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Capoterra: 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 Capoterra

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 Cagliari 1, Capoterra.

Capoterra, between the Santa Gilla lagoon and the Sulcis hills

Capoterra lies on the western side of the Gulf of Cagliari, beyond the Santa Gilla lagoon, with the wooded hills of the Sulcis behind it. The town itself is on the plain, a short way from the sea. Over the decades large housing developments have grown up around it, some on the coast such as La Maddalena Spiaggia and Frutti d'Oro, others on the hillside such as Poggio dei Pini. Many residents work in Cagliari and drive there along the SS195 main road.

Buyers need to understand the streams that run down from the hills to the sea. In October 2008 a flood hit Capoterra hard, causing deaths and damage in exactly the areas built along the streams. For a house near a channel or at the bottom of a small valley, this is the first thing to check: the report looks up the official flood and landslide hazard maps at the address, together with elevation and slope.

The population is steady, with 23,130 residents in 2023, down 0.5% on 2011 and equal to 4.3% of the province. It is younger than average, with a mean age of 46.7 against 48.1 and over-65s at 22.7% against 25.7%. Few residents are foreign, 3.1%. Average declared incomes are just below the provincial level.

Like all 70 municipalities in the province, Capoterra is in seismic zone 4, the lowest, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. In the villas of the housing estates, waterproofing, drainage of the plot, the state of the services and whether everything was built with the proper permits matter most, and the paperwork should show it.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. The report finds the land parcel from the address and measures from there the distances to schools, pharmacies and shops, which vary a great deal between the town and the estates.

Key points

  • Gulf of Cagliari, between the Santa Gilla lagoon and the Sulcis hills.
  • Streams and channels: check flood risk first.
  • 23,130 residents, over-65s at 22.7% against 25.7%.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.050 g.

Overview

Capoterra is a municipality in the province of Cagliari, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 23,130 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 70).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Capoterra 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Capoterra declared an average taxable income of 23,979 euros, in line with the province (24,865 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Capoterra is in climate zone C, with 985 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 54 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Capoterra has 21 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 32 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 9.8% of the land in Capoterra, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.0 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Capoterra is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Capoterra: 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 Capoterra 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 61 inhabited census areas in Capoterra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.5%
  • fair 12.9%
  • good 42.4%
  • very good 44.2%

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 118007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.