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San Ferdinando: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in San Ferdinando

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 Roma 1, San Ferdinando.

San Ferdinando, on the coast of the Gioia Tauro plain

San Ferdinando faces the Tyrrhenian Sea on the Gioia Tauro plain, a flat stretch of citrus groves, olive trees and greenhouses backed by the Aspromonte mountains. The town sits almost at sea level, and a large part of its land is taken up by the port of Gioia Tauro, one of the main container hubs in the Mediterranean, which extends along San Ferdinando's shore.

Location makes all the difference here. Homes near the centre and the beach are a different proposition from houses scattered among the fields or close to the port and industrial areas. The climate is mild, with short winters (climate zone B in the Italian heating classification). On such a low coastline it makes sense to check the official flood and coastal erosion maps for the exact address, which the report does.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 4,338 residents in 2023, up 0.9% on 2011, and the population is younger than the provincial average: 44.2 years against 45.2. Foreign residents account for 13.0%, a high share for Calabria, linked to farm work on the plain. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Reggio Calabria.

Earthquakes are the point you cannot skip. All 97 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 1, the most hazardous level, and in San Ferdinando the expected ground acceleration is around 0.261 g. Before buying, ask for the year of construction, the structural design and any completion certificate, and for older houses get an engineer to assess whether strengthening work is needed.

Key points

  • Low coast of the Gioia Tauro plain, next to the port area.
  • 4,338 residents, average age 44.2, foreign residents 13.0%.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.261 g.
  • Flooding and coastal erosion worth checking by address.

Overview

San Ferdinando is a municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 4,338 residents, ranked 29 of 97 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Ferdinando is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. All 97 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.261 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Ferdinando, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 13.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Ferdinando declared an average taxable income of 16,103 euros, below the provincial average (19,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Ferdinando is in climate zone B, with 691 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 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, San Ferdinando has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

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 26.5% of the land in San Ferdinando, compared with 5.8% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in San Ferdinando.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Ferdinando: 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 Ferdinando 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 18 inhabited census areas in San Ferdinando. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.6%
  • fair 99.4%

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

ISTAT code 080097. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.