Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Malnate: 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

Search for an address in Malnate

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 Martiri Patrioti 1, Malnate.

Malnate, in the hills between Varese and Como

Leaving Varese towards Como, the Briantea main road enters Malnate almost at once. The municipality borders the city, sits in the hills to its east at around 350 metres, and mixes residential neighbourhoods, industrial areas and woods on the higher ground. The Swiss border is not far away, and some residents are cross-border workers who commute daily to the canton of Ticino.

Malnate has a railway station: public transport data show 2 train lines and 1 bus line stopping in the municipality. Otherwise people drive, on roads that are often busy at rush hour. Homes are mostly detached houses, small apartment buildings and modest blocks; on the hillside, check gradient and access, as some streets are narrow and steep.

In 2023 there were 16,537 residents, down 0.4% since 2011, so broadly stable. Malnate is slightly younger than the province: estimated average age 45.8 against 46.5, over-65s at 24.0% against 24.7%. Foreign residents are 7.0%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial figure.

For earthquakes the picture is among the calmest in Italy. All 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in seismic zone 4, the lowest class in the national scale set by the Civil Protection department, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.039 g. Insulation and heating matter more here: winters are cold and damp, and the energy rating makes a real difference to bills.

On the slopes the report checks landslide hazard, and in the valley bottoms flood hazard, always for the exact address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the land registry maps, so the plot can be found.

Key points

  • Hills between Varese and Como, with a railway station.
  • Seismic zone 4, like all 136 municipalities in the province.
  • 16,537 residents, average age 45.8.
  • Cold winters: the energy rating weighs on bills.

Overview

Malnate is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 16,537 residents, among the most populous in the province (9 of 136).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Malnate 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 0.039 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. 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 7.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Malnate declared an average taxable income of 24,272 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Malnate is in climate zone E, with 2,634 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 355 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Malnate has 9 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.7 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 2 train lines, 1 bus line. That is about 0.1 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 33.2% of the land in Malnate, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Malnate is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. 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 Malnate, and 4 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 Malnate: 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 Malnate 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 66 inhabited census areas in Malnate. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 3.6%
  • good 65.1%
  • very good 31.3%

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

ISTAT code 012096. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.