Living in Réunion from Mainland France: Prices, Housing, Taxes, Schools, Climate and Formalities

Réunion is an overseas department and region, a status that the constitutional reform of 2003 links to Article 73 of the Constitution (IEDOM). It obtained department status on 19 March 1946 and region status with the decentralisation law of 1982. The principle is legislative identity: the laws and regulations of metropolitan France apply, with possible adaptations where these are motivated by the territory’s particular characteristics and constraints. IEDOM cites three areas with specific law: the maritime public domain, taxation and the civil service, whose pay is increased.

For a French citizen, there is no visa, no residence permit and no registration with an immigration service. The prefecture of Réunion handles routine procedures: identity card, passport, driving licence and registration certificate. It reserves its “foreign nationals counters” for foreign nationals, by appointment only. The island has three sub-prefectures, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Paul and Saint-Pierre (prefecture of Réunion).

From the European Union’s standpoint, Réunion is an outermost region: Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union allows certain rules to be adapted because of remoteness, insularity and economic dependence (IEDOM). The currency is the euro. The island lies 9,300 km from Paris, 210 km from Port-Louis (Mauritius) and 880 km from Antananarivo (Madagascar).

The strengths identified in the official sources:

• The French framework in everyday life: gross hourly SMIC of around €12, revalued each year, identical in metropolitan France and in the overseas departments (IEDOM), standard social security, national education, the euro.
• A well-stocked health fabric: 379 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants against 346 in metropolitan France, with a university hospital on two sites (DREES, via IEDOM).
• Lighter taxation on consumption and income: VAT of 8.5%, temporary VAT exemption on basic necessities, 30% income tax reduction (IEDOM).
• Protected landscapes: the Piton des Neiges peaks at 3,069 metres and the island has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2010 under the name “Pitons, cirques and remparts”.

The points to anticipate:

• The cost of living: prices higher than in metropolitan France, especially for food (IEDOM).
• Employment: a narrower labour market than in metropolitan France; see the guide working in Réunion.
• Climate and health hazards: hurricanes, rainfall deficit, mosquito-borne diseases.
• Distance: the island is 9,300 km from Paris (IEDOM), which weighs on family travel and on some specialist care.

The island covers 2,512 km², more than three times smaller than the smallest regions of metropolitan France, Alsace and Corsica. It is volcanic in origin, with very rugged relief: three natural cirques, Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate (the latter accessible only on foot or by helicopter), and an active volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise (2,632 metres), whose eruptions hold back the development of the South-East (IEDOM). Half of the population is concentrated in coastal areas, the rest being spread between the mid-slopes (150 to 400 metres) and the “Hauts” (highlands).

The climate is humid tropical, under the influence of the trade winds. The austral winter, or dry season, runs from May to October, with mild temperatures; the austral summer, or rainy season, covers November to April, with higher temperatures, very high humidity and the formation of tropical depressions and hurricane phenomena. The “windward coast”, facing north and east, receives high rainfall whatever the season, while the “leeward coast”, in the south and west, is less humid; the west coastal zone is characterised by lagoons and coral reefs (IEDOM). The choice of municipality of residence therefore has a direct effect on temperature, humidity and rainfall levels.

• North and West: the North district has the strongest population growth, followed by the West. Rents are highest there: more than €11 per square metre in the Cinor area and nearly €12 in the TCO area (Private Rents Observatory).
• South and East: more moderate growth in each of the two districts; median rents are around €10 per square metre in the Civis area and just over €9 in the CASud area.
• The Hauts and the cirques: altitude accentuates differences in temperature and rainfall (IEDOM); distance from health services and shops should be checked before renting or buying.

According to the Insee spatial price survey, prices are 9% higher in Réunion than in metropolitan France. The gap reaches 12% for a basket of goods and services composed according to the consumption habits of a metropolitan household, and 6% for a basket reflecting local habits. It is explained mainly by food (37% gap) and by health, communication and leisure services. Conversely, transport, housing-related charges and clothing cost less (IEDOM). The prices of certain goods and services, such as locally milled rice, books and medicines, are set by authorisation, a specificity of the overseas departments and regions.

Taxation has several particularities, presented by IEDOM:

• VAT: standard rate of 8.5% against 20% in metropolitan France, reduced rate of 2.1% against 5.5% or 10%. Basic necessities (food and hygiene) are temporarily exempt from VAT in Réunion.
• Octroi de mer: a tax whose base, rate and exemptions are set by the regional council, combining reduced taxation of local production and higher rates for imported products, including from metropolitan France.
• Income tax: reduced by 30% in Réunion, within a ceiling of €2,450.

