Gallarate: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Varese, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Gallarate
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 Varese 1, Gallarate.
Gallarate, a rail and motorway hub near Malpensa
At Gallarate the railway from Milan splits towards Varese and towards Lake Maggiore and Domodossola, and just outside town the Lakes motorway divides from the branch to Gravellona Toce. Malpensa airport is close by. It is a town with a textile and industrial past in the south of the province of Varese, on the edge of the Milan hinterland, and today it also hosts the MA*GA art museum.
In open transport data, Gallarate station is served by 7 train lines and 3 bus lines run in town, making it one of the most convenient starting points in the province for anyone working in Milan. The downside is noise. If you are looking at homes near the tracks, the motorway or under the flight paths, go back at different times of day before deciding.
The population is growing: 52,963 residents at the end of 2023, up 5.0% on 2011, with an average age of 45.6, below the provincial figure. Foreign residents make up 15.0%. Declared incomes are above the average for the province of Varese. Healthcare is well represented, with 74 facilities recorded, helped by the hospital, and there are more sports facilities per resident than average. Most of the municipality is now built up.
Seismic hazard is the lowest on the national scale: all 136 municipalities in the province are in zone 4 of the Civil Protection classification, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.038 g. With cold winters (climate zone E), what really counts in a 1960s or 1970s block is insulation, the boiler and heating costs.
Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are available and the report finds the plot from the address. Even on flat, heavily built land, summer storms can flood underpasses, garages and basements, and the report shows the official flood maps for the address.
Key points
- 7 train lines and 3 bus lines, with Malpensa nearby.
- 52,963 residents, up 5.0% since 2011.
- Whole province in seismic zone 4, the lowest.
- Near tracks, motorways and flight paths, noise matters.
Overview
Gallarate is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 52,963 residents, the third most populous in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gallarate is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 136 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.038 g, a low 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 grown by 5.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 15.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gallarate declared an average taxable income of 29,227 euros, above the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Gallarate is in climate zone E, with 2,877 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 238 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gallarate has 45 schools and 15 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 24 grocery shops and supermarkets, 74 healthcare facilities, 62 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.
There are 1.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).
Public transport
Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 7 train lines, 3 bus lines. That is about 0.0 stops per 1,000 residents.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 54.5% of the land in Gallarate, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.9 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Gallarate is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. 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.
Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Gallarate, and 12 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gallarate: 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 Gallarate 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 385 inhabited census areas in Gallarate. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 28.0%
- good 68.7%
- very good 3.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 15 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 012070. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.