Bandol grades D overall: better than 8% of compared French towns, and #53 of 73 in Var. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 15.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is walkability (A−): 96% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 16% 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 Bandol 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 Bandol.
Who lives here
Bandol skews older, with 43% of residents 65 or over, more than in Var’s towns and across compared French towns
Among adults, 35% have a degree. 9% are under 15, below both Var’s towns (15%) and compared French towns (17%). Add to that, people aged 15 to 24 are 6.3% of the population.
61.1median age
BandolVar medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
43%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma16%
CAP or BEP22%
Baccalauréat20%
Higher education35%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 85 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Var 51.4%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Var median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living D−
A home in Bandol sells for €6,528/m², more than in Var’s towns and across compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €18.16/m² a month, above Var’s towns (€14.43/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) alike. Houses in Bandol sell for €7,237/m² and apartments for €6,449/m². This Var town recorded 1,031 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026.
€6,528/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Bandol€6,528/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Var median€3,797/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€7,237/m²
175
Apartments
€6,449/m²
856
€18.16/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€13.88 to €23.76/m² a month)
15.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€18.69/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€29,390
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Sud Sainte Baume
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Bandol records more crime per resident than 95% of compared French towns
The commonest graded crime in Bandol was criminal damage (2025). Graded property crimes ran at 30.4 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 9.7 (2023–2025 average). Police and gendarmerie recorded 299 offenses locally in 2025.
9.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage101
Burglary48
Family violence47
Theft from vehicles34
Other physical violence28
Vehicle theft27
Sexual violence14
Armed robbery0
Theft without violence103
Fraud76
Drug use35
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.
9.7
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
299
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income B+
Bandol is better off than Var’s towns or compared French towns: the median disposable income is €29,540 a year per consumption unit
Jobs located in Bandol: 2,850, for 2,650 residents in work (1.1 each). At the census, 16.4% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above both Var’s towns (10.0%) and compared French towns (13.4%). The unemployment rate comes to 11.7%.
16%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving74%
On foot9%
Public transport7%
Motorbike or scooter5%
Bicycle1%
2,850
jobs based in Bandol, 1.1 per working resident
11.7%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€29,540
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 83% of compared French towns
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth C+
More deaths than expected: Bandol is above 56% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Women in Var live to 86 on average and men to 80.3 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. Its two care homes for older people (142 places) count their residents as Bandol’s; allowing for them, deaths were 10% below expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,568 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,532, 2% fewer. The nearest emergency department to Bandol is Polyclinique Mutualiste Henri Malartic, 6.5 mi away.
−10%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw98
Adjusted90
Median town88
Expected100
13
GPs in Bandol · 4.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
6.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Polyclinique Mutualiste Henri Malartic
7.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier General la Ciotat
86 · 80.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Var, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Bandol
Is Bandol safe?
It grades D for safety, #67 of 73 in Var. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 48 burglaries and 101 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Bandol good?
They grade C−, better than 19% of compared French towns and #50 of 63 in Var. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Bandol expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Bandol grades D− for cost of living.
About Bandol
Commune in Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Bandol is a commune of 8,267 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Sud Sainte Baume. 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.
