In 2026, Marseille stands out as one of the most attractive French metropolitan areas for buying new build real estate. As France's second-largest city with 870,000 inhabitants, it combines solid fundamentals: a structurally strong rental demand driven by 60,000 students and an employment hub of 380,000 employees, large-scale urban transformation projects that are reshaping entire neighborhoods, and prices that remain competitive compared to Lyon or Bordeaux.
In 2026, following the market correction of 2023-2024, the market is gradually finding a new balance and offering buyers more favorable entry conditions than at the peak of the previous cycle. Our real estate agency in Marseille supports you through every step of your new build project, from development selection to signing.
The new build housing market in Marseille shows a median price of €4,595 per square meter in 2026, a slight decrease of 4% year-on-year. This temporary correction follows a 12% increase over five years that had driven prices to record highs in certain sectors. The underlying trend remains upward over the medium term, fueled by urban transformation and the growing attractiveness of the metropolitan area. Transaction volumes in the Bouches-du-Rhône department rebounded by 11.8% in 2025, confirming that demand is back after a two-year correction period.
Meanwhile, the pre-owned market shows an average price of €3,513 per square meter for apartments, representing a 30% gap with new builds—a differential justified by the specific advantages of new construction in terms of warranties, energy performance, and reduced notary fees.
The production of new build housing in Marseille is concentrated across a limited number of sectors. The Euroméditerranée perimeter (2nd and 3rd arrondissements) remains the main generator of new developments, with completed residences and active marketing continuing throughout 2026 in the Arenc-Euromed 2 sector. The 8th and 9th arrondissements host the most premium developments, with prices regularly exceeding €5,000 per square meter.
The 10th, 12th, and 13th arrondissements offer a residential supply geared toward families, at more accessible prices ranging between €3,500 and €4,200 per square meter. Finally, the 15th and 16th arrondissements concentrate the most affordable developments, often with reduced VAT, starting from €2,500 per square meter.
The Marseille new build market is fueled by three distinct buyer profiles. First-time buyers, encouraged by the PTZ scheme extended until 2027 and reduced notary fees, account for a growing share of buyers—nearly one out of two borrowers who secured a mortgage at the end of 2025 was a first-time buyer. Families purchasing a primary residence target the residential eastern and southern arrondissements, attracted by the quality of new build developments compliant with RE2020 standards.
Investors, who had largely capitalized on the Pinel scheme until the end of 2024, are shifting toward LMNP and LLI, two frameworks that offer attractive tax opportunities in 2026 within high-demand rental markets like Marseille. To learn more about yield-driven acquisition strategies, read our guide to investing in Marseille.
Buying a new build in Marseille offers an immediate financial benefit: notary fees do not exceed 2-3% of the sale price, compared to 7-8% for pre-owned properties. On a €280,000 apartment, this represents a direct savings of €14,000 to €17,000. Combined with the PTZ, which can finance up to 50% of the project interest-free for eligible first-time buyers, this double advantage significantly reduces the actual entry cost to property ownership.
In neighborhoods eligible for ANRU and QPV zones, the reduced VAT rate of 5.5% further amplifies these savings, allowing buyers to access new property ownership under financial conditions close to those of the pre-owned market, but with all the warranties and performance of a new build.
In a regulatory context where properties rated F or G can no longer be rented out since January 2025, buying an RE2020-compliant new build property constitutes a prudent asset management decision. A new build apartment in Marseille is systematically rated A or B on the DPE energy certificate, ensuring higher rental value and resale liquidity compared to a similar older property.
Lower energy bills—particularly valuable in a city with significant air conditioning requirements—serve as a compelling argument for both tenants and owner-occupiers alike.
Purchasing off-plan (VEFA) in Marseille comes with five legal warranties—GFA (financial completion), perfect completion, biennial, decennial, and acoustic warranties—which cover the buyer from handover up to ten years later. These protections offer a level of peace of mind entirely absent from the pre-owned market, where buyers often discover the property's true condition only after signing.
For buy-to-let investors, the absence of renovation work in the early years and the security provided by these warranties reduce budget uncertainties and improve visibility over the operation's net profitability.
Since the end of the Pinel tax incentive on December 31, 2024, the LMNP status (Non-Professional Furnished Landlord) has established itself as the primary tax mechanism for new build investors in Marseille. This status allows for the accounting depreciation of both the property and the furniture, heavily reducing—and sometimes eliminating—taxes on rental income for 15 to 20 years. Furthermore, furnished rentals generate rents that are 15% to 25% higher than unfurnished rentals, backed by robust rental demand in Marseille for small and medium layouts.
The average gross yield of a new build apartment under LMNP in Marseille ranges between 4% and 6% depending on the sector and surface area.
Having entered into force in January 2025, the Intermediate Rental Housing (LLI) scheme is a state-backed incentive offering a reduced VAT rate of 10% on acquisition and a tax credit spanning up to 20 years, in exchange for a commitment to rent out the property at capped, intermediate rent rates accessible to middle-class households. In Marseille, which is classified as a high-demand zone, several new build developments are eligible for the LLI scheme, notably within the Euroméditerranée sector.
According to estimates, this mechanism offers a secured net profitability of 3.5% to 5%, aligning with a long-term asset-building strategy suitable for investors prioritizing security over maximum yield.
The 2026 Finance Act introduced the Jeanbrun tax scheme (or "private landlord status"), which allows owners of new build properties rented out unfurnished to deduct between 3.5% and 5.5% of the property's value from their taxable income base annually, with an annual deduction cap ranging from €8,000 to €12,000 depending on the applicable rent level. This depreciation mechanism for unfurnished rentals represents a significant novelty for buy-to-let landlords who prefer unfurnished over furnished lets, offering them a tax advantage comparable to LMNP without the management constraints of a furnished property.
The Euroméditerranée sector concentrates the most active new build developments in 2026, with imminent handovers and ongoing marketing in the Arenc-Euromed 2 area. Residences such as SINOPIA (Constructa) offer apartments ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units (5 rooms) with terraces at prices around €3,500 per square meter, in a rapidly changing neighborhood benefiting from €7 billion in public and private investments. The medium-term capital appreciation prospect is one of the best-documented in the Marseille market.
The southern and eastern arrondissements offer the highest quality new build developments for primary family residences. The 8th arrondissement, with its residences close to the beaches and Borély Park priced between €4,500 and €7,000 per square meter, remains the high-end benchmark. The 9th arrondissement, at the gateway to the Calanques, offers developments between €3,800 and €6,000 per square meter. The 10th arrondissement provides a solid yield-to-quality ratio between €3,500 and €4,200 per square meter. The 12th arrondissement, highly sought after by families around Saint-Barnabé and La Fourragère, hosts rare developments at intermediate prices.
The 13th arrondissement (Château-Gombert, La Rose) and the 15th arrondissement offer the most affordable new build developments in Marseille, often featuring reduced VAT, starting from €2,500 to €3,200 per square meter. These sectors deliver high rental yields (6% to 8% gross in certain parts of the 13th) along with long-term appreciation potential driven by ongoing urban projects.
Marseille is a city whose new build market currently offers real opportunities for all buyer profiles, provided one correctly identifies the sector, development, and tax framework tailored to their specific situation. Our up-to-date knowledge of all developments currently on the market, our mastery of available tax incentives, and our local network are the key assets we place at the service of every client who entrusts us with their new build real estate project in Marseille.
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