Buying a mill for sale in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté means investing in a region shaped by its rivers: the Saône, the Doubs, the Loue, the Yonne and the Ognon powered hundreds of watermills, hydraulic forges and paper mills from the Morvan to the Jura's steep-sided valleys. On this page, ma-propriete.fr brings together mills for sale across the region's eight departments.
You will also find price benchmarks based on actual sales, an overview of the areas where these properties are concentrated, and the specific points to check before buying a mill. To prepare your project, our white paper on setting up a rural gîte covers the steps useful for restoring an old building.
There are no official statistics dedicated to mills: sales are too rare and too varied (a ruin to restore, a habitable mill, a flour mill with a turbine). The most reliable market benchmark remains the price of country houses, which a habitable mill resembles, with a premium for the water, the character and the water rights, and a discount for the work required.
How much does a country house cost in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté? According to DVF data (notarised sales) analysed by the ma-propriete.fr observatory, the median price of a country house in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté stood at €157,000 in 2025, with an average price of €168,680 and a median price of €1,525/m² of living space (11,450 house sales in rural municipalities over the year). 10% of houses sold for less than €74,000 (floor price, 1st decile) and 10% for more than €279,670 (ceiling price, 9th decile). The typical country house offers 108 m² of living space on an average plot of 2,805 m², i.e. around 0.3 ha.
The region is well below the national median (€189,200). Since the second half of 2020, the regional median price has risen from €139,775 to €157,000, i.e. +12.3%; over one year (2024-2025) the change is +4.7%.
| 2025 indicator | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | France |
|---|---|---|
| Median price | €157,000 | €189,200 |
| Average price | €168,680 | €207,100 |
| Floor price (1st decile) | €74,000 | €90,000 |
| Ceiling price (9th decile) | €279,670 | €340,000 |
| Median price per m² of living space | €1,525/m² | €1,830/m² |
| Average living space | 108 m² | 108 m² |
| Average plot size | 2,805 m² | 3,181 m² |
| Number of sales in 2025 | 11,450 | 150,313 |
Differences between departments are significant: the median ranges from €100,000 in Nièvre (58) to €224,920 in Doubs (25). The table below compares 2025 prices and their change since 2020.
| Department | Median price 2025 | Average price 2025 | Median price per m² | Change 2020-2025 | Sales 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte-d'Or (21) | €198,000 | €204,119 | €1,900/m² | +13.1% | 1,634 |
| Doubs (25) | €224,920 | €231,971 | €2,097/m² | +14.2% | 1,307 |
| Jura (39) | €186,000 | €191,899 | €1,733/m² | +17.5% | 1,139 |
| Nièvre (58) | €100,000 | €105,510 | €1,065/m² | +17.6% | 1,371 |
| Haute-Saône (70) | €134,190 | €137,321 | €1,220/m² | +9.5% | 1,286 |
| Saône-et-Loire (71) | €160,000 | €168,705 | €1,564/m² | +18.0% | 2,691 |
| Yonne (89) | €135,000 | €142,676 | €1,395/m² | +7.6% | 1,831 |
| Territoire de Belfort (90) | €203,840 | €207,443 | €1,730/m² | +1.9% | 191 |
A regional average also hides large gaps between municipalities. 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 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 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 * | €173,775 | €2,197/m² | +20.4% | 34 |
| Residential coastline | €169,500 | €1,762/m² | +28.0% | 166 |
| Inland tourist areas (hinterland, mountains) | €108,000 | €1,123/m² | +20.0% | 5,708 |
| Peri-urban countryside (city catchment area) | €170,000 | €1,644/m² | +8.9% | 34,940 |
| Deep countryside (outside urban influence) | €135,000 | €1,327/m² | +8.5% | 29,316 |
* Between 30 and 99 sales: indicative value.
Note: in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, the municipalities classified as "coastline" have no access to the sea. They are municipalities bordering lakes of more than 1,000 hectares (or, in Eure, the Seine estuary) covered by the 1986 Loi Littoral, which also applies to such inland lakes and estuaries.
These benchmarks help you assess a listing, estimate a property before putting it up for sale, or set your budget, whether you are looking for a holiday home, a permanent move to the French countryside or a property to turn into a rural gîte. 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 region combines lowland Burgundy rivers such as the Saône, the Yonne, the Cure and the Armançon, with the karst rivers of the Jura and Franche-Comté such as the Doubs, the Loue and the Ognon, known for their clear water and steady flow. This favoured not only grain watermills, but also many hydraulic forges, sawmills and paper mills, especially in the Jura's reculées around Ornans and Salins-les-Bains.
Windmills remain exceptional in the region, apart from a few rare examples on the windy plateaux of Côte-d'Or. The dominant heritage is therefore hydraulic, built in limestone or Burgundy stone depending on the area. Several former paper mills along the Doubs and the Loue have been converted into homes, keeping part of their original machinery as a decorative feature.
In Côte-d'Or (21), mills line the Ouche, the Vingeanne and the Tille rivers, around Dijon and Beaune. Doubs (25) offers the most spectacular heritage, between the Doubs and Loue gorges near Ornans and Baume-les-Dames. Jura (39) keeps former hydraulic forges and sawmills in its reculées, around Lons-le-Saunier and Poligny. Nièvre (58) and Yonne (89) share Morvan heritage along the Cure, the Yonne and the Serein, between Avallon and Clamecy. Haute-Saône (70) stays rural and affordable, along the Ognon and the Lanterne. Saône-et-Loire (71) offers wine-country or farm mills near Cluny and Tournus. The more urban Territoire de Belfort (90) has few properties of this kind, mostly on the Savoureuse.
Areas near Dijon, Besançon and the Burgundy vineyards sell noticeably above the regional average, while Nièvre and Haute-Saône remain the most accessible areas for a mill to renovate. The Morvan regional park, spanning Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire and Yonne, offers a quieter middle ground for buyers seeking woodland and rivers together.
On classified rivers such as the Doubs or the Loue, ecological continuity is closely monitored: check the legal scope of the water rights (a mill fondé en titre or holding an authorisation) and the condition of the millrace, sluice gates and weir before any project, especially a hydroelectric turbine.
The limestone buildings of these mills need attention to damp and flood zoning, common at the bottom of valleys. Outbuildings (miller's house, barn, drying room) lend themselves well to a gîte project, a growing activity in the touristic Jura and Morvan areas.
On ma-propriete.fr, mill listings in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté are published by private sellers, estate agents and notaries. Filter by budget, living space and land area, set up an email alert to be told of new listings, and browse all rural properties for sale if your search extends beyond this specific type of property, from the Saône valley farmland to the Jura's forested hills.
