Sainte-Rose’s weakest subject is health (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 43% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Where it does best is schools: brevet results 13 points above the expected rate. It is strong on safety as well: an average of 9.9 recorded violent incidents and 6.1 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 €1,710/m², a 70 m² home costs 7.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST). Overall, that makes a C+, good for #1 of 22 in Réunion. That leaves it better than 36% of compared French towns. Work and incomes lag: 0.7 jobs per working resident; 32.8% unemployment.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · employment, INSEE census 2023.
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 Sainte-Rose 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 Sainte-Rose.
Schools
More pupils pass the brevet at the collèges near Sainte-Rose than in Réunion’s towns or compared French towns: 97.0%
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Ranked by results, schools here are #1 of 24 in Réunion. No general lycée lies within 5 km; the nearest is 5.9 mi away. Collège pupils travel 1.7 mi to the nearest one.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth D−
Mortality in Sainte-Rose, once ages and care homes are allowed for, tops Réunion’s towns and compared French towns: 143 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Sainte-Rose is Gher Saint Benoit, 8.3 mi away. 540 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 377: 43% above. Life expectancy in Réunion: 84.5 years for women and 78.2 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. There are 5 general practitioners in the town.
+43%deaths against expected, after care homesD−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw143
Adjusted143
Median town88
Expected100
5
GPs in Sainte-Rose · 3.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
8.3 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Gher Saint Benoit
5.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Gher Saint Benoit
84.5 · 78.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Réunion, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Renting in Sainte-Rose costs an estimated advertised €12.17/m² a month, against €14.14/m² in Réunion’s towns and €12.41/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Behind the median of €1,710/m²: 48 houses and apartments sold in Sainte-Rose between July 2023 and June 2026. The town is the second cheapest of the 24 towns in Réunion, at €1,710/m². Houses accounted for 96% of sales, apartments for the rest.
€1,710/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Sainte-Rose€1,710/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Réunion median€2,445/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,650/m²
46
€12.17/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.68 to €15.32/m² a month)
7.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.55/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€16,920
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST)
INSEE, census 2023 · Réunion median and France median: the median of compared communes
Safety
Crime per resident in Sainte-Rose runs lower than in 77% of compared French towns
Family violence topped the graded crimes in Sainte-Rose (2025). 2025 saw 100 offenses recorded here. Police and gendarmerie recorded 100 offenses in the graded categories here in 2025.
9.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearA−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Family violence32
Criminal damage23
Other physical violence18
Theft from vehicles15
Sexual violence12
Drug use19
Theft without violence12
Fraud9
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.
9.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
6.1
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
100
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
17.2%
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, burglary and vehicle theft, 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, 17.2% of the index here. That estimated share passes 10%, so treat this Safety Grade with more caution than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Work & commuteJobs & income D−
Sainte-Rose has higher unemployment than Réunion’s towns or compared French towns: 32.8%
After tax and benefits, the median income is €15,990 a year per consumption unit. At the census, 15.0% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, higher than both Réunion’s towns (11.4%) and compared French towns (13.4%).
15%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving79%
On foot9%
Public transport5%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle0%
1,300
jobs based in Sainte-Rose, 0.7 per working resident
32.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€15,990
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B
Walkability: better than 61% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
3 historic monuments, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Sainte-Rose is Pont suspendu de la rivière de l'Est. The town has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 2 inscrit, the second level. The oldest protected building goes back to the 19th century. Before 1919: that is when 0.5% of homes were built.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Sainte-Rose
Is Sainte-Rose safe?
It grades A− for safety, #4 of 22 in Réunion.
Are schools in Sainte-Rose good?
They grade A+, better than 100% of compared French towns and #1 of 24 in Réunion. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Sainte-Rose expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,710/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Sainte-Rose grades D for cost of living.
About Sainte-Rose
Commune in Réunion
Sainte-Rose is a commune of 6,557 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST). 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
6,557 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST)
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.
