Biarritz’s strongest subject is walkability — 100% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 24% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. With a B overall, Biarritz sits #28 of 35 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. On that grade it does better than 57% of compared French towns. Housing is expensive: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 19.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Crime is the sore point (D): an average of 7.6 recorded violent incidents and 25.3 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior).
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 Biarritz 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.
Chapelle Impériale: Photo: Lilipiapia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Domaine de Françon: Photo: Kvardek du · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Villa Natacha: Photo: Jvillafruela · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Château Boulard: Photo: Laurentb64 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Biarritz.
HousingCost of living D−
A home in Biarritz sells for €7,305/m², more than in both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns and compared French towns
€7,305/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €16.39/m² a month, above both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (€13.04/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). In Biarritz, houses go for €8,214/m² and apartments for €7,143/m². For a house, the estimated advertised rent is €17.91/m² a month.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Biarritz€7,305/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pyrénées-Atlantiques median€2,784/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€8,214/m²
381
Apartments
€7,143/m²
1,659
€16.39/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.18 to €24.04/m² a month)
19.2
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€17.91/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,570
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income A−
For walkability, Biarritz ranks above 95% of compared French towns
24%walk, cycle or take transit
12.3% of people in the labour force have no job. At the census, 23.7% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (9.8%) and compared French towns (13.4%). Households’ median disposable income: €29,210 a year per consumption unit. Biarritz holds 14,950 jobs; 9,750 of its residents are in work, so 1.5 jobs each.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving63%
On foot12%
Public transport7%
Motorbike or scooter6%
Bicycle4%
14,950
jobs based in Biarritz, 1.5 per working resident
12.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€29,210
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 95% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
An older town: 36% of people in Biarritz are 65 or over, more than in both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns and compared French towns
55.2median age
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.2% of residents, below both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (9.3%) and compared French towns (11%). One measure of family life: 9.5% of residents are under 15. Degrees are held by 45% of adults.
BiarritzPyrénées-Atlantiques medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
36%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma13%
CAP or BEP17%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education45%
Women and men · all residents
56% women, 44% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 80 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Atlantiques 52.5%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Pyrénées-Atlantiques median and France median: the median of compared communes
Safety
For crime per resident, Biarritz sits above 87% of compared French towns
7.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Biarritz comes 34th of the 35 compared towns in Pyrénées-Atlantiques on the Safety Grade. Recorded offenses in the town came to 825 in 2025. Among the graded crimes here, the most frequent was criminal damage (2025).
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage351
Burglary133
Other physical violence89
Vehicle theft68
Family violence67
Theft from vehicles67
Sexual violence50
Theft without violence456
Drug use306
Fraud225
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.
7.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
25.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
825
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, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 0.1% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Schools
95.5% of candidates passed the brevet at the six collèges within 5 km, 1.3 points above the expected rate
98%passed the bac (general and technological)A−School Grade
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 90% passed the bac pro, of 235 candidates at 3 lycées. School results put the town #25 of 40 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. At the five general lycées, 98% of 774 candidates passed the bac, at the expected rate.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth A−
Allowing for age and care homes, Biarritz sees fewer deaths than Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns or compared French towns: 76 per 100 expected
−24%deaths against expected, after care homesA−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
53 GPs practise in Biarritz. In Pyrénées-Atlantiques, life expectancy at birth reaches 86.4 years for women and 81.3 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. 4,023 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 4,965: 19% below.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw81
Adjusted76
Median town88
Expected100
53
GPs in Biarritz · 4.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Capio clinique Aguilera
3.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Cote Basque
86.4 · 81.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
12 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 1996
12historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes built before 1919 account for just over a tenth of the housing. Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1996. The oldest protected building goes back to the 19th century. Among the classé monuments in Biarritz is Chapelle Impériale.
Léopold Eyharts: NASA, Public domain · Élie de Bourbon-Parme: Christian Franzen, Public domain · André Navarra: מלאכת יד מוזיקלית יוקרתית, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jacques Bergerac: SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Public domain · Dominique Gardères: User de:User:FreeMO on de.wikipedia, Public domain · Gina Pane: Elina Noris, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Biarritz
Commune in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Biarritz is a commune of 26,206 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque. 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
26,206 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
Département
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)
Région
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Area
4.5 sq mi (11.7 km²)
INSEE code
64122
Biarritz’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 Biarritz
Is Biarritz safe?
It grades D for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 133 burglaries and 351 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Biarritz good?
They grade A−, better than 82% of compared French towns and #25 of 40 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. 97% of 203 candidates passed the bac at Lycée André Malraux 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 Biarritz expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Biarritz grades D− for cost of living.
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.
