B#1,578 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, schools B·lowest: jobs & income C⁺

15Le Château-d'Oléron4,366 people51.5top 42.7%B#1,622 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A, safety A⁻·lowest: jobs & income C

16Châtelaillon-Plage6,653 people51.4top 42.9%B#1,630 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, health B⁺·lowest: cost of living D

17Échillais3,765 people50.8top 44.4%B#1,685 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A⁻, safety B⁺·lowest: schools C

18Breuillet3,058 people50.4top 45.5%B⁻#1,730 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁻, health B⁺·lowest: cost of living D

19Étaules2,857 people50.2top 46.2%B⁻#1,756 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health B⁻·lowest: walkability C⁻

20Médis3,157 people50.0top 46.6%B⁻#1,771 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health B⁺·lowest: walkability D

21Marennes-Hiers-Brouage6,163 people49.0top 49.4%B⁻#1,876 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁻, walkability B·lowest: jobs & income C

22Semussac2,585 people47.9bottom 47.4%B⁻#1,999 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health B·lowest: walkability C⁻

23Montendre3,222 people46.3bottom 43.0%C⁺#2,165 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A, cost of living B·lowest: safety C⁻

24Aytré9,746 people41.9bottom 32.2%C#2,576 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, jobs & income B·lowest: cost of living D

25La Tremblade4,650 people41.6bottom 31.3%C#2,610 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A, walkability B·lowest: safety D

26Puilboreau6,765 people40.7bottom 28.9%C#2,702 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, walkability A⁻·lowest: cost of living D

27Saint-Palais-sur-Mer3,840 people40.6bottom 28.4%C#2,720 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁺, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: safety D⁻

28Vaux-sur-Mer4,013 people40.4bottom 27.7%C#2,747 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A⁻, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: cost of living D

29Saintes25,363 people40.0bottom 26.9%C#2,776 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, schools B⁻·lowest: safety D⁻

30Saujon7,440 people39.9bottom 26.8%C#2,781 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, safety B·lowest: schools C⁻

31Surgères6,897 people39.0bottom 24.4%C⁻#2,871 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, schools B⁻·lowest: safety D

32Pons4,343 people38.3bottom 22.5%C⁻#2,944 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living B, walkability B·lowest: safety C⁻

33La Rochelle79,851 people38.1bottom 22.2%C⁻#2,956 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁺, schools B·lowest: cost of living D

34Royan19,425 people35.4bottom 16.7%C⁻#3,165 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, health B·lowest: safety D

35Saint-Jean-d'Angély6,784 people35.4bottom 16.5%C⁻#3,173 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B·lowest: safety D⁻

36Tonnay-Charente8,289 people33.7bottom 13.4%D#3,290 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health C⁺, cost of living C⁺·lowest: schools D

37Saint-Georges-d'Oléron4,067 people33.6bottom 13.2%D#3,295 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools B⁺, health B·lowest: safety D

38Fouras4,148 people32.5bottom 11.2%D#3,371 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B, walkability B·lowest: cost of living D

39Dolus-d'Oléron3,199 people32.2bottom 10.9%D#3,386 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income C⁺, health C⁺·lowest: cost of living C⁻

40Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron6,633 people32.0bottom 10.5%D#3,401 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools B⁺, walkability B·lowest: safety D

41Jonzac3,602 people31.9bottom 10.3%D#3,408 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, schools C⁺·lowest: safety D⁻

42Saint-Georges-de-Didonne5,092 people31.6bottom 9.9%D#3,423 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B⁺, walkability B·lowest: cost of living D

43Rochefort23,460 people28.6bottom 5.7%D#3,583 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, schools C·lowest: safety D

44Meschers-sur-Gironde3,180 people24.3bottom 1.7%D⁻#3,735 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁻, jobs & income C⁺·lowest: safety D

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Charente-Maritime?

La Flotte ranks first of 44 graded towns of 2,500 or more: health (A) and schools (A−) are its strongest grades; cost of living (C−) is its lowest. Sainte-Marie-de-Ré and Nieul-sur-Mer follow.

How are these towns ranked?

By the overall grade, which blends six graded subjects (cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs and income, walkability) from public data, each comparing a town with every French town of 1,000 or more. The rank is among the towns of 2,500 or more in Charente-Maritime, where five or more have an overall grade.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

The list covers places of 2,500 or more with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their grades on their own pages; every commune is listed on the Charente-Maritime page.

Photos: La Flotte, Patrick Despoix (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, Jebulon (CC0) · Nieul-sur-Mer, Patrick Despoix (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, run #70 of November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).

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.