Looking for a country house for sale in Loire (42)? Between the Monts du Forez, the Pilat massif and the farmed Forez plain, the department offers a contrasting rural style: a Forez farmhouse built of rammed earth and brick, a granite house in the Pilat hills, or a manor-style house from the Roanne basin. This page brings together the country houses for sale in Loire published on ma-propriete.fr by private sellers, estate agents and notaries.
To help you decide, we present the actual prices of country houses in Loire (notarised sales 2020-2025), the areas worth knowing from Saint-Étienne to Roanne, and the criteria that determine the value of a house in the countryside. 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 Loire (42)? According to DVF data (notarised sales) analysed by the ma-propriete.fr observatory, the median price of a country house in Loire (42) stood at €205,000 in 2025, with an average price of €205,173 and a median price of €1,957/m² of living space (1,565 house sales in rural municipalities over the year). The price range is wide: 10% of houses sold for less than €108,000 (floor price, 1st decile) and 10% for more than €308,300 (ceiling price, 9th decile). The typical country house here offers 109 m² of living space on an average plot of 3,352 m², i.e. around 0.3 ha.
This market is below the regional median (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: €230,000) and above the national median (€189,200). Since the second half of 2020, the median price has risen from €178,460 to €205,000, i.e. +14.9%; over one year (2024-2025) the change is +3.5%.
| 2025 indicator | Loire | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | France |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median price | €205,000 | €230,000 | €189,200 |
| Average price | €205,173 | €246,927 | €207,100 |
| Floor price (1st decile) | €108,000 | €98,000 | €90,000 |
| Ceiling price (9th decile) | €308,300 | €410,000 | €340,000 |
| Median price per m² of living space | €1,957/m² | €2,200/m² | €1,830/m² |
| Average living space | 109 m² | 109 m² | 108 m² |
| Average plot size | 3,352 m² | 3,243 m² | 3,181 m² |
| Number of sales in 2025 | 1,565 | 16,528 | 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 Loire (42) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inland tourist areas (hinterland, mountains) | €149,000 | €1,435/m² | +12.0% | 262 |
| Peri-urban countryside (city catchment area) | €205,000 | €1,950/m² | +13.2% | 5,101 |
| Deep countryside (outside urban influence) | €190,000 | €1,831/m² | +1.2% | 3,621 |
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.
On the Forez plain, around Feurs and Boën-sur-Lignon, the traditional farmhouse is often built of rammed earth or raw brick, with modest openings and a steeply pitched flat tile roof. In the Monts du Forez and the Pilat (Pélussin, Bourg-Argental), local granite dominates, producing sturdy houses, sometimes roofed with stone slate in the higher hamlets. The Roanne area, around Charlieu and Ambierle, retains manor-style houses inherited from the textile industry, built of stone or brick, often set in a park. Rammed earth, a raw-earth material, needs a stone masonry base to stay protected from rising damp, an essential point to check when buying. Some Forez plain farmhouses still retain a covered well and a bread oven built into the facade, small details that add character to a restoration project.
The land attached to these country houses varies widely: a small garden on the plain, large sloping plots in the Pilat with coniferous woodland and pasture, or a traditional apple and walnut orchard around Forez farmhouses. Agricultural outbuildings (barn, cowshed, drying shed) are common and can, subject to local planning rules, be converted into a gîte. Some Pilat hamlets retain stone porches and carved lintels, evidence of a local craft tradition still visible today.
Around Montbrison and the Forez plain, the rural market stays affordable, amid fields and ponds. The Pilat, right next to Saint-Étienne and its rail link to Lyon, attracts buyers for its open views over the Rhône valley, with firm prices in the most sought-after villages such as Pélussin or Bourg-Argental. Towards Roanne, in the Monts de la Madeleine, the countryside is more affordable, with a building heritage shaped by the textile industry. The rail link between Saint-Étienne and Lyon noticeably cuts travel times, which explains the Pilat's growing appeal for commuters.
Areas close to the Saint-Étienne conurbation and the most popular Pilat villages sell noticeably above the departmental average, driven by Saint-Étienne and Lyon commuters seeking more space, while the Roanne area and the northern Forez offer more affordable opportunities for a move to the countryside. The Roanne area, less touristy, retains an affordable rural housing stock around former textile workshops converted into homes. Buyers moving from Lyon or Saint-Étienne often prioritise a workable commute over sheer isolation, which keeps demand concentrated on well-connected Pilat villages.
Three factors dominate: proximity to Saint-Étienne or Lyon, the condition of the building (fragile rammed earth, roof, insulation, energy rating), radon risk present in the granite areas of the Pilat and the Monts du Forez, and the size of the plot, especially in mountain areas where sloping parcels can be extensive. A renovated granite house in the Pilat and a rammed-earth farmhouse to renovate on the Forez plain can show a significant price gap. The steep terrain typical of the Pilat often means higher groundworks costs for any extension or swimming-pool project.
Check the private drainage system, common in mountain areas, the energy rating of often poorly insulated rammed-earth houses, fibre-optic coverage for remote working, and local planning rules for any project to convert a barn into living space. Old rammed-earth farmhouses need particular attention to rising damp, which can damage interior renders over time. Chimney sweeping and flue inspections deserve particular attention in rammed-earth houses, where wood heating remains the norm and old flues are not always compliant.
On ma-propriete.fr, filter Loire 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 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
