Olbia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, Sardegna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Olbia
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: Viale Aldo Moro 1, Olbia.
Olbia, the gateway to Gallura
For many people, Sardinia starts in Olbia. Its port is one of the main arrival points for ferries from the Italian mainland, and Olbia Costa Smeralda airport connects Gallura with the rest of Italy and Europe. The town lies on a deep inlet on the north-east coast, close to the Costa Smeralda, and depends largely on tourism, transport, retail and services.
Together with Tempio Pausania, Olbia is the capital of the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna. Buyers here face very different markets only a few kilometres apart: the town centre, the residential districts and the seaside localities do not share the same prices or the same issues. The report shows prices as a range for the price zone the address falls in, never as a valuation of a single property.
Near the sea, specific checks are needed. The report measures the distance from the shoreline and whether the coast is eroding or advancing, and it points out that within 300 metres of the shore the landscape is protected by law, with some exceptions for areas already built up (Legislative Decree 42/2004, article 142), so many external works and extensions need landscape approval (autorizzazione paesaggistica). Flood and landslide risk must also be read for the individual address, since across coastal plains, hills and watercourses it has no single value.
Earthquake risk, by contrast, is at the bottom of the scale: all 26 municipalities in Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, Olbia included, are in seismic zone 4. For a buyer, the structural questions are mostly about build quality and maintenance rather than seismic upgrading.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report identifies the land parcel from the address, including for scattered houses outside the town.
Key points
- Main port and airport for north-eastern Sardinia.
- Joint capital, with Tempio Pausania, of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna.
- Seismic zone 4, like all 26 municipalities in the province.
- Close to the shore: coastal strip protected within 300 metres.
Overview
Olbia is the capital of the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 61,481 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 39% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Olbia is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 26 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 grown by 15.3%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (47). 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 9.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Olbia declared an average taxable income of 22,274 euros, in line with the province (21,361 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Olbia is in climate zone C, with 1,142 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 15 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Olbia has 53 schools and 18 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 44 grocery shops and supermarkets, 77 healthcare facilities, 64 sports facilities and 16 parks and green areas.
There are 1.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).
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 7.8% of the land in Olbia, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 16.8 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Olbia 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 Olbia: 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 Olbia 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 959 inhabited census areas in Olbia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.7%
- fair 36.8%
- good 46.3%
- very good 16.2%
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
- 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.
- 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 Sardegna, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2022.
- 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 113017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.