Salaries also differ: the average net private-sector salary is around €2,200 against €2,700 in France excluding Mayotte (Insee, via IEDOM), which calls for building a precise settling-in budget.

Réunion has a little over 400,000 dwellings, of which 353,000 main residences. Vacant dwellings account for about 8% of the stock and about half of households own their main residence (Insee and DEAL, via IEDOM). The number of main residences rises twice as fast as in metropolitan France, notably because household size is falling.

• Private rental stock: the median rent is estimated at about €11 per square metre. It varies from just over €9 in CASud to nearly €12 in TCO. This level is higher than Brest or Clermont-Ferrand, and lower than Nantes, Lille or Paris.
• Social stock: nearly 85,000 dwellings, i.e. nearly 950 per 10,000 inhabitants, housing about a quarter of households. The average rent is around €7 per square metre. More than 50,000 applications are active, half of them for one- or two-room flats.
• Purchase market: sales of new homes fall after the end of the Pinel scheme, while those of existing homes rise with lower interest rates.

Before signing, it is prudent to visit, to check exposure to floods and winds in the hurricane season, the municipality’s water supply and distance from health services. Housing aid falls under the family allowance fund of Réunion, which pays out more than €400 million of housing-related benefits each year (IEDOM).

More than 210,000 pupils are enrolled in primary and secondary education in Réunion: about 112,000 in primary and 99,000 in secondary (Depp, via IEDOM). Numbers are gradually declining. Education comes under national education, with the Réunion education authority (académie): diplomas and exams, such as the baccalaureate or the brevet, are those of the whole of France.

• Results: the baccalaureate pass rate is around 90%, slightly below the national level; it reaches more than 96% for the general baccalaureate and about 80% for the vocational baccalaureate. The brevet pass rate is close to the national average (Ministry of National Education, via IEDOM).
• Higher education: more than 23,000 students, of whom more than 15,000 at university (including more than 2,600 in medicine and multi-health), nearly 4,000 in higher technician sections and about 1,000 in preparatory classes for the grandes écoles.

The school calendar and the enrolment and assignment procedures fall to the rectorate of the Réunion education authority, to be contacted before arrival if you move during the year. Higher studies outside the island, in metropolitan France or abroad, raise the question of health cover: the student becomes an insured person at 18 (ameli) and the page on student insurance abroad presents the solutions for studies outside France.

1. Notify your original bodies: report the change of address to your Assurance Maladie (French national health insurance) fund, the family allowance fund, France Travail (the French employment agency) and the pension funds.
2. Health insurance: an employee opens their rights through their activity and a self-employed person from the start of their activity; a person with no occupation sends form S1106 to the fund of their place of residence, here the CGSS (CLEISS, the French centre for European and international social security liaison; ameli). The CGSS services are presented on cgss.re.
3. Vitale card and GP of record: update the Vitale card at each change of situation, present it to every healthcare professional and declare a GP of record (médecin traitant) to get the best reimbursement.
4. Tax residence: declare the change of address to the tax authority; the 30% income tax reduction, capped at €2,450, applies in Réunion (IEDOM).
5. Vehicle and licence: request the registration certificate and, where applicable, the exchange or renewal of the licence from the State services; the prefecture of Réunion lists the registration certificate and driving licence among its procedures.
6. Schooling: enquire with the rectorate of the Réunion education authority about enrolment, assignment and the school calendar.
7. Supplementary health cover and assistance: choose supplementary cover for the co-payment (ticket modérateur) and the hospital daily charge, and plan assistance for travel abroad; see who reimburses what in Réunion.

Cyclone Garance, in late February 2025, crossed the island from north to south with gusts of over 200 km/h and torrential rain, causing extensive damage to buildings, the road network and farms. IEDOM estimates insured damage alone at €400 million and notes that half of the businesses surveyed say they were affected. Vigilance instructions are issued by the prefecture and Météo-France; it is useful to find out before the rainy season.

Restrictions on non-priority water uses may apply depending on the municipality during dry periods. Each municipality’s restriction level can be consulted on the VigiEau platform.

On health, the ARS (Regional Health Agency) of Réunion monitors dengue, chikungunya and leptospirosis. Santé publique France publishes regular bulletins, which indicate sporadic cases of arboviruses, a generally low level of leptospirosis transmission and seasonal flu epidemics. Mosquito protection measures (repellents, mosquito nets, removal of larval breeding sites) are detailed by the ARS, whose free information line is 0800 110 000.

National emergency numbers: 15 for the SAMU (emergency medical service), 17 for police emergency, 18 for the fire brigade, 112 for the European number and 196 for sea rescue (Ministry of the Interior). How the care offering works is detailed in the guide healthcare system in Réunion.