La Défense is a prime-tier Class A submarket of Paris with average asking rent around €60/sqft/yr · ≈ $64.8 PSF/yr USD.
Europe's largest purpose-built CBD. · Tier: prime · Avg rent: €60/sqft/yr · ≈ $64.8 PSF/yr USD
La Défense is the largest purpose-built CBD in Europe. Trophy stock at Tour First, Tour Saint-Gobain, and Trinity anchors the cluster. Vacancy in older 1970s-90s stock is structurally elevated; trophy is leasing.
Banks (Société Générale, BNP Paribas headquarters), insurance, energy majors, professional services.
30-50,000 sqft floor plates available across multiple trophy assets.
La Défense-Grande Arche (RER A, Métro 1, Tramway T2, Transilien L, U).
Strong RER A capacity from western suburbs.
Westfield Les Quatre Temps, Les Saisons, Grande Arche.
La Défense is one of 6 Class A submarkets we cover in Paris, classified as prime tier with an average asking rent around €60/sqft/yr · ≈ $64.8 PSF/yr USD. Compared with the broader Paris Class A stock, La Défense typically attracts Banks (Société Générale, BNP Paribas headquarters), insurance, energy majors, professional services and competes most directly with the city's other prime submarkets on building specification, transit access, and amenitisation.
Adjacent submarkets to study alongside La Défense: Quartier Central des Affaires, Paris Rive Gauche, Issy & Boulogne, Saint-Ouen / Pleyel. The full Paris submarket atlas is at /cities/paris.
For an institutional Class A occupier evaluating La Défense, the highest-leverage analyses to commission next are the rent benchmark, the concession-package comparable, and the ESG performance baseline. Class A Atlas covers each as a dedicated topic page for this submarket:
Terminology specific to Paris Class A leasing and to the prime tier: Class A, Trophy asset, Effective rent, Concession package, TI allowance, Submarket tier.
Reviewed by Samuel Okafor — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.