Buying a house in the Dordogne: prices, places and where to look

In short

• On average €1,851 per m² for a house, down 0.8 percent in a year.
• From €1,186 per m² in Nontron (Périgord Vert) to €2,370 in Sarlat (Périgord Noir).
• €200,000 buys on average about 108 m² of living space; in Nontron more than 165, in Sarlat around 85.
• The most searched département on our Dutch sister site’s Search Helper. Typical budget: €170,000 to €300,000, three bedrooms, plenty of land.

What does a house cost in the Dordogne?

The département is made up of four Périgords, and they differ more in price than in landscape. The south-east around Sarlat and the Dordogne valley (Périgord Noir) is touristy and expensive. The north around Nontron (Périgord Vert) is green, quiet and a good deal cheaper. Bergerac (Périgord Pourpre) and Périgueux (Périgord Blanc) sit in between.

Averages. Within the département prices range from €766 to €3,432 per m². Source: MeilleursAgents, 1 September 2026, net seller prices.

On top of the price, allow 7 to 8 percent notaire fees on an existing house (what the notaire does). Whether agency fees are included in the asking price shows in the listing: FAI means included, charge acquéreur means you pay them on top. Work out your own total with the buying costs calculator.

Where do buyers look?

On our Dutch sister site, eenhuiskopeninfrankrijk.nl, more people filled in the Search Helper for the Dordogne than for any other département in September 2026. A small sample, but the pattern is clear:

• They search everywhere, not just the famous south. Sarlat, Daglan and Limeuil in the Périgord Noir, but just as much La Coquille and Nontron in the north, Bergerac and Lacropte in the middle.
• Budgets are higher than elsewhere. Mostly between €170,000 and €300,000.
• Land matters. Half asked for at least 1,000 m²; a pool came up regularly.

What to watch out for

British buyers have been coming to the Dordogne for fifty years. You won’t discover anything new here; you compete. That has an upside: agents are used to foreign buyers and there is a network of English-speaking builders and services. The downside is the price of exactly the houses everyone wants: a restored stone farmhouse with a pool and a view in the Périgord Noir.

• Pool and 5,000 m² for under €200,000? It exists, but rarely in the south. Look in the Périgord Vert or around Ribérac, or drop one of the two wishes.
• Your own drainage. Outside the villages almost every house has a fosse septique. The survey pack includes an inspection by the SPANC; if it says the system doesn’t comply, you have to fix it within a year of buying. Allow a few thousand to over ten thousand euros.
• Termites. Large parts of the south-west are covered by a termite order. If your commune is in such a zone, the survey pack includes a termite report. Read it properly.
• Tourism cuts both ways. Sarlat and the valley are full in July and August. Good if you want to let, less good if you are after peace and quiet in August yourself. Go and look once out of season too.
• Getting there. Bergerac airport has flights to several UK airports, mostly seasonal, and Brive is just over the border of the département. By car it is a long day’s drive from the Channel ports.

Search the Dordogne straight away

There is no Rightmove in France: listings are spread over six sites. The Search Helper builds the right searches for all of them in one go. Choose a starting point:

Town, radius and budget are already filled in. Adjust them, enter your email address and you get the links for Leboncoin, SeLoger, Bien’ici, Green-Acres, PAP and the notaires. How does it work?

Questions people ask

Is the Dordogne expensive?

Not for France: on average €1,851 per m² for a house, against €2,963 in the Pyrénées-Orientales. But among the affordable rural regions, the Dordogne is at the top end, especially in the Périgord Noir.

Where is a house in the Dordogne cheapest?

In the north, the Périgord Vert. Nontron is at €1,186 per m², Ribérac at €1,505. The landscape is greener and quieter, and further from the tourist sights.

Are prices falling?

Slightly. Houses in the département became 0.8 percent cheaper in a year. Across France, rural houses are falling faster than flats, so there is room to negotiate, especially on houses that have been for sale for a while. The best houses don’t get cheaper because you like them; they do after a winter on the market.