Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Pisa: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pisa

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 Livornese 1, Pisa.

Pisa is famous worldwide for its Leaning Tower and cathedral square, but for someone buying a home here another feature matters more: this is a university city, home to the University of Pisa and the Scuola Normale Superiore, with the Arno flowing through it a few kilometres from the sea. Once a maritime republic and the birthplace of Galileo Galilei, it also has an international airport right on the edge of town.

The mark left by students and services is visible in the data. Overture Maps records 82 schools and education sites in Pisa (0.92 per 1,000 residents, against 0.87 across the province), 170 healthcare facilities (1.91 against 0.97) and 927 cafés, bars and restaurants, which works out at 10.40 per 1,000 residents. The Ministry of Health lists 28 pharmacies.

Household structure stands out as well: an average of 1.89 people, a sign that many residents live alone. At the end of 2023 there were 89,117 residents, up 3.8% on the 2011 census and 21.3% of the provincial population. The estimated average age is 47.3, over-65s account for 26.1% and foreign residents for 13.8%.

Seismic classification is the same for all 37 municipalities in the province: zone 3, the second lowest of Italy's four classes. In Pisa the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.118 g, a moderate value. Anti-seismic rules apply to new construction, so for a historic palazzo or a block that is a few decades old, ask about the design date and any structural work.

Buyers in Pisa will find the land registry complete: the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the maps, and the report identifies the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) from the address. Flood and landslide hazard and the local price range, however, cannot be summarised for the whole city, so the report reads them at the exact location of the property.

Key points

  • University city: 0.92 education sites per 1,000 residents.
  • Population up 3.8% since 2011.
  • Households of 1.89 people on average.
  • Whole province in seismic zone 3.

Overview

Pisa is the capital of the province of Pisa, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 89,117 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 21% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pisa is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 37 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.118 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 3.8%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 13.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pisa declared an average taxable income of 29,360 euros, above the provincial average (25,727 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pisa is in climate zone D, with 1,694 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 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, Pisa has 82 schools and 28 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 45 grocery shops and supermarkets, 170 healthcare facilities, 150 sports facilities and 21 parks and green areas.

There are 1.9 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (1.0).

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 16.4% of the land in Pisa, compared with 7.0% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pisa is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 19 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pisa, and 58 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 Pisa: 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 Pisa 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 978 inhabited census areas in Pisa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.4%
  • fair 52.4%
  • good 45.3%

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 050026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.