Living in Tours: why choose this city to settle in?

Living in Tours means choosing a mid-sized city of 139,259 inhabitants (Insee, 2023 census) on the banks of the Loire, at once a student city, a hospital hub and the administrative capital of Touraine. It attracts mostly students and young professionals: one resident in five is between 15 and 24, and another in five between 25 and 39.

It is also a city of tenants. Two households in three rent their main residence (66.3%), a quarter of them in social housing. Rents remain far more affordable than in Paris, but Tours is classed as a tight-market zone and well-located small homes go fast, particularly at the start of the university year.

This guide covers what matters before you settle in: the climate, jobs, student life, neighbourhoods, the housing budget and the transport that will change in the coming years.

The climate in Tours, backed by figures

Tours has a temperate climate, without extremes. According to Météo-France's 1991-2020 normals, the average annual temperature is 12.2 °C. January is the coldest month, at 5.1 °C on average, and both July and August average 20.2 °C, with average highs around 26 °C.

• Sun: 1,885 hours of sunshine a year on average, including nearly 250 hours in July.
• Rain: 678 mm a year, spread over about 109 days of rain of at least 1 mm. The wettest months run from October to January.
• Heat: 14 days a year on average exceed 30 °C, almost all in June, July and August. The station's record reached 40.8 °C, in July 2019.
• Cold: about 36 days of frost a year, but only 4 days when the temperature stays below zero all day.

In practice, a well-insulated home matters as much in summer as in winter: under the roofs of the old town, heat episodes are felt. Ask about insulation and heating during the visit, and look at the home's energy label.

Jobs and student life

A city of service jobs

Tours has many more jobs than it has working residents: Insee counts 88,489 jobs in 2023 for 58,310 employed residents living in the municipality. A large share of the people in the urban area therefore come here to work. Half of the jobs are in trade, transport and services, and 38.5% in public administration, education, health and social work. Industry accounts for 7.4% of jobs.

The census-based unemployment rate among 15-64 year olds is 14.4% in 2023, against 18.5% in 2017. This figure includes anyone who declares themselves unemployed at the census, which makes it higher than the official rate calculated by Insee at the employment-zone level.

More than 30,000 students

According to LocService (June 2026), Tours hosts more than 30,000 students and captures 44% of student housing searches in the Centre-Val de Loire region, against 37% a year earlier. The University of Tours and several grandes écoles offer programmes in medicine, law and the humanities, among others. Regionally, 67% of students look for a studio or a T1, and half want a furnished home.

Good news for applicants: the tension is easing. The student tension score measured by LocService in Tours went from 3.51 to 3.00 in a year. In the region, family acts as guarantor in 86% of cases, and 9% of students rely on the Visale guarantee.

The neighbourhoods to live in

• Le Vieux-Tours and Place Plumereau: the historic centre, lively and sought after by students and young professionals. Rents here are among the highest in the city, and evening noise comes with the territory.
• Les Halles and Velpeau: central, around the markets and shops, with strong student demand.
• Les Prébendes: residential and quiet around the Prébendes garden, appreciated by families and executives for its apartments with character.
• Beaujardin: central and well served, close to the CHRU, prized by healthcare professionals and medical students.
• Blanqui: residential and peaceful, a stone's throw from the centre.
• Les Deux-Lions: a recent district in the south, with new homes served by the tramway, where many young professionals and students live.
• Tours Nord: on the other side of the Loire, the most affordable area, with quick access to the A10.