By Garen Ajderhanyan · 6 August 2026 · 7 min read
In brief
In Nice, the right area for a pied-à-terre depends first on use. For sea views, Mont-Boron (€9,350/m², median price, H1 2026, Maison Masséna study) and the Promenade des Anglais (€7,920/m²) hold the top of the market. For walking everywhere, the Carré d'Or (€7,980/m²) remains the reference, for quiet, Cimiez (€6,390/m²) offers the most favourable price difference. Le Port (€6,950/m²) is the area on the rise.
What makes a good area for a pied-à-terre in Nice?
A pied-à-terre is not chosen like a primary residence. One does not live there, one returns to it. The question is therefore not 'where is it good to live in Nice?' but 'what do I want to find when I open the door, ten or fifteen times a year?'. Some want the sea upon waking, others silence, others still the possibility of leaving the car at the airport and doing everything on foot.
Price differences reflect these uses. In the first half of 2026, median prices recorded by the Maison Masséna study range from €6,390/m² in Cimiez to €9,350/m² in Mont-Boron. Between the two, four areas that I see recurring in almost all second home searches: the Carré d'Or, the Promenade des Anglais, Vieux-Nice and Le Port.
Which area for a sea view?
Two answers, two geographies. Mont-Boron first: the hill to the east of the city, its pines, its villas and its co-ownerships facing the Baie des Anges. It is the most expensive area of Nice, at €9,350/m² median (H1 2026, Maison Masséna study), the price of unobstructed views combined with quiet.
The Promenade des Anglais next, at €7,920/m² (H1 2026, Maison Masséna study). Here the sea view is frontal, right on the seafront, with city noise in exchange. For a weekend pied-à-terre, the trade-off is simple: Mont-Boron requires a car or strong legs, the Promenade can be reached in twenty minutes from the airport.
Which area for quiet?
Cimiez. The area of winter visitors, large bourgeois buildings and gardens, north of the centre. At €6,390/m² median (H1 2026, Maison Masséna study), it is the most moderate price of this selection, by far. One buys extra square metres there, high ceilings, silence.
The trade-off is known: no visible sea from most buildings, nor shops on every street corner. Cimiez suits the reading and family pied-à-terre, less so one who wants to go down to the beach in a dressing gown. Mont-Boron offers quiet and view together, but at €9,350/m², nearly €3,000/m² above.
Which area to do everything on foot?
The Carré d'Or, between the Promenade des Anglais, rue de France and boulevard Victor-Hugo. Everything is less than ten minutes away: the sea, the market, restaurants, the station for Monaco or Italy. At €7,980/m² median (H1 2026, Maison Masséna study), it is the most valued central area of the city.
Vieux-Nice, at €7,150/m² (H1 2026, Maison Masséna study), plays the same card with a different temperament: narrow streets, coloured facades, life until late. I would send there someone who wants a lively pied-à-terre, not one seeking to sleep early in July.
Which area if the pied-à-terre must be let between stays?
Two areas stand out for mixed use, personal occupation and seasonal letting: Vieux-Nice (€7,150/m²) and Le Port (€6,950/m², both median, H1 2026, Maison Masséna study). The first for constant tourist demand, the second for its trajectory: it is the area on the rise, between place Garibaldi, the antique dealers and the terraces of bassin Lympia.
A reminder before any yield calculation: seasonal letting in Nice is regulated, registration, rules for change of use, co-ownership regulations. These constraints are verified before purchase, not after. They do not condemn the project, they structure it.
How to decide, in practice?
Start with the frequency of your visits. For repeated weekends, proximity to the airport and life on foot count more than anything: Carré d'Or or Promenade des Anglais. For long, quiet stays, Cimiez or Mont-Boron. For a property that works in your absence, Vieux-Nice or Le Port.
Budget does the rest. A 45 m² one-bedroom flat costs, median, approximately €359,000 in the Carré d'Or and €288,000 in Cimiez (H1 2026 prices, Maison Masséna study, excluding fees and works). The difference finances years of return journeys. It is often there that the decision is truly made.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most expensive area of Nice for a pied-à-terre?
- Mont-Boron, with a median price of €9,350/m² in the first half of 2026 (Maison Masséna study). The area combines sea view and quiet, which explains the gap with the rest of the city.
- How much does a 45 m² one-bedroom flat cost in the Carré d'Or?
- Approximately €359,000 excluding fees, based on a median price of €7,980/m² in H1 2026 (Maison Masséna study).
- Which area of Nice offers the best price for a quiet pied-à-terre?
- Cimiez, a residential and tree-lined area, at €6,390/m² median in H1 2026 (Maison Masséna study), the most moderate price of the six areas studied.
- Why is Le Port said to be the area on the rise?
- At €6,950/m² median (H1 2026, Maison Masséna study), Le Port remains below Vieux-Nice (€7,150/m²) whilst attracting shops, terraces and buyers, a narrowing gap.
- What price difference between the hill and the centre of Nice?
- Nearly €3,000/m² between Mont-Boron (€9,350/m²) and Cimiez (€6,390/m²), median prices H1 2026 (Maison Masséna study). Between the Carré d'Or (€7,980/m²) and the Promenade des Anglais (€7,920/m²), the gap is almost nil.
References
The author
Garen AjderhanyanEditor of La Gazette de la Promenade
Editor of La Gazette de la Promenade. He writes on Riviera property and the art of living, from Nice.