Is Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie a good place to live?
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie’s best grade is for schools (A+): bac results 2.2 points above the expected rate; brevet results 4.9 points above the expected rate. Housing is expensive (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 11.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Overall, that makes a B, good for #30 of 46 in Vendée. Nationally, it does better than 62% of compared French towns.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
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-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie 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.
Église de Saint-Gilles · Inscrit · Photo: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie’s story
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in pictures
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level).
The oldest protected part dates from prehistory; the first monument here was protected in 1921.
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1991.
3.2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Église de Saint-Gilles: Photo: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie than in Vendée’s towns or compared French towns: 7.9% are under 15
63.7median age
7.2% of residents are 15 to 24, lower than both Vendée’s towns (9.9%) and compared French towns (11%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 48% of residents. At 63.7, the median resident of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie sits in the middle of the age range.
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-VieVendée medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
48%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma18%
CAP or BEP28%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education29%
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 82 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Vendée 50.9%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Vendée median and France median: the median of compared communes
Schools
Exam results around Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie beat 96% of compared French towns
99%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: 100% passed the bac pro, of 40 candidates. The brevet pass rate near Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is 97.1%, above Vendée’s towns (92.4%) and compared French towns (87.5%) alike. For exam results, it comes #4 of 34 in Vendée.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living D
Buying in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie costs more than in both Vendée’s towns and compared French towns: the median sale is €4,298/m²
€4,298/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses sell for €4,079/m² in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, apartments for €4,569/m². The estimated advertised rent is €13.26/m² a month, higher than both Vendée’s towns (€11.32/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Of the homes sold, 61% were houses.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie€4,298/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Vendée median€2,339/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€4,079/m²
477
Apartments
€4,569/m²
311
€13.26/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.73 to €16.37/m² a month)
11.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.90/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,690
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income A−
21.6% of commuters in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie go to work without a car, more than in both Vendée’s towns and compared French towns
22%walk, cycle or take transit
The median disposable income was €27,450 a year per consumption unit, higher than both Vendée’s towns (€26,310) and compared French towns (€25,970). Per resident in work, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie counts 2.4 jobs (6,000 jobs, 2,550 workers). The jobless rate is 11.3%.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving72%
On foot9%
Bicycle9%
Public transport4%
Motorbike or scooter2%
6,000
jobs based in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, 2.4 per working resident
11.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,450
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 76% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
For crime per resident, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie sits above 75% of compared French towns
7.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
The 2025 count: 254 offenses in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. Graded property crimes ran at 20.3 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 7.7 (2023–2025 average). Of the graded crimes locally, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage103
Other physical violence37
Burglary30
Sexual violence26
Theft from vehicles21
Family violence19
Vehicle theft18
Theft without violence99
Drug use91
Fraud59
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.
7.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
20.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
254
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
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 · Small counts of armed robbery go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 0.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: 2 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
2historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). Part of the town has been protected as a historic area since 1991. The protected list starts in prehistory. 3.2% of homes date from before 1919.
Monuments by protection · Mérimée
Classé1
Inscrit1
Prehistory
oldest protected part
1921
first monument protected
1991
protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable)
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth B
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie has a lower adjusted death rate than 57% of compared French towns
−14%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is Centre hospitalier Loire Vendee Ocean site de Challans, 11.1 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,684 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,567, 7% fewer. Its two care homes for older people (159 places) count their residents as Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie’s; allowing for them, deaths were 14% below expected. The town has 8 family doctors.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw93
Adjusted86
Median town88
Expected100
8
GPs in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie · 2.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
11.1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Loire Vendee Ocean site de Challans
11 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Loire Vendee Ocean site de Challans
85.5 · 80.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Vendée, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Serge Papin: Bogdan Hoyaux / European Union, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0 · Narcisse Pelletier: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Éric Lysøe: Jens Dereham, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Commune in Vendée, Pays de la Loire
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is a commune of 8,333 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. 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
8,333 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Département
Vendée (85)
Région
Pays de la Loire
Area
3.9 sq mi (10.1 km²)
INSEE code
85222
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie’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 Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Is Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie safe?
It grades C for safety, #41 of 46 in Vendée. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 30 burglaries and 103 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie good?
They grade A+, better than 96% of compared French towns and #4 of 34 in Vendée. The lycée stands out: 99% of 126 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Adeline Boutain in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie 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.
