The average cost of constructing a new property in France in 2009 was €1,048m², broadly in line with the costs in 2008.

The figures come from the statistical service of the French government.

There were some regional differences, reflecting to some extent the cost of building labour and materials in each region, as well as differences in the type of construction.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly thecheapest place to build was in Languedoc Roussillon, where the average cost was €946m².

Other regions where costs were below €1000m² were Champagne Ardennes (€984m²), Picardie (€986m²), Centre (€962m²) and Poitou-Charentes (€998m²).

The region where costs were highest was Corsica (€1307m²), followed Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (€1214m²) and Alsace (€1160m²).

The study also examined the costs by method of procurement used. It found that homes constructed using an architect averaged €1,322m², while self-build properties cost an average of €974m². Homes built by a builder, without the use of an architect, cost €1,095m².

The study says nothing about the specification or standards used by each method, or the quality of the final build, so the comparisons do not necessarily reflect the cost of materials and labour in each region, but the choices made by the client.

The average size of the homes was 131m², a figure that was broadly uniform across the country, excepting Alsace, where the average size was 164m².