City in France
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence is in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and has 149,695 residents; the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis it belongs to has 1.9 million. Insee counts about 11% of residents as immigrants, and an international bilingual school with the IB Diploma has its main campus at Luynes, with an Aix-en-Provence address. [N1] [M1] [X1] [S3]
- Country
- France
- Region
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Population
- 149,695 in 2023. Commune of Aix-en-Provence (population municipale) (Insee, census 2023). [N1]
- Settings
- In a city [S3]
- Weather
- Four seasons [Aix-en-Provence W1]
Why it is here
Why Aix-en-Provence is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- IBS of Provence, an international bilingual school for ages 2 to 18 with the IB Diploma and 75+ nationalities, has its main campus at Luynes, with an Aix-en-Provence address (13080); its menu also lists IBS West Campus, ISMontpellier and ISMarseille. [X1]
- Insee's 2021 census counts about 16,300 immigrants among Aix-en-Provence's 147,500 residents, 11.0%, the lowest share of the large cities listed. [M1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
31 of 100WeakCountry figure
Price level 0.766 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
42 of 100MixedCountry figure
Toulouse, the main city: 6 comfortable months a year (May to October).
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Toulouse-Blagnac (WMO 07630). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
34 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 99th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
73 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
60 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 16th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
Lifestyle
72 of 100StrongCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 9th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed: fixed broadband is 48.9 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line, but the official pages reviewed describe no residence route made for remote work for foreign employers, and the visitor card does not allow work.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale"; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: the "visiteur" card is for people who stay without working, and Service-Public lists it among the permits that count towards the five years needed for the EU long-term resident card.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Carte de résident de longue durée-UE (étranger en France depuis 5 ans). Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
100 of 100StrongCountry figure
48.93 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), above the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
60 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 539 (38th of 123), between the 499 and 550 anchors.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
More on France.
Cities
Other cities in France.
Questions about Aix-en-Provence.
How big is Aix-en-Provence?
Aix-en-Provence has 149,695 residents (Insee, 2023); the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis it belongs to has 1,922,626 (government geographic API, 15 October 2026), so the city and the wider metropolis are very different in size.
How many foreign-born residents are there in Aix-en-Provence?
Insee's 2021 census counts about 16,300 immigrants among 147,500 residents, 11.0%, the lowest share of the nine cities we cover. Insee counts people born abroad as foreigners and does not say where they come from. We have no InterNations count for Aix.
Are there international schools in Aix-en-Provence?
IBS of Provence, an international bilingual school with the IB Diploma Programme and 75+ nationalities, runs from age 2 to the Baccalaureate, with boarding. Its main campus is at Luynes, with an Aix-en-Provence address. Fees and places are unknown, and other schools are not covered.
What is the weather like near Aix-en-Provence?
Aix has no station of its own in the WMO set. The nearest, Marignane, is about 25 km away (1991–2020): average temperatures run from 7.7 °C to 25.2 °C. Daily highs and comfortable months are not worked out for Aix itself.
How much is rent in Aix-en-Provence?
The 2025 asking-rent indicator for small flats (1–2 rooms) is €21.95 per m² a month, charges included, against €22.74 in Nice and €16.33 in Toulouse. It is a modelled average built from adverts, not a quote for any one home.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Populations de référence 2023 des communes (fichier d'ensemble), Insee. Checked 15 October 2026. Aix-en-Provence 149,695. Population municipale, reference date 1 January 2023, in force 1 January 2026 (census 2023); file updated December 2025. Ranks quoted in the evidence are positions among all communes in the file.
- [M1] Immigration en 2021: tableaux détaillés (TD_IMG1A), Insee. Checked 15 October 2026. Aix-en-Provence: about 16,300 of 147,500 residents (11.0%) were immigrants. 2021 census, weighted sample estimates. Insee counts as immigrants people born abroad as foreigners, whatever their nationality now; it does not say where they come from or whether they are expats.
- [X1] IBS of Provence: international bilingual school, IBS of Provence (the school's own site). Checked 15 October 2026. Home page read on 15 October 2026: age 2 to the Baccalaureate, IB Diploma Programme, 75+ nationalities, main campus at Luynes (address: 500 Route de Bouc Bel Air, 13080 Aix-en-Provence), boarding; founded 1996 per the school's French description; menu lists IBS West Campus, ISMontpellier and ISMarseille.
- [S3] Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence (EPCI), geo.api.gouv.fr (French government geographic API). Checked 15 October 2026. Population 1,922,626, the figure the API serves for the metropolitan authority on 15 October 2026.
- [Aix-en-Provence W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Marignane (Marseille-Provence airport, WMO 07650), Météo-France (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Used for the weather type only: the nearest station in the WMO set, about 25 km from Aix-en-Provence (the city has no station of its own there); mean temperatures run from 7.7 to 25.2 °C, a range of 17.5 °C. The Index climate factor does not use it, so it takes the country figure.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), France, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 76.57 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [France W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Toulouse-Blagnac (WMO 07630), Météo-France (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Toulouse, the main city for France's climate grade: monthly mean daily highs 9.7 to 28.5 °C; 6 comfortable months (May to October).
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 99th of 163 countries (score 2.083).
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. France: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory API on 15 October 2026.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 16th of 31 countries.
- [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 9th of 31 countries.
- [K1] Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026: valid 1 year at most and renewable; resources of EUR 1,477.93 net a month for a single person; health insurance; no work in France.
- [K2] Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale", Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026; the route for freelancers and self-employed people, not a remote-worker route.
- [K3] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 48.93 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R1] Carte de résident de longue durée-UE (étranger en France depuis 5 ans), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026: five years in France on listed permits, including the temporary "visiteur" card, count towards the card.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: France, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 539, global rank 38 of 123 countries and regions; the 2025 edition was the current one on 15 October 2026.
- [V1] Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 9 October 2026: more than 3 months in France needs a long-stay visa (type D) from the French consulate, valid from 3 months to 1 year; one of its cases is a visitor who can live on their own resources; it does not allow work.