Châteaubernard, #1 on this list · Photo: Père Igor (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Charente · 2026

Best places to live in Charente

Châteaubernard ranks first of 26 ranked towns of 2,500 or more in Charente, and #65 of 3,798 French towns. 9 of the 26 grade A− or better; scores run from 75.3 down to 40.5.

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

Châteaubernard

3,878 people

A⁺

Score 75.3·#65 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: health A, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: walkability B⁺

Brie

4,125 people

A⁺

Score 72.8·#118 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability D

La Boixe

2,841 people

Score 70.2·#199 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: schools A, safety A·lowest: walkability D

All 26 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 →

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26 towns

#TownScoreGrade · French rankWhat drives it

1Châteaubernard3,878 people75.3top 1.7%A⁺#65 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: walkability B⁺

2Brie4,125 people72.8top 3.1%A⁺#118 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability D

3La Boixe2,841 people70.2top 5.2%A#199 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A, safety A·lowest: walkability D

4Val-de-Cognac3,471 people69.6top 5.8%A#220 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: walkability D⁻

5Châteauneuf-sur-Charente3,550 people66.5top 9.4%A#359 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁻, cost of living A⁻·lowest: health C⁺

6Magnac-sur-Touvre3,255 people65.8top 10.4%A#396 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, health A⁻·lowest: schools C⁻

7Jarnac4,486 people63.5top 13.9%A#528 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁻, walkability A⁻·lowest: safety C⁺

8Fléac3,861 people63.2top 14.4%A#548 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: walkability C⁻

9L'Isle-d'Espagnac5,682 people61.2top 18.2%A⁻#693 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A⁻, walkability B⁺·lowest: schools B⁻

10La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois4,025 people57.1top 27.2%B⁺#1,035 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A⁺, cost of living B·lowest: jobs & income C⁻

11Roullet-Saint-Estèphe4,357 people56.4top 29.0%B⁺#1,102 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: walkability D⁻

12Champniers5,281 people56.3top 29.3%B⁺#1,115 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: walkability D

13Ruffec3,449 people54.5top 33.8%B⁺#1,284 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, schools A·lowest: safety D⁻

14Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente7,539 people53.1top 37.6%B#1,428 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health B⁺, cost of living B·lowest: safety C⁺

15Chasseneuil-sur-Bonnieure3,111 people52.6top 39.3%B#1,495 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A⁻, schools A⁻·lowest: jobs & income C

16Confolens2,730 people51.7top 42.1%B#1,598 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability A⁻·lowest: health D⁻

17Rouillac2,919 people51.6top 42.3%B#1,609 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, health B·lowest: schools D

18Saint-Michel3,196 people50.9top 44.1%B#1,676 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, cost of living B·lowest: jobs & income C

19Cognac18,532 people50.6top 44.8%B#1,702 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, schools B⁺·lowest: safety D

20Terres-de-Haute-Charente3,777 people47.9bottom 47.5%B⁻#1,993 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, safety B⁺·lowest: health D

21Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire4,726 people47.5bottom 46.3%B⁻#2,040 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, cost of living B⁺·lowest: safety C⁻

22Ruelle-sur-Touvre7,408 people46.0bottom 42.1%C⁺#2,198 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living B⁺, safety B⁻·lowest: schools C

23Angoulême41,908 people44.6bottom 38.3%C⁺#2,345 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁺, health B⁺·lowest: safety D⁻

24Soyaux10,087 people43.5bottom 35.7%C⁺#2,441 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B·lowest: jobs & income D

25La Couronne7,765 people41.2bottom 30.4%C#2,645 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living B, walkability B·lowest: safety D

26Gond-Pontouvre5,862 people40.5bottom 28.2%C#2,727 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living B⁺, walkability B·lowest: safety D

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Charente?

Châteaubernard ranks first of 26 graded towns of 2,500 or more: health (A) and jobs & income (A−) are its strongest grades; walkability (B+) is its lowest. Brie and La Boixe 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, 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 page.

Photos: Châteaubernard, Père Igor (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Brie, Jack ma (CC BY-SA 3.0) · La Boixe, Jack ma (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, run #57 of November 4, 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.