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Santa Margherita Ligure: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Santa Margherita Ligure

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 Aurelia 1, Santa Margherita Ligure.

Santa Margherita Ligure, the harbour on the Gulf of Tigullio

Santa Margherita Ligure looks out over the Gulf of Tigullio, between Rapallo and the Portofino headland. The town lives from the sea and tourism: the harbour, the seafront, the historic hotels and Villa Durazzo, whose park overlooks the centre. The coast road to Paraggi and Portofino starts here.

The property market is among the priciest on the Riviera, and a large share of homes belong to people who do not live here all year. Behind the seafront the land rises straight into hillside hamlets such as San Lorenzo della Costa and Nozarego, with narrow roads and flights of steps. For a house on the hill, car access, parking and the number of steps between gate and front door all count. The station on the Genoa to La Spezia line connects the town with Genoa and Chiavari.

In 2023 there were 8,437 residents, 1,272 fewer than the 9,709 of 2011, a fall of 13.1% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 51.5 and over-65s make up 33.3%, more than in the province (29.1%), in a Liguria that is already Italy's oldest region. Households average 1.93 people, and foreign residents account for 7.8%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average. For its size the town has a great many places to eat and drink, 142 bars and restaurants, a reflection of tourism.

Seismic hazard is moderate. Santa Margherita is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 64 of the 67 municipalities in the metropolitan area of Genoa, with expected acceleration of about 0.082 g. In the centre's buildings, often nineteenth-century masonry, ask about the condition of roofs and floors and of façades exposed to salt air.

Steep slopes and the short streams that run down to the sea are the points to check: the report reads landslide and flood hazard at the precise address and, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps, finds the plot. For seafront homes, also ask whether the building has suffered storm-surge damage.

Key points

  • On the Gulf of Tigullio, between Rapallo and Portofino.
  • Population down 13.1% since 2011, over-65s at 33.3%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.082 g.
  • Hillside homes: access, parking and slope come first.

Overview

Santa Margherita Ligure is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 8,437 residents, ranked 8 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Margherita Ligure is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.082 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 fallen by 13.1%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (49). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 7.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Margherita Ligure declared an average taxable income of 29,790 euros, above the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Santa Margherita Ligure is in climate zone D, with 1,434 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 13 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Margherita Ligure has 5 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 19.1% of the land in Santa Margherita Ligure, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Santa Margherita Ligure is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Santa Margherita Ligure; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Santa Margherita Ligure: 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 Santa Margherita Ligure 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 73 inhabited census areas in Santa Margherita Ligure. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 28.8%
  • good 52.3%
  • very good 18.9%

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 010054. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.