How much is a foreign buyer prepared to spend on a home in Italy? As is often the case with the property market, it depends on where they are looking and where they come from.
Data collected by Gate-away.com over the summer, between 1 June and 31 August 2026, paints a picture of an international market spanning searches for affordable homes and luxury properties.
The average value of homes sought by foreign buyers is now above half a million euros.
The average value rises in summer, particularly by the sea
Over the summer, the average value of properties sought by foreign buyers in Italy stood at €427,921, up from €396,807 in the first half of the year.
The difference becomes more pronounced when searches focus on coastal destinations within one kilometre of the sea, where the average value rises to €636,962, compared with €598,336 in the previous half-year.
Summer has traditionally been the time when many foreign visitors come to Italy and begin considering a purchase, and it tends to bring demand for higher-value properties.
A market moving at two speeds: affordable homes alongside luxury property
The average figure tells only part of the story.
Beneath it lies an extremely varied pattern of demand. Nationwide, 45.19% of enquiries relate to homes priced at up to €100,000, while another 23.86% fall into the €100,000 to €250,000 bracket.
In total, almost 70% of international demand is for properties below €250,000.
These buyers are looking for opportunities in inland villages, the southern countryside and areas less affected by mass tourism, where the balance between price and quality of life remains particularly appealing.
At the other end of the market, properties priced above €1 million account for 6.84% of enquiries nationwide. That share rises to 11.44% in coastal municipalities.
More than one in ten coastal enquiries therefore concerns a million-euro property, reflecting the established and sustained international demand for luxury homes in certain Italian destinations.
From Gargano to the Amalfi Coast: the gap is enormous
The differences between destinations are perhaps the most striking finding in the analysis. Considering the main regions as a whole, the average value of properties searched for ranges from over one million euros in Lake Como to €205,996 in Monferrato.
Salento stands at €268,161
Lunigiana at €247,850
Valle d'Itria at €340,634
The gap widens further in coastal municipalities, becoming almost impossible to compare.
- The Amalfi Coast reaches an average value of €4,301,604 per property
- The Golfo del Tigullio had an average of €2,763,929
- The Cinque Terre found property prices averaging €314,685.
- Coastal Salento reaches €455,037
At the other end sits Gargano, where the average value is just €99,772, less than one-fortieth of the figure on the Amalfi Coast. In light of these numbers, treating the Italian coastal property market as a single entity makes very little sense.
Who spends the most: French buyers lead, while British buyers look for a bargain
Buyers’ countries of origin add another variable. Among the leading overseas markets, French buyers report the highest average budget for property in Italy, at €509,170.
- American buyers: €464,374
- German buyers: €360,011
- Swedish buyers: €318,392
- British buyers: €236,841, with a much stronger focus on the affordable end of the market
When searches turn to coastal municipalities, budgets rise across every nationality.
- American buyers: €731,418
- French buyers: €683,504
- Swedish buyers: €602,543
- German buyers: €523,384
- British buyers: €411,950
- They remain the most focused on affordable homes, with 53.65% of their coastal enquiries concerning properties priced below €100,000.
The most significant differences between general demand and coastal demand emerge among Swedish and French buyers. In the over-€1 million bracket, Swedish enquiries rise from 6.97% to 16.54% when the focus shifts towards the coast, while French enquiries rise from 10.34% to 14.48%.
For these nationalities, a coastal location is not merely a geographical preference, but is linked to a substantial rise in the amount they are prepared to spend.
The key lies in understanding which buyer is looking at which area
“The most interesting figure to emerge this summer is the variety of international demand,” comments Simone Rossi, co-founder of Gate-away.com. The data, he explains, describes a far more nuanced reality than the familiar image of “the foreigner buying a home in Italy”.
There are buyers with modest budgets drawn to areas where the value for money is excellent, alongside purchasers seeking high-value properties in the most exclusive destinations.
The differences are also repeated across nationalities. Rossi concludes that the key question is no longer simply where foreign buyers want to purchase, but which kind of buyer may be interested in which area and which type of property. For local property professionals, that distinction can make all the difference.
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