Looking for a country house for sale in Charente-Maritime (17)? Between the Charente vineyards, the marshlands and the Charente estuary, the department offers varied rural architecture: a Charentais house in pale limestone under a Roman-tile roof, a converted stone wine store, a timber-framed longère in Haute-Saintonge, an oyster farmer's house with outbuildings near Marennes. On the Île de Ré and the Île d'Oléron, low blue-shuttered houses sit alongside larger properties further inland. This page brings together the country houses for sale in Charente-Maritime published on ma-propriete.fr by private sellers, estate agents and notaries.
We present the actual prices of country houses in Charente-Maritime (notarised sales 2020-2025), the areas worth knowing from Rochefort to Saintes, and the criteria that determine the value of a house in the countryside, from the building itself to its aspect and the nature of the land. Our complete guide to buying a country house in France completes these benchmarks, from surveying an old building to financing.
How much does a country house cost in Charente-Maritime (17)? According to DVF data (notarised sales) analysed by the ma-propriete.fr observatory, the median price of a country house in Charente-Maritime (17) stood at €214,000 in 2025, with an average price of €230,241 and a median price of €2,027/m² of living space (3,219 house sales in rural municipalities over the year). The price range is wide: 10% of houses sold for less than €113,960 (floor price, 1st decile) and 10% for more than €375,408 (ceiling price, 9th decile). The typical country house here offers 112 m² of living space on an average plot of 2,332 m², i.e. around 0.2 ha.
This market is well above the regional median (Nouvelle-Aquitaine: €170,000) and above the national median (€189,200). Since the second half of 2020, the median price has risen from €189,000 to €214,000, i.e. +13.2%; over one year (2024-2025) the change is +0.9%.
| 2025 indicator | Charente-Maritime | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | France |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median price | €214,000 | €170,000 | €189,200 |
| Average price | €230,241 | €188,636 | €207,100 |
| Floor price (1st decile) | €113,960 | €83,000 | €90,000 |
| Ceiling price (9th decile) | €375,408 | €315,785 | €340,000 |
| Median price per m² of living space | €2,027/m² | €1,657/m² | €1,830/m² |
| Average living space | 112 m² | 110 m² | 108 m² |
| Average plot size | 2,332 m² | 4,005 m² | 3,181 m² |
| Number of sales in 2025 | 3,219 | 26,126 | 150,313 |
A departmental average hides large gaps. A smallholding to renovate, a restored longère with its outbuildings, a farmhouse on several hectares of land or a manor house with parkland do not sell at the same price, and the location matters as much as the building: coastline, tourist area, peri-urban countryside close to a job market or deep countryside. The table below shows the median price of country houses in Charente-Maritime (17) by type of municipality (cumulative sales from mid-2020 to 2025) and its change between 2021 and 2025.
| Type of municipality | Median price 2020-2025 | Median price per m² | Change 2021-2025 | Sales 2020-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist coastline | €307,820 | €3,346/m² | +0.8% | 2,674 |
| Residential coastline | €246,852 | €2,432/m² | -1.7% | 2,406 |
| Peri-urban countryside (city catchment area) | €220,000 | €2,016/m² | +4.7% | 8,993 |
| Deep countryside (outside urban influence) | €161,611 | €1,497/m² | +4.4% | 6,433 |
These benchmarks help you assess a listing, estimate a property before putting it up for sale, or set your budget for a holiday home or a permanent move to the French countryside. To go further, see our observatory of country house prices in France (national, regional and departmental analysis, downloadable annual report) and work out the full cost of your purchase, including French notary fees, with our notary fees calculator.
The typical Charente-Maritime house is recognisable by its pale limestone ashlar, blue shutters and Roman roof tiles, a legacy of old trade links with the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Around Cognac and Jonzac, the vineyard landscape has left many stone wine stores, sometimes attached to a manor-style house, now converted into homes or gîtes. On the Île d'Oléron and around the Marennes basin, the brightly shuttered oyster farmer's house sits alongside more modest farms; in Haute-Saintonge you also find timber-framed longères, closer to the Poitou style, with a substantial stone fireplace.
The land attached to these houses varies a great deal by area: an enclosed garden with a fig-tree orchard around Saintes, market-garden plots on former drained marshland, or a larger plot with outbuildings (wine store, oyster hut, bread oven) further inland. Many properties sit in a quiet hamlet, away from the coastal tourist routes, keeping a calm setting year-round while staying close to the shops of the nearest market town.
Around La Rochelle, the Île de Ré and the Marennes-Oléron basin, country houses close to the coast are the most sought-after in the department, driven by demand for holiday homes and by a tourist market active for much of the year. Rochefort and the Charente valley offer a compromise between coastal access and year-round living, with a TGV-served station towards Paris and Bordeaux. Around Saintes and Cognac, the Charente vineyards and river valley keep a distinctive rural character at a slower pace, appealing to buyers looking for a main home.
Haute-Saintonge, around Jonzac and Montendre, and the north of the department towards Saint-Jean-d'Angély and the Boutonne valley, remain noticeably more affordable than near the coast. This is where the best opportunities lie for a stone house with a large plot, well suited to a move to the countryside or a rural gîte project.
Three factors dominate: proximity to the coast and to the TGV stations (La Rochelle, Surgères, Rochefort), the condition of the old building (roof frame, damp from the marshland, insulation and energy rating, often a drawback on uninsulated old houses) and the size of the land. A renovated oyster farmer's house near the Marennes basin and a longère to renovate in Haute-Saintonge can show a very marked price gap, particularly when the latter needs a full roof and frame overhaul.
Also check the drainage system, particularly sensitive on land near the marshes, the local planning rules in coastal zones (constraints from the French coastal protection law for seaside communes), fibre-optic coverage for remote working, and exposure to coastal flooding before any extension or new outbuilding project.
On ma-propriete.fr, filter Charente-Maritime country houses by budget, living space and land area, set up an email alert so you never miss a new listing, and if needed widen your search to all country houses for sale in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a region offering a wide range of rural properties beyond the Charente coastline.
