Several subjects drag its grade down. Cost of living is its weak spot: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 15.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. It also trails on jobs & income: 0.9 jobs per working resident; 23.9% unemployment. Fewer journeys need a car (B+): 72% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 11% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. The overall grade lands at D−, #19 of 22 in Réunion. That leaves it better than 3% of compared French towns.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, 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 Saint-Paul 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.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
Musée de Villèle: This photo has been taken by Matthieu Sontag (User:Mirgolth) and released under the licenses stated below. You are free to use it for any purpose as long as you credit me as author, Wikimedia Commons as site and follow the terms of the licenses. Could yo…, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Paul.
HousingCost of living D−
Estimated advertised rents run higher in Saint-Paul than in Réunion’s towns or across compared French towns: €18.86/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
No town in Réunion costs more to buy into than Saint-Paul, at €4,622/m², the highest of 24. The split in the town: €3,918/m² for houses, €5,154/m² for apartments. The median price, €4,622/m², comes from 1,521 sales of houses and apartments here from July 2023 to June 2026.
€4,622/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Paul€4,622/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Réunion median€2,445/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,918/m²
817
Apartments
€5,154/m²
704
€18.86/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€13.06 to €27.26/m² a month)
15.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€15.57/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€20,400
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Territoire de la Côte Ouest (TCO)
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A younger town: only 15% of residents are 65 or over
People aged 15 to 24 make up just over a tenth of the town, lower than Réunion’s towns (13%) yet higher than compared French towns (11%). One measure of family life: 20% of residents are under 15. Degrees are held by 27% of adults.
40.3median age
Saint-PaulRéunion medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma31%
CAP or BEP20%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education27%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 94 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Réunion 51.8%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Réunion median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth C−
More deaths than expected: Saint-Paul is above 81% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
After the care-home adjustment, Saint-Paul’s deaths ran at 101 per 100 expected, lower than Réunion’s towns (113) yet higher than compared French towns (88). France’s death rates at each age would predict 5,889 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 6,298, 7% more. Life expectancy at birth in Réunion is 84.5 years for women and 78.2 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. Also worth knowing: 140 GPs practise in the town.
+1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw107
Adjusted101
Median town88
Expected100
140
GPs in Saint-Paul · 6.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
4.3 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Ouest Reunion
4.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Ouest Reunion
84.5 · 78.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Réunion, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
The median disposable income in Saint-Paul is €21,220 a year per consumption unit, against €19,045 in Réunion’s towns and €25,970 in compared French towns
Nearly a quarter of people in the labour force have no job. Bus, tram or train carried 4.9% of working residents in Saint-Paul to work at the census.
11%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving82%
Public transport5%
On foot4%
Motorbike or scooter4%
Bicycle2%
35,050
jobs based in Saint-Paul, 0.9 per working resident
23.9%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€21,220
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B+
Walkability: better than 70% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
More crime per resident in Saint-Paul than in 66% of compared French towns
Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Saint-Paul (2025). The police record for Saint-Paul lists 2,601 offenses in 2025. Graded property crimes ran at 13.3 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 11.9 (2023–2025 average).
11.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage700
Family violence627
Other physical violence471
Sexual violence293
Theft from vehicles231
Vehicle theft196
Burglary83
Theft without violence720
Fraud464
Drug use398
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.
11.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
13.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
2,601
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 · 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, under 0.1% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Schools
84.7% of candidates passed the brevet at the six collèges within 5 km, 0.8 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 87% passed the bac pro, of 210 candidates at 2 lycées. On results, collèges and lycées here come #15 of 24 in Réunion. Near Saint-Paul, 92.8% of lycée candidates passed the bac, higher than Réunion’s towns (90.8%) and near compared French towns (92.9%).
94%passed the bac (general and technological)C+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
29 historic monuments in Saint-Paul, 3 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes from before 1919 make up 0.3% of the total, near Réunion’s towns (0.4%) and lower than compared French towns (7.4%). Among the classé monuments in Saint-Paul is Domaine de Villèle. Its oldest listed monument dates from the 18th century.
Domaine de Villèle: Photo: Cette photo a été prise par Matthieu Sontag (User:Mirgolth) et placée sous les licences ci-dessous. Vous êtes libre de la réutiliser, pour n'importe quelle utilisation, tant que vous me citez en tant qu'auteur, Wikimedia Commons en tant que site et suivez · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison Desbassyns (ancienne): Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ancien domaine de Savanna: Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Domaine de La Poncetière: Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 4.0
Henri Paulin Panon Desbassayns: Dubois, Public domain · Philippe Panon Desbassyns de Richemont: François-Séraphin Delpech / After Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin, Public domain
Saint-Paul’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 Saint-Paul
Is Saint-Paul safe?
It grades C for safety, #18 of 22 in Réunion. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 83 burglaries and 700 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Paul good?
They grade C+, better than 44% of compared French towns and #15 of 24 in Réunion. The lycée stands out: 100% of 109 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent privé Maison Blanche 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 Saint-Paul expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €4,622/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Paul grades D− for cost of living.
About Saint-Paul
Commune in Réunion
Saint-Paul is a commune of 108,088 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Territoire de la Côte Ouest (TCO). 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
108,088 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Territoire de la Côte Ouest (TCO)
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.
