Quartu Sant'Elena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Cagliari, Sardegna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Quartu Sant'Elena
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 Guglielmo Marconi 2, Quartu Sant'Elena.
Quartu Sant'Elena, the Poetto, Molentargius and the eastern coast
Quartu Sant'Elena is one of Sardinia's largest towns and borders Cagliari, separated from it by the Molentargius lagoon and the old salt pans, now a nature park where flamingos gather. Part of the Poetto beach lies within its boundary, and from there the Quartu coast runs east for kilometres, through Margine Rosso, Flumini, Capitana and Sant'Andrea.
Buyers are dealing with two almost separate markets. In town, around the old centre with its Campidano-style courtyard houses, people live year-round and Cagliari is close at hand. Along the coast many homes began as summer houses, sometimes on plots laid out before the roads and utilities were in: check connections to mains sewerage and water, road access, planning compliance and the distance to schools and shops, which in some coastal areas are far away.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 68,509 residents in 2023, down 1.1% since 2011. The average age of 48.0 is in line with the province, over-65s make up 24.8% and foreign residents 3.5%. Average declared incomes are a little below the provincial figure.
Like the whole of Sardinia, Quartu is in seismic zone 4, the lowest class, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. In houses near the sea, salt air and damp matter more: look at the render, window frames and balcony railings, as well as the wiring and plumbing.
The land is mostly low and flat, crossed by streams and channels running down to the sea and the lagoon, and after heavy rain water collects in places. Flood hazard should be checked for the address, especially on housing plots close to watercourses.
Key points
- Between Molentargius, the Poetto and the coast towards Villasimius.
- 68,509 residents, down 1.1% since 2011.
- Seaside homes: check sewerage, water supply and planning compliance.
- Seismic zone 4 like all Sardinia, acceleration about 0.050 g.
Overview
Quartu Sant'Elena is a municipality in the province of Cagliari, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 68,509 residents, the second most populous in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Quartu Sant'Elena 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 resident population has fallen by 1.1%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Quartu Sant'Elena declared an average taxable income of 23,342 euros, below the provincial average (24,865 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Quartu Sant'Elena is in climate zone C, with 931 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 6 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Quartu Sant'Elena has 51 schools and 19 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 33 grocery shops and supermarkets, 54 healthcare facilities, 66 sports facilities and 13 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 12.7% of the land in Quartu Sant'Elena, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.4 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Quartu Sant'Elena 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 Quartu Sant'Elena: 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 Quartu Sant'Elena 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 250 inhabited census areas in Quartu Sant'Elena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 86 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 12.0%
- good 17.3%
- very good 55.3%
- excellent 15.4%
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 118038. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.