Is Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume a good place to live?
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume’s weakest subject is cost of living (D) — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 10.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Health is a weak point: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 3% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Jobs and pay hold up well (B): 0.8 jobs per working resident; 10.1% unemployment. The overall grade lands at C−, #39 of 73 in Var. On that grade it does better than 18% of compared French towns. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for schools and B− for walkability.
Figures: employment and commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025.
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-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume 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.
On the Culture ministry’s list, Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume counts 7 historic monuments: 5 classé at the top level of protection and 2 inscrit at the second.
That’s 3.9 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 64% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5.
The oldest protected part dates from the 6th century, and the first monument here was protected in 1840, on France’s very first list.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume.
HousingCost of living D
The median sale price of homes in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume is €3,797/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume sell for €3,946/m² and apartments for €2,789/m². 566 houses and apartments changed hands in the town from July 2023 to June 2026. House rents are put at about €15.10/m² a month.
€3,797/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume€3,797/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Var median€3,797/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,946/m²
446
Apartments
€2,789/m²
120
€13.82/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.84 to €17.61/m² a month)
10.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€15.10/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,360
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération de la Provence Verte
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 73% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
16 GPs practise in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. Adjusted mortality in the town: 97 deaths for every 100 expected. 1,594 deaths in the town between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 1,523: 5% above. The nearest emergency department to Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume is Centre hospitalier de Brignoles Jean Marcel, 10.5 mi away.
−3%deaths against expected, after care homesCHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw105
Adjusted97
Median town88
Expected100
16
GPs in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume · 3.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
10.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Brignoles Jean Marcel
10.5 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Brignoles Jean Marcel
86 · 80.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Var, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
More crime per resident in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume than in 65% of compared French towns
The graded crime recorded most in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume was criminal damage (2025). 2025 saw 469 offenses recorded in the town. Per 1,000 residents a year, there were 8.1 cases of violence against people and 16.9 graded property crimes (2023–2025 average).
8.1recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage134
Theft from vehicles88
Family violence81
Other physical violence50
Burglary46
Sexual violence37
Vehicle theft33
Fraud149
Theft without violence147
Drug use90
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.
8.1
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
16.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
469
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.3%
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, 0.3% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume is Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. The earliest of these monuments dates from the 6th century. Churches, chapels and other religious buildings, 4 of the 7, make up the bulk.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
90.0% of candidates passed the brevet at the two collèges within 5 km, 0.7 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, 91.6% passed the bac, lower than Var’s towns (93.7%) and near compared French towns (92.9%). On results, collèges and lycées here come #24 of 63 in Var.
96%passed the bac (general and technological)B−School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income B
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume’s grade for jobs & income: a B
Households’ median disposable income: €27,850 a year per consumption unit. 4.1% of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume’s working residents had no journey to work at the census. Unemployment stood at 10.1%, about level with compared French towns (10.1%) and below Var’s towns (10.9%).
10%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving84%
On foot7%
Bicycle2%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
5,850
jobs based in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, 0.8 per working resident
10.1%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,850
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B−
Walkability: better than 53% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for France
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 11% of the population. 17% are under 15, about level with compared French towns (17%) and above Var’s towns (15%). Among adults, 34% have a degree.
45.3median age
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-BaumeVar medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma18%
CAP or BEP23%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education34%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Var 51.4%, France 51.8%.
Ages and diplomas in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
On the Culture ministry’s list, Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume counts 7 historic monuments: 5 classé at the top level of protection and 2 inscrit at the second.
Oratoire dit du Saint-Pilon: Photo: SombreSanglier · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hôtel de ville: Photo: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Couvent des Dominicains (ancien): Photo: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Famous people from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
Wikidata places 6 people here, but for none of them do the articles confirm Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
Is Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #40 of 73 in Var. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 46 burglaries and 134 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume good?
They grade B−, better than 46% of compared French towns and #24 of 63 in Var. 96% of 355 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Maurice Janetti 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 Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume expensive to live in?
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €13.82/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume grades D for cost of living.
About Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
Commune in Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume is a commune of 17,896 people in the Communauté d'agglomération de la Provence Verte. 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.
