Courchevel vs Megève: Megève costs less to live in

Courchevel vs Megève.

Courchevel and Megève tax a $1M income alike, so cost decides it: Megève scores 110 on the Patrician.ch cost index and Courchevel 130, with Zurich at 100. Both in 🇫🇷 France, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

In short, current to October 2026

On $1,000,000 of income, Courchevel takes an effective 44% and Megève takes 44%, an identical effective rate on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
Both tax a capital gain on a resident disposal at 35%, so a liquidity event carries the same local charge either way.
France operates a special regime for arriving foreigners: Impatriate regime under Article 155 B: for up to 8 years, employees and salaried officers recruited from abroad can exempt 30% of pay, and half of dividends, interest and securities gains from treaty countries is exempt from income tax. It needs 5 full calendar years outside France first. No wealth tax on financial assets, only on property above €1.3M. France operates: Impatriate regime under Article 155 B: for up to 8 years, employees and salaried officers recruited from abroad can exempt 30% of pay, and half of dividends, interest and securities gains from treaty countries is exempt from income tax. It needs 5 full calendar years outside France first. No wealth tax on financial assets, only on property above €1.3M.
Inheritance, what a child pays: up to 45% in Courchevel, up to 45% in Megève.
Route in: Courchevel by Residence by investment, Founder & talent. Megève by Residence by investment, Founder & talent.
Cost of the life is 130 in Courchevel against 110 in Megève on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 9 against 10 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated 29 October 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, Courchevel (France) vs Megève (France): tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/courchevel-vs-megeve/, October 2026.

Courchevel, France — **Courchevel** 🇫🇷 France

	Courchevel	Megève
Effective tax at $300K	34%	34%
Effective tax at $1M	44%	44%
Effective tax at $3M	47%	47%
Kept after tax at $1M	$558K	$558K
Capital gains	35%	35%
Inheritance tax, children	up to 45%	up to 45%
Cost index (Zurich 100)	130	110
A 200 m² prime home, US$	from $7.1M	from $3.2M
Prestige of address (editorial)	9/10	8/10
Safety	9/10	10/10
Schools	5/10	5/10
Sun hours	2,010	2,010
Supercar street index	#10	#57
Routes in	Residence by investment, Founder & talent	Residence by investment, Founder & talent
Flight from London	1h 45m nonstop	1h 45m nonstop
Flight from New York	7h 45m nonstop	7h 45m nonstop

See these 2 places for your own income.Courchevel and Megève, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.

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Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MCourchevel34%44%47%Megève34%44%47%

Note: single filer, not a US citizen

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

Tax is level. Both keep $558K of $1M on this model, so the rows above decide it.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains land at 35% in both. Both levy an annual wealth tax, top rate 1.5% in Courchevel and 1.5% in Megève.

For a family

Megève (France) leads on safety and a lower cost. Schools and sun hours are level.

CourchevelThe full page

MegèveThe full page Rank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds

Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Courchevel or Megève?

Neither. Both keep $558K of $1,000,000 on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

Courchevel takes an effective 44% of $1,000,000 and Megève takes 44%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 47% and 47%.

Which taxes capital gains less, Courchevel or Megève?

Neither. Both tax a resident's capital gain at about 35%.

Which is better for inheritance, Courchevel or Megève?

Both tax children. What a child pays: up to 45% in Courchevel, up to 45% in Megève.

France exempts a spouse, then taxes each child at progressive rates up to 45% above a €100,000 allowance per parent.

Which is cheaper to live in, Courchevel or Megève?

Megève, at 110 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 130 for Courchevel, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 9 of 10 in Courchevel and 10 of 10 in Megève, schools 5 and 5. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: Courchevel, Megève, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.

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The income tax of Courchevel and Megève, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

<iframe src="https://patrician.ch/embed/compare/?c=cou,meg&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in Courchevel and Megève, Patrician.ch" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px;display:block;color-scheme:normal" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/courchevel-vs-megeve/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

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Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. In France employees also pay CSG and CRDS at 9.7% of salary, with no cap. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

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