The burden of rent varies considerably from one municipality to another in northern Sardinia. According to an analysis by Quadrivo, for a conventional home of 80 square metres the estimated rent amounts to 27% of average net income in Sassari and 44% in Alghero; in several towns in Gallura, it exceeds half. These figures are estimates and do not necessarily reflect the rents paid under actual contracts.
In Sassari, the estimated monthly cost is 456 euros, while in Alghero it rises to 696 euros. The difference is 240 euros a month, or 2,880 euros a year. The percentages compare the hypothetical annual rent with the average net income declared per taxpayer: they do not describe workers’ average wages or the actual income of families who rent their homes.
The highest proportion among the municipalities mentioned is recorded in Golfo Aranci, where the estimate reaches 1,032 euros a month, equivalent to 64% of average net income. It is followed by Arzachena, at 936 euros and 57%, and Palau, at 832 euros and 54%. In La Maddalena, the figure is 800 euros a month; in Santa Teresa Gallura, it is 704 euros: in both cases, the proportion is 51%.
In Olbia, the estimated rent for the same floor area is 784 euros a month, equivalent to 50% of average net income. On the north-west coast, Castelsardo reaches 44% at 560 euros, while in Stintino the estimate is 624 euros and the proportion of income is 38%. In Valledoria, it falls to 37%, at 480 euros a month.
The figures are lower in Porto Torres, where the estimated rent is 400 euros a month and accounts for 28% of average income, and in Sorso: 344 euros and 26%. Inland, Ozieri and Ittiri are both at 20%, with estimates of 280 and 272 euros respectively. Ossi and Usini reach 22%, with an estimated monthly rent of 304 euros.
Among the lowest proportions are Thiesi, at 15% and 224 euros a month; Bonorva, at 18% and the same estimated rent; and Anela, where the proportion is 13% and the cost is 184 euros. In several other small inland towns, the proportion ranges from 14% to 16%.
To prepare the comparison, Quadrivo applied the midpoint values from the Real Estate Market Observatory of the Italian Revenue Agency, for the second half of 2025, to a conventional 80-square-metre home. The resulting annual cost was compared with average net income per taxpayer, calculated from tax returns for the 2024 tax year after deducting IRPEF and local surcharges. The analysis therefore covers average values that can be compared across municipalities, rather than a survey of individual rental contracts.
The comparison measures the ratio between the estimated rental cost and declared income, without taking into account other expenses or local economic trends, such as spending by foreign tourists in Sardinia.