Houlgate
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 54.7/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 84 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Houlgate (INSEE 14338) is in Calvados (14), part of CC Normandie-Cabourg-Pays d'Auge. Population 1,834 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Petites villes (level 3). [2]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/14338-houlgate
Vitality score
Vitality score 54.7/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 84 % of the 10,178 communes of a similar size.
Compare this with communes of a similar size. The score measures how well a place is served relative to its own size band, and larger communes score higher as a rule — so it reads meaningfully against another village, and misleadingly against a town.
Measured but not scored in this model: Market. See the methodology for why.
| Component | Value (0–1) | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily food | 0.52 | 25 | 12.95 |
| Social | 0.93 | 20 | 18.65 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Public & culture | 0.2 | 5 | 0.98 |
| Population trend | 0.61 | 10 | 6.09 |
| Housing mix | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
3 × Bakery (boulangerie) (CAB.14 · L'EPI D'OR · HUIT). [3,4]
3 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (MARCHE PLUS · LES DELICES D'HASTINGS). [3,4]
1 × Supermarket (CARREFOUR CITY). [3,4]
1 × Fishmonger (MIMI LE TOURTEAU). [3,4]
19 × Restaurant (L'ARBRE A PIN · MARVA · LES ALIZEES · LE NORMAND · LA GOURMANDINE). [3,4]
4 × Café / bar (CASTEL DE SIAM · LE STOP · L'ANNEXE · THE B AND C). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × GP (médecin généraliste) (PATRICE DARY, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE DES BAINS). [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Cinema (CASINO). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (CENTRE SPORTIF DE NORMANDIE CSN). [3]
2 × Swimming pool (POSTE DE SECOURS · POSTE DE SECOURS B). [3]
4 × Hairdresser (ACTUEL COIFFURE · UN TEMPS POUR SOI). [3,4]
6 × Hotel (L'HOSTELLERIE NORMANDE · LE NORMAND · HÔTEL LA MAISON D'EMILIE · HOTEL DE LA PLAGE · LES CABINES). [3,4]
3 × Campsite (CAMPING MUNICIPAL · ECG - CAMPING HOMAIR DE LA VALLÉE · CAMPING DE LA PLAGE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 2 × Restaurant, 1 × Hairdresser.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Nursery school (maternelle), Library. [4,3]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 3 | CAB.14 · L'EPI D'OR · HUIT | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 3 | MARCHE PLUS · LES DELICES D'HASTINGS | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Supermarket | 1 | CARREFOUR CITY | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 1 | MIMI LE TOURTEAU | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Restaurant | 19 | L'ARBRE A PIN · MARVA · LES ALIZEES · LE NORMAND · LA GOURMANDINE | INSEE BPE 19 / INSEE SIRENE 28 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 4 | CASTEL DE SIAM · LE STOP · L'ANNEXE · THE B AND C | INSEE SIRENE 4 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 1 | PATRICE DARY, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE DES BAINS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | LA POSTE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Cinema | 1 | CASINO | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | CENTRE SPORTIF DE NORMANDIE CSN | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 2 | POSTE DE SECOURS · POSTE DE SECOURS B | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 4 | ACTUEL COIFFURE · UN TEMPS POUR SOI | INSEE BPE 4 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 6 | L'HOSTELLERIE NORMANDE · LE NORMAND · HÔTEL LA MAISON D'EMILIE · HOTEL DE LA PLAGE · LES CABINES | INSEE BPE 6 / INSEE SIRENE 9 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 3 | CAMPING MUNICIPAL · ECG - CAMPING HOMAIR DE LA VALLÉE · CAMPING DE LA PLAGE | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 2,043 (2012) → 1,834 (2023): -10.2 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 1,654 (1990) → 1,834 (2023): 10.9 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 5,179, of which 78.7 % second homes and 1.1 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Houlgate): 0.2 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Houlgate): 0.1 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
GP (Houlgate): 0.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Houlgate): 0.3 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Primary school (Houlgate): 0.3 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 3 days a year at or above 30 °C and 28 days at or below 0 °C, over 19 complete years in 1995–2024. [9]
Measured at the SALLENELLES weather station, 12.3 km away at 7 m; the village itself is at 14 m. [9]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 2 days a summer. [9]
Humidity measured at ST GATIEN DES B, 18.9 km away at 139 m, over 30 summers. [9]
That station sits 125 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 4.22 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [9]
An average of 828 mm of rain a year, spread over 140 days — about 5.9 mm on a day it rains. [9]
Rainfall measured at DOZULE, 8 km away at 29 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [9]
What property sold for
264 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 346,910 € — 3,708 € per m² of built surface. [10]
630 flats sold over the same window, at a median of 135,000 € — 3,971 € per m². [10]
The median across Calvados is 2,026 € per m², so this commune sits above it. [10]
These are recorded sale prices, not valuations or asking prices, and a median over five years spans five different markets. Built surface excludes land, which carries much of a rural property's value.
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 14338/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 14338/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 14338/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 14338/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 14338
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
- DVF (DGFiP property transactions) 2021-2025
Villages like this one
Matched on size, density, second homes and which everyday shops and services are present — not on the score, so a village of the same kind that is doing better or worse shows up rather than being hidden.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabourg | 14 | 3.3 km SW | 3,725 | 56.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Martin-de-Ré | 17 | 358 km S | 2,355 | 58.4 | Partly served | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 85 % · winter 85 % · humidity 79 % |
| Albitreccia | 2A | 1,083 km SE | 1,833 | 58.5 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 66 % · humidity 93 % |
| Les Houches | 74 | 640 km SE | 3,515 | 48.7 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 0 % · humidity 86 % |
| Soorts-Hossegor | 40 | 636 km S | 3,817 | 69.6 | Served | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 46 % · winter 89 % · humidity 0 % |
| Deauville | 14 | 13 km NE | 3,539 | 62.9 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 100 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabourg | 14 | 3.3 km SW | 3,725 | 56.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 86 % |
| Deauville | 14 | 13 km NE | 3,539 | 62.9 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Martin-de-Ré | 17 | 358 km S | 2,355 | 58.4 | Partly served | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 85 % · winter 85 % · humidity 79 % |
| Soorts-Hossegor | 40 | 636 km S | 3,817 | 69.6 | Served | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 46 % · winter 89 % · humidity 0 % |
| Les Houches | 74 | 640 km SE | 3,515 | 48.7 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 0 % · humidity 86 % |
| Albitreccia | 2A | 1,083 km SE | 1,833 | 58.5 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 66 % · humidity 93 % |
Sort and compare these on the full list →
…and in much the same climate
The same match on size and services, narrowed to communes whose summers, winters and summer humidity are all close to Houlgate's. All three are required, so this section is absent for the 11.8 % of communes with no humidity station near enough to measure: two temperature axes alone cannot tell a muggy coast from a dry one.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabourg | 14 | 3.3 km SW | 3,725 | 56.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 86 % |
| Deauville | 14 | 13 km NE | 3,539 | 62.9 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 100 % |
| Bernières-sur-Mer | 14 | 25 km W | 2,437 | 48.7 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 93 % |
| Mers-les-Bains | 80 | 135 km NE | 2,540 | 59.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 99 % · humidity 93 % |
| Langrune-sur-Mer | 14 | 22 km W | 1,916 | 53 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Briac-sur-Mer | 35 | 168 km SW | 2,258 | 56.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/14338-houlgate