The neighbourhoods of the French side of Saint-Martin compared for a year-round rental: atmosphere, type of housing, rents observed in 2025.
To rent year-round in Saint-Martin, on the French side, searches focus on a handful of neighbourhoods. Marigot, the main town, and Concordia, adjoining it to the south, offer the most listings and the most affordable rents. Hope Estate, north-east of Marigot, offers new or renovated homes. Sandy Ground, Bellevue and Galisbay complete the moderately priced supply. Grand-Case, Orient Bay and Anse Marcel target a higher budget, with villas and seafront residences.
This guide covers the Collectivité de Saint-Martin (97150), the French part of the island. Simpson Bay, Philipsburg, Maho and Cupecoy are in Sint Maarten, the Dutch part, which has its own rules and its own market: they are not covered here.
The choice of neighbourhood matters all the more because supply is thin. According to Insee, the French side had 31,500 inhabitants in 2022, and tension in the housing market persists despite the fall in population. Here is what each area offers, what it costs and how to go about it.
The main town of the French side, Marigot brings together the administrations, shops and the port. The prefecture responsible for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy is based there, and the Collectivité is having an administrative and judicial complex built there. Rental demand is strong and the supply of apartments varied, from studios to T3s. It is the most practical choice if you work in the centre or arrive without a car, provided you accept a livelier environment.
Adjoining Marigot to the south, Concordia is a quiet, well-served residential neighbourhood. There are many listings for T2s and T3s at affordable rents. For a first year-round home, it is often the best compromise between budget, peace and proximity to the centre.
A mixed residential and commercial area north-east of Marigot, Hope Estate is near Grand-Case airport. Some of the homes there are new or renovated, which makes it a sought-after area for those who want a home in good condition. Together with Marigot and Concordia, it is one of the neighbourhoods where furnished year-round rentals are concentrated.
Between the sea and the lagoon, Sandy Ground keeps a village atmosphere. Studios and apartments are offered for rent. The Collectivité is rebuilding socio-cultural facilities there, a sign of a neighbourhood being renovated. Visit by day and in the evening to judge the immediate surroundings.
Bellevue is a residential area where you can find unfurnished T2s and T3s at moderate rents, a rare supply on the island. Galisbay, near the commercial port, offers a few T4 apartments for long-term rental: a lead for families who need space.
Known for its restaurants and colourful Creole houses, Grand-Case attracts people looking for a friendly waterfront atmosphere. The rental supply there is more upmarket, mostly T3s and furnished villas.
Orient Bay (Baie Orientale) has apartments and villas in secure residences, with some of the highest rents on the island. Anse Marcel, to the north, is a quiet residential neighbourhood of villas and high-end apartments. These areas are also where tourist rental weighs most: according to IEDOM, Orient Bay and Terres-Basses each accounted for 23% of the supply of tourist furnished rentals in 2024, and Terres-Basses stands out for its large, high-end homes. A year-round listing there is rare and goes fast.
La Savane is a peaceful neighbourhood of spacious residences surrounded by vegetation. According to IEDOM, the Collectivité is building a 900-place secondary school there, and another with 600 places in Quartier d'Orléans, to the east. If you are moving with children, find out about school catchment areas before choosing your address.
Long-term rental listings recorded in 2025 on local platforms give the following ranges:
Furnished homes dominate the supply and rent for a little more than unfurnished ones. Seafront properties, in Orient Bay or Anse Marcel, and those in secure residences show the highest rents. Water, electricity and internet are generally at your expense.
Insee notes that in 2022, 74% of homes on the French side are main residences, four points fewer than in 2012. Second or occasional homes account for 11%, an increase the institute links in part to short-term rentals through platforms. And 15% of homes are vacant, often because of damage from Hurricane Irma and renovations never carried out. Large homes are declining: between 2012 and 2022, the number of main residences over 100 m² fell by 24%.
Social housing is not enough either: IEDOM counts 1,701 social homes in 2022, a supply judged insufficient. The Local Housing Programme adopted in October 2024 aims for 1,800 new homes by 2030, but to settle in over the coming months, the private sector remains the main route.
The Collectivité has had responsibility for housing since 2012: some rules may differ from those of mainland France. Have every clause of the lease explained to you and insist on a written inventory on move-in.
If you are preparing your move from a distance, a Remoters home finder based in Saint-Martin searches for you in the neighbourhoods that match your budget, views homes, builds your file and reviews the lease before signing. The first conversation and the quote are free.
Short answers to the questions our readers ask, written to stand on their own.
Sources cited in this article
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