Foreign residents in Mello
Mello, in the province of Sondrio, is home to 2 Russians — 0.21% of its 953 residents. That is notable for a comune of its size.
Across the nationalities we track, Mello counts 5 foreign residents in total, 0.52% of the population. The largest groups are Russians (2), Swiss nationals (1), Britons (1).
Over the period 2019–2025, the number of Russians in Mello has risen, from 1 to 2 (+100%).
Separately, ISTAT's census data shows 5.9% of Mello's population was born outside Italy — 5.0% outside the EU and 0.8% 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 | 2 | 0.21% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 0.10% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 0.10% |
| Japan | 1 | 0.10% |
| Argentina | 0 | 0.00% |
| Austria | 0 | 0.00% |
| Australia | 0 | 0.00% |
| Belgium | 0 | 0.00% |
| Brazil | 0 | 0.00% |
| Canada | 0 | 0.00% |
| Germany | 0 | 0.00% |
| Denmark | 0 | 0.00% |
| Spain | 0 | 0.00% |
| Finland | 0 | 0.00% |
| France | 0 | 0.00% |
| Greece | 0 | 0.00% |
| Ireland | 0 | 0.00% |
| South Korea | 0 | 0.00% |
| Mexico | 0 | 0.00% |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0.00% |
| Norway | 0 | 0.00% |
| Portugal | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sweden | 0 | 0.00% |
| United States | 0 | 0.00% |
| Venezuela | 0 | 0.00% |
Country of birth
| Group | Residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Born in Italy | 897 | 94.12% |
| Born elsewhere in the EU | 8 | 0.84% |
| Born outside the EU | 48 | 5.04% |
Russians over time
Quality of life in Sondrio
Full BES profile for Sondrio →Sondrio on cost vs quality of life (province-level) →
Property prices
Buying in Mello is well below the Sondrio average of €1,483/m². Averaged across 4 OMI micro-zones, which can differ substantially within the same town.
25.1 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 29% more than ordinary condition — €1,186/m² against €919.
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 €975/m², against €919 for an apartment.
Compared street for street — houses and flats priced in the same neighbourhood — a house costs 5% 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.