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Renting in Monaco – housing sectors, leases, deposits and what a home costs per square metre

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Renting in Monaco is the hardest step of the move: on 208 hectares, only one housing sector is open to newcomers. This part explains the sectors, what a free-sector lease does and does not guarantee, the lease duty, the cost of buying, and the prices IMSEE recorded in 2025.

Woman in a white dress on a balcony overlooking apartment blocks and the harbour in Monaco
Photo: Dmitri/Adobe Stock

Monaco had 22,577 dwellings on 31 December 2025 for 38,857 residents of 144 nationalities, according to IMSEE. Of these, 18,197 (80.6 per cent) are private and 4,380 are State-owned domanial flats reserved for Monegasques. Renting in Monaco as a newcomer means finding a home in the free sector (secteur libre), the only sector the Government says is open to the whole population.

Housing also comes first in the paperwork: for the carte de séjour (residence card) you must show a home suited to the size of your household, the electricity contract or latest bill and, as a tenant, a lease registered with the Direction des Services Fiscaux (Tax Department). Two 2026 changes: Law 1.590 of 19 May 2026 requires a separate Monaco bank account for each co-owners' association from 1 July 2027, and Bill 1.128, tabled on 3 July 2026, would require landlords to provide 'decent' housing – a bill only.

Which housing sector can a newcomer rent in?

The Government lists four sectors: the free sector, the domanial sector, the regulated sector – the protected sector plus the 'liberalised' sector – and the housing stock of the Caisse Autonome des Retraites (CAR, the pension fund). There is no 'intermediate' sector.

SectorWhat it isWho can rent
Free sectorPrivate flats, mainly built after 1 September 1947; governed by the Civil CodeAnyone, whatever their nationality; lease length and rent set solely by the landlord
Domanial sector4,380 State-owned flats, 19.4 per cent of the stockMonegasque nationals only, by points under Ministerial Order 2023-467 of 31 July 2023
Protected sector (Law 1.235 of 28 December 2000)Buildings completed before 1 September 1947'Protected persons' registered with the Direction de l'Habitat (Housing Department) – residence condition and income ceiling; the lowest rank is foreigners with 40 years' residence
Liberalised sector (Law 887 of 25 June 1970)The rest of the regulated sectorFive years' domicile in Monaco plus over six months' work there, or five years' work in Monaco
CAR housing stockFlats of the pension fund in Monaco and neighbouring French communesConditions from the CAR property department, 10 rue Princesse Florestine

Source: Mon Service Public (Prince's Government) and Legimonaco, read 24 September 2026.

So a newly arrived foreigner rents in the free sector, usually through local estate agents.

Renting in Monaco – what a free-sector lease does and does not guarantee

The free sector is free in the legal sense: the official page says the duration of the lease and the rent are fixed solely by the landlord, under the Civil Code. No deposit cap, notice period or rent-review limit has been verified for the free sector, so read the contract. The protected sector is a benchmark for negotiating.

TermProtected sector (Law 1.235)Free sector
Lease lengthSix years, renewed automatically unless notice is givenSet by the landlord
RentRevised at most once a year, capped at the French INSEE consumer price index change (indicative rate +1.43 per cent at 1 September 2026); a renewal increase is capped at three times that changeSet by the landlord
DepositAt most three months' rent excluding charges, returned within two months of the keys being handed backNo cap verified – check the lease
Tenant's noticeThree months, at any time, by registered letter or bailiff's actAs set in the lease
InsuranceThe lease may end automatically if the tenant takes out no rental-risk insuranceNo general obligation on the official pages; the lease may require it

Source: Legimonaco (Law 1.235) and Mon Service Public, read 24 September 2026.

There are no official rent statistics for the free sector. The only official averages, in Ministerial Order 2026-67 of 17 February 2026 and based on leases registered in 2025, are €66.52 per square metre per month in pre-1947 homes outside Laws 1.235 and 887 and €39.93 in new protected-sector lettings – neither describes a post-1947 free-sector flat.

