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Cagliari: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Cagliari, Sardegna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cagliari

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Via San Giovanni 1, Cagliari.

Cagliari, Sardinia's capital of hills, sea and lagoons

Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia and its largest city, looking out over a wide gulf in the south of the island. Founded in Phoenician and Punic times, it has a Roman amphitheatre and a historic quarter, Castello, perched on a hilltop behind Pisan walls and towers. On one side runs the long beach of Poetto, on the other the lagoons of the Molentargius park, home to pink flamingos. The port, the university, regional government offices and tourism make it the island's economic and administrative centre.

A city built across several hills, between the sea and wetlands, cannot be described with a single verdict. A flat in the centre, a house near Poetto and a home in a newer district present very different situations in terms of price, exposure to the sea, slope and flood or landslide hazard. That is how the report works: prices as a range for the local price zone, and risks and services measured at the address.

Buyers from abroad may also find the report's list of questions helpful. It is written for conversations with the seller, the building manager (amministratore di condominio) and the notary, and lists the documents to ask for before signing a preliminary contract (contratto preliminare).

Earthquakes are the one topic on which Cagliari and its surroundings hold no surprises: all 70 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest class in Italy.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps (Agenzia delle Entrate) cover the city, so the report gets to the sheet and parcel number from the address. The usual limit applies: the data describe the plot and the building, not the individual flat.

Key points

  • Sardinia's capital and largest city.
  • A city of hills between sea and lagoons: risks checked per address.
  • All 70 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Cadastral maps available; the report covers plot and building.

Overview

Cagliari is the capital of the province of Cagliari, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 147,411 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 27% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cagliari is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 70 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 1.6%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 6.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cagliari declared an average taxable income of 29,094 euros, above the provincial average (24,865 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cagliari is in climate zone C, with 990 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 4 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cagliari has 130 schools and 48 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 84 grocery shops and supermarkets, 251 healthcare facilities, 200 sports facilities and 43 parks and green areas.

There are 1.7 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 25.7% of the land in Cagliari, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 7.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Cagliari is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cagliari: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Cagliari are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 1,280 inhabited census areas in Cagliari. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 82 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 1.7%
  • good 34.7%
  • very good 47.9%
  • excellent 15.6%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 118006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.