Arcachon grades C overall: better than 29% of compared French towns, and #69 of 100 in Gironde. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 19 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is walkability (A): 84% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 25% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
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 Arcachon 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 Arcachon.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Arcachon than in Gironde’s towns or compared French towns: 6.6% are under 15
Degrees are held by just over two in five adults, higher than both Gironde’s towns (34%) and compared French towns (30%). 54% of residents are 65 or over. People aged 15 to 24 make up 5.8% of the town.
67.4median age
ArcachonGironde medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
54%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma15%
CAP or BEP19%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education41%
Women and men · all residents
58% women, 42% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 73 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Gironde 51.8%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Gironde median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living D−
Homes in Arcachon cost more than in Gironde’s towns or across compared French towns, with a median sale of €7,838/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Arcachon is the second most expensive of the 113 towns in Gironde, at €7,838/m². Apartments in Arcachon sell for €7,624/m², houses for €8,426/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €17.00/m² a month, above Gironde’s towns (€13.75/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) alike.
€7,838/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Arcachon€7,838/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Gironde median€3,176/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€8,426/m²
362
Apartments
€7,624/m²
953
€17.00/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€13.36 to €21.63/m² a month)
19
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€16.38/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€28,840
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Bassin d'Arcachon Sud (COBAS)
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
For crime per resident, Arcachon sits above 96% of compared French towns
Jobs outnumber working residents in Arcachon (5,950 to 2,950): it draws people in from around. Each year (2023–2025 average), violence against people came to 11 per 1,000 residents and the graded property crimes to 30.4. 449 offenses were reported in Arcachon during 2025. Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Arcachon (2025).
11recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearD−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage184
Burglary70
Family violence62
Other physical violence55
Theft from vehicles35
Sexual violence26
Vehicle theft17
Theft without violence207
Fraud79
Drug use52
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.
11
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
30.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
449
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.1%
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, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 0.1% of the index here. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Work & commuteJobs & income A−
Incomes in Arcachon run higher than in Gironde’s towns or compared French towns: a median €31,420 a year per consumption unit
Of those in the labour force, 14.7% are unemployed. At the census, 24.5% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, higher than both Gironde’s towns (11.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%).
25%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving66%
On foot11%
Public transport9%
Bicycle5%
Motorbike or scooter2%
5,950
jobs based in Arcachon, 2 per working resident
14.7%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€31,420
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 94% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth A−
Fewer deaths than Arcachon’s ages would predict, 78 per 100 expected, under Gironde’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
2,635 deaths in Arcachon between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 3,119: 16% below. Life expectancy at birth in Gironde is 86.4 years for women and 81.3 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. There are 23 general practitioners here.
−22%deaths against expected, after care homesA−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw84
Adjusted78
Median town88
Expected100
23
GPs in Arcachon · 4.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier D Arcachon
3.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier D Arcachon
86.4 · 81.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Gironde, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
6 historic monuments in Arcachon, none of them classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 19th century. Per 10,000 residents, Arcachon counts 5.4 protected monuments, above both Gironde’s towns (1.5) and compared French towns (2.5). Before 1919: that is when 9.8% of homes were built.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Arcachon
Is Arcachon safe?
It grades D− for safety, #88 of 100 in Gironde. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 70 burglaries and 184 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Arcachon good?
They grade C+, better than 35% of compared French towns and #62 of 93 in Gironde. 96% of 436 candidates passed the bac at Lycée de Grand Air in 2025, a point below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Arcachon expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Arcachon grades D− for cost of living.
About Arcachon
Commune in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Arcachon is a commune of 11,092 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Bassin d'Arcachon Sud (COBAS). 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
Population
11,092 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Bassin d'Arcachon Sud (COBAS)
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.
