Cugand-la-Bernardière, #1 on this list · Photo: Llann Wé² , ex- Week-et-pédia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Vendée · 2026

Best places to live in Vendée

Cugand-la-Bernardière ranks first of 46 ranked towns of 2,500 or more in Vendée, and #35 of 3,798 French towns. 27 of the 46 grade A− or better; scores run from 77.5 down to 26.7.

The overall score, sorted within the département; the letter compares each town with every French town of 2,500+, and its rank among French towns sits beside it. How grades work

Cugand-la-Bernardière

5,711 people

A⁺

Score 77.5·#35 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living B⁻

Mortagne-sur-Sèvre

6,057 people

A⁺

Score 75.2·#68 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: schools A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability B

Le Poiré-sur-Vie

8,649 people

A⁺

Score 74.5·#77 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: schools A⁺, safety A·lowest: walkability C⁻

All 46 towns, ranked

By overall score against French towns; ranks are within the département, and each French rank links to the national list.

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46 towns

#TownScoreGrade · French rankWhat drives it

1Cugand-la-Bernardière5,711 people77.5top 0.9%A⁺#35 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living B⁻

2Mortagne-sur-Sèvre6,057 people75.2top 1.8%A⁺#68 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability B

3Le Poiré-sur-Vie8,649 people74.5top 2.0%A⁺#77 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁺, safety A·lowest: walkability C⁻

4Sèvremont6,385 people74.3top 2.1%A⁺#81 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, health A·lowest: walkability C

5Saint-Fulgent3,994 people73.9top 2.4%A⁺#94 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability C⁺

6Essarts-en-Bocage6,851 people73.7top 2.6%A⁺#100 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, schools A·lowest: walkability C⁻

7La Ferrière5,454 people73.0top 2.9%A⁺#113 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health A⁻·lowest: walkability C⁺

8Venansault4,757 people72.9top 3.0%A⁺#115 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, health A·lowest: walkability C

9Mouilleron-le-Captif5,273 people72.3top 3.5%A⁺#134 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A⁺, safety A⁺·lowest: walkability C⁻

10Bournezeau3,452 people70.7top 4.8%A⁺#183 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, cost of living A⁻·lowest: walkability C

11Montaigu-Vendée21,134 people70.5top 5.0%A⁺#191 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A⁺, health A⁻·lowest: cost of living C

12Benet4,089 people69.6top 5.7%A#219 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, schools A·lowest: walkability C⁻

13Les Achards5,518 people68.8top 6.3%A#240 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, schools A·lowest: cost of living C⁻

14Pouzauges5,668 people67.4top 7.8%A#298 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living B⁺, safety B⁺·lowest: walkability B⁻

15Aubigny-Les Clouzeaux7,191 people66.2top 9.7%A#369 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A, safety A·lowest: walkability C

16Rocheservière3,594 people66.2top 9.9%A#377 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: health C⁺

17Les Herbiers16,521 people64.8top 12.0%A#458 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, schools A⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁺

18Aizenay10,365 people63.0top 14.7%A#561 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A⁻, health B⁺·lowest: walkability C

19Saint-Jean-d'Hermine3,611 people62.6top 15.5%A⁻#589 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, schools A⁻·lowest: walkability C

20Dompierre-sur-Yon4,625 people62.6top 15.5%A⁻#591 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, safety A·lowest: walkability C⁻

21Bellevigny6,240 people61.9top 16.9%A⁻#644 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, jobs & income A·lowest: schools D⁻

22Le Fenouiller4,978 people61.8top 17.3%A⁻#658 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, schools A⁺·lowest: cost of living C⁻

23Sallertaine3,518 people60.1top 20.3%A⁻#772 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A, safety A·lowest: walkability C⁻

24La Châtaigneraie2,600 people60.1top 20.3%A⁻#773 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, schools A·lowest: health D

25Rives de l'Yon4,335 people60.0top 20.6%A⁻#783 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, cost of living B⁺·lowest: walkability D

26Saint-Philbert-de-Bouaine3,653 people59.8top 21.1%A⁻#804 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: health C⁺

27La Garnache5,515 people59.1top 22.6%A⁻#860 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health A⁻·lowest: walkability C⁻

28Fontenay-le-Comte14,059 people56.1top 29.8%B⁺#1,134 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁻, walkability A⁻·lowest: safety C⁻

29Chantonnay8,557 people55.4top 31.3%B⁺#1,188 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools B⁺, cost of living B⁺·lowest: walkability C⁺

30Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie8,333 people52.8top 38.5%B#1,463 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁺, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: cost of living D

31Soullans4,654 people52.7top 39.0%B#1,481 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, jobs & income B·lowest: walkability C⁻

32Les Sables-d'Olonne49,603 people50.6top 44.9%B#1,705 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: cost of living D

33Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez13,074 people48.0bottom 47.7%B⁻#1,986 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁺, safety B⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

34La Roche-sur-Yon54,849 people47.3bottom 45.7%B⁻#2,062 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, schools B·lowest: safety C⁻

35Beauvoir-sur-Mer4,035 people46.4bottom 43.4%C⁺#2,149 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A, walkability B⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

36Luçon9,417 people46.4bottom 43.3%C⁺#2,154 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, cost of living B⁺·lowest: safety C⁻

37Challans22,943 people43.9bottom 36.7%C⁺#2,406 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools B, jobs & income B⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

38Jard-sur-Mer3,235 people43.8bottom 36.5%C⁺#2,413 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, jobs & income B·lowest: cost of living D

39Talmont-Saint-Hilaire8,492 people41.0bottom 29.9%C#2,662 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B⁺, safety B·lowest: walkability D

40Longeville-sur-Mer2,625 people40.7bottom 28.8%C#2,704 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B, walkability B⁻·lowest: cost of living D

41Bretignolles-sur-Mer5,344 people40.0bottom 26.8%C#2,779 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B⁻, health B⁻·lowest: cost of living C⁻

42L'Île-d'Yeu4,883 people37.0bottom 19.9%C⁻#3,043 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, safety B⁻·lowest: cost of living D

43L'Aiguillon-la-Presqu'île2,845 people34.8bottom 15.1%C⁻#3,226 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, health B·lowest: cost of living D

44Saint-Jean-de-Monts8,868 people28.8bottom 6.0%D#3,571 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: schools B, jobs & income B⁻·lowest: safety D

45La Tranche-sur-Mer3,136 people28.1bottom 4.9%D⁻#3,611 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, jobs & income B·lowest: cost of living D

46Noirmoutier-en-l'Île4,505 people26.7bottom 3.6%D⁻#3,662 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: cost of living D⁻

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Vendée?

Cugand-la-Bernardière ranks first of 46 graded towns of 2,500 or more: safety (A+) and jobs & income (A) are its strongest grades; cost of living (B−) is its lowest. Mortagne-sur-Sèvre and Le Poiré-sur-Vie follow.

How are these towns ranked?

By the overall grade, which blends six graded subjects (cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs and income, walkability) from public data, each comparing a town with every French town of 1,000 or more. The rank is among the towns of 2,500 or more in Vendée, where five or more have an overall grade.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

The list covers places of 2,500 or more with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their grades on their own pages; every commune is listed on the Vendée page.

Photos: Cugand-la-Bernardière, Llann Wé² , ex- Week-et-pédia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, Surkål (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Le Poiré-sur-Vie, mwanasimba from La Réunion (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, run #57 of November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).

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.