Foreign residents in Santo Stefano al Mare
Santo Stefano al Mare, in the province of Imperia, is home to 10 French nationals — 0.50% of its 1,982 residents. That is the 38th-highest concentration of French nationals of any of the 5,872 Italian comuni with at least 1,000 residents, and 11th within Liguria.
Across the nationalities we track, Santo Stefano al Mare counts 17 foreign residents in total, 0.86% of the population. The largest groups are French nationals (10), Dutch nationals (4), Austrians (1).
Over the period 2019–2025, the number of French nationals in Santo Stefano al Mare has risen, from 8 to 10 (+25%).
Separately, ISTAT's census data shows 11.9% of Santo Stefano al Mare's population was born outside Italy — 7.1% outside the EU and 4.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| France | 10 | 0.50% |
| Netherlands | 4 | 0.20% |
| Austria | 1 | 0.05% |
| Germany | 1 | 0.05% |
| Russia | 1 | 0.05% |
| Argentina | 0 | 0.00% |
| Australia | 0 | 0.00% |
| Belgium | 0 | 0.00% |
| Brazil | 0 | 0.00% |
| Canada | 0 | 0.00% |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0.00% |
| Denmark | 0 | 0.00% |
| Spain | 0 | 0.00% |
| Finland | 0 | 0.00% |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 0.00% |
| Greece | 0 | 0.00% |
| Ireland | 0 | 0.00% |
| Japan | 0 | 0.00% |
| South Korea | 0 | 0.00% |
| Mexico | 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 | 1,747 | 88.14% |
| Born elsewhere in the EU | 94 | 4.74% |
| Born outside the EU | 141 | 7.11% |
French nationals over time
Quality of life in Imperia
Full BES profile for Imperia →Imperia on cost vs quality of life (province-level) →
Property prices
Buying in Santo Stefano al Mare is above the Imperia average of €2,217/m². Averaged across 2 OMI micro-zones, which can differ substantially within the same town.
19.1 years of rent here equal the purchase price — below 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 39% more than ordinary condition — €3,848/m² against €2,763.
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 €2,992/m², against €2,763 for an apartment.
Compared street for street — houses and flats priced in the same neighbourhood — a house costs 16% 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.