Montpellier grades C− overall: better than 19% of compared French towns, and #58 of 84 in Hérault. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 9.4 recorded violent incidents and 30.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €3,404/m², a 70 m² home costs 9.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 99% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 46% 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 Montpellier 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.
Citadelle de Montpellier: Photographié et édité par User:Sebjarod (floutage des plaques d'immatriculation), décembre 2004., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Montpellier.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
46.4% of commuters in Montpellier go to work without a car, more than in Hérault’s towns and compared French towns
The typical income here, after tax and benefits, is €21,440 a year per consumption unit. Unemployment stood at 18.3%, higher than both Hérault’s towns (11.8%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Per resident in work, Montpellier counts 1.5 jobs (180,400 jobs, 123,250 workers).
46%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving47%
Public transport23%
Bicycle12%
On foot11%
Motorbike or scooter3%
180,400
jobs based in Montpellier, 1.5 per working resident
18.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€21,440
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 98% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Montpellier records more crime per resident than 95% of compared French towns
In all, 13,410 offenses reached the police record in Montpellier in 2025. More of the graded crimes locally were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
9.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage4,428
Theft from vehicles3,550
Other physical violence1,556
Burglary1,417
Family violence923
Vehicle theft836
Sexual violence623
Armed robbery77
Theft without violence7,169
Fraud2,566
Drug use2,073
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.
9.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
30.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
13,410
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 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 · The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living D
Renting in Montpellier costs more than in Hérault’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €15.49/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €3,404/m², comes from 12,689 sales of houses and apartments in Montpellier from July 2023 to June 2026. A house in Montpellier goes for €3,938/m², an apartment for €3,355/m². Of the homes sold, 10% were houses.
€3,404/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Montpellier€3,404/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Hérault median€3,252/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,938/m²
1,299
Apartments
€3,355/m²
11,390
€15.49/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€12.63 to €19.00/m² a month)
9.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.32/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,750
median annual income per consumption unit, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Montpellier skews young, with 22% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than Hérault’s towns or compared French towns
The 65-and-over age group makes up 15% of residents. Nearly half of adults hold a degree, above Hérault’s towns (31%) and compared French towns (30%) alike. Montpellier has a median age of 32.1 years.
32.1median age
MontpellierHérault medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
22%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma16%
CAP or BEP13%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education49%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 88 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Hérault 52.0%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Hérault median and France median: the median of compared communes
Schools
87.4% of candidates passed the brevet at the 21 collèges within 5 km, 0.6 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Near Montpellier, 93.9% of lycée candidates passed the bac, about level with both Hérault’s towns (95.0%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Its schools’ results rank #36 of 80 in Hérault.
96%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Mortality in Montpellier, once ages and care homes are allowed for, undercuts Hérault’s towns and compared French towns: 83 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 21,120 deaths in Montpellier from 2016 to 2025; there were 18,946, 10% fewer. Average lifespans in Hérault: 86.3 years for women, 80.6 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. For a family doctor, residents of Montpellier can choose among 393 GPs.
−17%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw90
Adjusted83
Median town88
Expected100
393
GPs in Montpellier · 5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique Beau Soleil Montpellier
0.5 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Clinique Clementville
86.3 · 80.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Hérault, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Montpellier is Immeuble, ancienne synagogue. Its heritage reaches back to the 10th century. Houses and mansions, 78 of the 119, make up the bulk.
Immeuble, ancienne synagogue: Photo: Albertvillanovadelmoral · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ancien observatoire dit Tour de la Babotte: Photo: Christophe.Finot · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ancien prieuré Saint-Pierre de Montaubérou: Photo: Sebjarod · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Sainte-Croix de Celleneuve: Photo: Vpe · CC0
Auguste Comte: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 · Frédéric Bazille: Unknown Unknown . Upload, stitch and restoration by Jebulon, Public domain · Alexandre Cabanel: Alexandre Cabanel, Public domain · Jean-Luc Dehaene: Michiel Hendryckx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Édouard Roche: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Charles Renouvier: Photographie Centrale, Avignon, photographer, Public domain
Montpellier’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Montpellier
Is Montpellier safe?
It grades D for safety, #75 of 84 in Hérault. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 1,417 burglaries and 4,428 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Montpellier good?
They grade B+, better than 68% of compared French towns and #36 of 80 in Hérault. The lycée stands out: 100% of 417 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé Notre-Dame de la Merci in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Montpellier expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €3,404/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Montpellier grades D for cost of living.
About Montpellier
Commune in Hérault, Occitanie
Montpellier is a commune of 310,240 people in the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. 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.