Registering the lease – the droit de bail

Every residential lease must be registered with the Direction des Services Fiscaux within three months of signature, on pain of a penalty. The tenant pays the droit de bail (lease duty): 1 per cent of the rent plus charges for the whole lease period, in full at registration; for a lease over three years you can ask to pay in three-year instalments.

StepWhatWhere
1Sign three original copies, dated, signed and stampedWith the landlord or agent
2Complete the 'extrait de bail informatique' (lease extract form)Direction des Services Fiscaux
3Register within three months; pay the 1 per cent duty by cheque or cash at the counterLe Panorama, 57 rue Grimaldi, Monday–Friday 9:30–17:00
4File the registered lease and the electricity contract or bill with your card applicationSection des Résidents

Source: Mon Service Public (Prince's Government), read 24 September 2026.

If a close relative, spouse or partner hosts you free of charge instead, the proof is a certificat d'hébergement à titre gratuit signed by your host, with their lease or title deed. The home must have a living room of at least 25 m² and a separate sanitary room, with 15 m² of bedroom space per person.

Buying a home in Monaco – duties and prices per square metre

There is no property tax or residence tax in Monaco, but a transfer is taxed: registration duty is 4.5 per cent when the buyer meets the transparency criteria of Law 1.381 of 29 June 2011 and 7.5 per cent otherwise. A new build sold by a taxable seller carries VAT on the same bases and at the same rates as in France, where the standard rate is 20 per cent.

DutyRateNote
Registration duty, buyer meeting the Law 1.381 transparency criteria4.5 %Otherwise 7.5 %
Transcription duty€10 fixed1 % only where the transfer is subject to VAT
Mortgage registration0.65 %Fixed registration duty generally €10
Annual property tax, residence taxNoneMonaco has neither

Source: Mon Service Public (Prince's Government) and Legimonaco (Law 1.381), read 24 September 2026.

According to IMSEE, resale flats changed hands at about €57,569 per square metre in 2025, down from €58,402 in 2024; 429 private-sector resales were worth a record €3.2 billion, an average of €7.6 million each. New builds are another league: 64 sales totalling €2.6 billion, an average of €40.8 million, while 103 homes were completed. By district, IMSEE's estimates are:

DistrictResale price per square metre, 2025 (IMSEE estimate)
Larvotto€71,167
Monte-Carlo€54,009
Fontvieille€52,518
La Condamine€52,104
La Rousse€51,265
Les Moneghetti€43,797

Source: IMSEE, Observatoire de l'immobilier 2025 and Monaco en chiffres 2026, read 24 September 2026.

Housing aid and the pressure on supply

Do not count on housing aid. The Aide Nationale au Logement is for Monegasques only and the Allocation Différentielle de Loyer for protected-sector tenants of any nationality; the Government's list has no allowance for a foreign tenant in the free sector. Employees insured with the CCSS can qualify for its allocation logement after 60 months' residence or registration (part 9).

Supply is the structural problem: under the National Housing Plan, €1.5 billion built 633 new domanial homes for Monegasques from 2019 to the end of 2024, and a second phase to 2029 aims to house nearly three-quarters of Monegasques in the domanial sector.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Search the free sector through estate agents; check the lease for length, deposit, notice and insuranceBefore you fix a move date
2Register the lease and pay the 1 per cent droit de bailWithin three months of signing, before your card file
3Open the SMEG electricity contract in your nameBefore the card application (part 13)
4Ask the Mairie de Monaco (town hall) for removal-van parking; the permit carries a feeAt least five working days before moving day
5Buying? Check the Law 1.381 transparency criteria for the 4.5 per cent rateBefore signing with the notary
6Protected sector or aid: Direction de l'Habitat, 5 promenade Honoré II, Hall B, 4th floor, +377 98 98 80 08Monday–Friday 9:30–17:00

Source: Mon Service Public (Prince's Government) and Mairie de Monaco, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.