Foreign residents in Desenzano del Garda
Desenzano del Garda, in the province of Brescia, is home to 141 Russians — 0.48% of its 29,313 residents. That is the 46th-highest concentration of Russians of any of the 5,872 Italian comuni with at least 1,000 residents, and 14th within Lombardia.
Across the nationalities we track, Desenzano del Garda counts 519 foreign residents in total, 1.77% of the population. The largest groups are Russians (141), Brazilians (100), Germans (56).
Over the period 2019–2025, the number of Russians in Desenzano del Garda has risen, from 118 to 141 (+19%).
Separately, ISTAT's census data shows 17.3% of Desenzano del Garda's population was born outside Italy — 13.5% outside the EU and 3.8% elsewhere in the EU. ISTAT does not publish this broken down by specific country at comune level, so it isn't directly comparable to the per-nationality citizenship figures above.
Population over time
By nationality
| Nationality | Citizens | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | 141 | 0.48% |
| Brazil | 100 | 0.34% |
| Germany | 56 | 0.19% |
| Netherlands | 30 | 0.10% |
| France | 27 | 0.09% |
| United States | 19 | 0.06% |
| Spain | 17 | 0.06% |
| United Kingdom | 16 | 0.05% |
| Argentina | 14 | 0.05% |
| Venezuela | 13 | 0.04% |
| Portugal | 12 | 0.04% |
| Belgium | 11 | 0.04% |
| Norway | 10 | 0.03% |
| Denmark | 8 | 0.03% |
| Finland | 6 | 0.02% |
| Ireland | 6 | 0.02% |
| Japan | 6 | 0.02% |
| Mexico | 6 | 0.02% |
| Sweden | 6 | 0.02% |
| Greece | 5 | 0.02% |
| Austria | 4 | 0.01% |
| Australia | 2 | 0.01% |
| Switzerland | 2 | 0.01% |
| South Korea | 2 | 0.01% |
| Canada | 0 | 0.00% |
Country of birth
| Group | Residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Born in Italy | 24,244 | 82.71% |
| Born elsewhere in the EU | 1,116 | 3.81% |
| Born outside the EU | 3,953 | 13.49% |
Russians over time
Quality of life in Brescia
Full BES profile for Brescia →Brescia on cost vs quality of life (province-level) →
Property prices
Buying in Desenzano del Garda is far above the Brescia average of €1,392/m². Averaged across 5 OMI micro-zones, which can differ substantially within the same town.
26 years of rent here equal the purchase price — above the national median of 22.2 years.
A ratio between two OMI prices, not a return on investment. It leaves out purchase taxes, IMU, maintenance, financing and the months a place sits empty — all of which push the real figure up. Useful for the question it does answer: whether this town looks expensive to buy relative to what renting in it costs.
Housing here in excellent condition costs 25% more than ordinary condition — €3,408/m² against €2,720.
That gap is what the market charges for a place you don’t have to work on. It is not what the work would cost you — OMI prices property, not builders.
A detached house here averages €2,944/m², against €2,720 for an apartment.
Compared street for street — houses and flats priced in the same neighbourhood — a house costs 21% more per square metre.
OMI prices “Ville e Villini” separately from the apartments every other figure on this page describes. Nationally a house costs about 14% more per square metre, but in 450 comuni it costs less — worth checking rather than assuming.