San Donato Milanese: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Milano, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in San Donato Milanese
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 Giuseppe di Vittorio 1, San Donato Milanese.
San Donato Milanese, Metanopoli and the end of metro line M3
Metanopoli, the district that the energy company Eni built in the 1950s around its offices, gave San Donato Milanese a different feel from other towns around Milan: office buildings, staff housing, tree-lined avenues and parks. The town borders Milan to the south-east along the Via Emilia and is also home to the Policlinico San Donato hospital.
Transport is its strong point. The terminus of metro line M3, called San Donato, sits on the Milan border, and the station on the Lodi line is served by suburban trains. Open timetable data list 85 stops and 10 lines, 2 of them rail and 8 bus. Linate airport is not far away, so on the more exposed streets it is worth asking about aircraft noise.
Average declared income is above the metropolitan average, which is already high. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 32,221 residents in 2023, up 4.0% since 2011. The average age is 46.1, over-65s make up 24.4% and foreign residents 13.1%. There are 29 healthcare facilities on record, 0.90 per 1,000 residents against 0.75.
San Donato is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.055 g, a low value. In 1950s and 1960s apartment blocks, service charges, building systems, the energy rating and any work already approved by the residents' meeting weigh more, so read the minutes of recent meetings.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the land registry maps and the report starts from the address to find the plot. Near the Lambro river, flood hazard should be checked for the individual house.
Key points
- Metanopoli, Eni headquarters, M3 terminus on the Milan border.
- 85 public transport stops and 10 lines.
- 32,221 residents, up 4.0% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.055 g.
Overview
San Donato Milanese is a municipality in the province of Milano, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 32,221 residents, ranked 16 of 133 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Donato Milanese is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 60 of 133 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.055 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 4.0%. 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 13.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Donato Milanese declared an average taxable income of 36,753 euros, above the provincial average (33,635 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Donato Milanese is in climate zone E, with 2,404 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 102 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Donato Milanese has 21 schools and 9 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 29 healthcare facilities, 26 sports facilities and 8 parks and green areas.
There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.3).
Public transport
Within the municipality there are 85 public transport stops, served by 8 bus lines, 2 train lines. That is about 2.6 stops per 1,000 residents.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 36.3% of the land in San Donato Milanese, compared with 32.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Donato Milanese 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in San Donato Milanese, and 18 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 San Donato Milanese: 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 San Donato Milanese 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 89 inhabited census areas in San Donato Milanese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 4.4%
- good 90.9%
- very good 4.7%
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.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): ATM Milano, Comune di Milano - AMAT, orari del trasporto pubblico ATM (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261029.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- 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 Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 15 November 2026.
- 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 015192. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.