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Pula: 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 Pula

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 Nora 1, Pula.

Pula, Nora and the coast south-west of Cagliari

On the headland closing off the beach at Nora stand the remains of a city that was Phoenician, then Punic and Roman, one of Sardinia's best-known archaeological sites. The town of Pula lies a little inland, on the plain at the foot of the Sulcis mountains, along the main road from Cagliari towards Chia and the south-west coast. Cagliari is under an hour's drive away.

Pula depends heavily on tourism. At Santa Margherita di Pula, hotels and holiday villages sit between pine woods and the sea, and the coast has many second homes, lived in mostly in summer. The data shows it clearly: there are 81 bars and restaurants, well above the provincial average per head, and 11 supermarkets. For a buyer, what matters is whether the house is in the town, where people live all year, or on an estate near the coast, where services close in winter and short-let rules come into play.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,122 residents according to Istat, the national statistics office, almost the same as in 2011 (down 0.3%). The average age of 49.1 is above the metropolitan figure, over-65s make up 27.8%, and households are small, 2.08 people on average. There are few foreign residents, 3.1%.

Earthquakes are not a concern here: all 70 municipalities in the Cagliari metropolitan area are in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection scale, the lowest, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.050 g. Salt air and damp matter more: render, balcony railings and window frames near the sea deteriorate quickly, so check the upkeep on a viewing.

The streams running down from the mountains to the sea can swell within hours in heavy autumn rain. The report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address and finds the plot on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Nora archaeological site and the Santa Margherita coast.
  • Many holiday homes: 81 bars and restaurants.
  • Seismic zone 4 across the whole metropolitan area.
  • Salt air and streams: check upkeep and flood hazard.

Overview

Pula is a municipality in the province of Cagliari, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 7,122 residents, ranked 16 of 70 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pula 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 49 years, in line with the province. 28% 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 Pula declared an average taxable income of 21,184 euros, below the provincial average (24,865 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pula is in climate zone C, with 946 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, Pula has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 9 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 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 3.8% of the land in Pula, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pula is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. 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 Pula: 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 Pula 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 54 inhabited census areas in Pula. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 82 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 20.9%
  • good 25.5%
  • very good 53.5%
  • excellent 0.0%

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 118037. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.