Foreign residents in Varese
Varese, in the province of Varese, is home to 142 Spaniards — 0.18% of its 78,992 residents. That is the 96th-highest concentration of Spaniards of any of the 5,872 Italian comuni with at least 1,000 residents, and 38th within Lombardia.
Across the nationalities we track, Varese counts 1,112 foreign residents in total, 1.41% of the population. The largest groups are Spaniards (142), French nationals (130), Russians (125).
Over the period 2019–2025, the number of Spaniards in Varese has risen, from 106 to 142 (+34%).
Separately, ISTAT's census data shows 17.7% of Varese's population was born outside Italy — 15.4% outside the EU and 2.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 142 | 0.18% |
| France | 130 | 0.16% |
| Russia | 125 | 0.16% |
| Germany | 100 | 0.13% |
| Brazil | 80 | 0.10% |
| United Kingdom | 65 | 0.08% |
| Netherlands | 56 | 0.07% |
| Greece | 52 | 0.07% |
| Switzerland | 47 | 0.06% |
| Argentina | 41 | 0.05% |
| Belgium | 41 | 0.05% |
| Portugal | 38 | 0.05% |
| United States | 37 | 0.05% |
| Venezuela | 29 | 0.04% |
| Finland | 23 | 0.03% |
| Ireland | 23 | 0.03% |
| Mexico | 22 | 0.03% |
| Sweden | 21 | 0.03% |
| Australia | 8 | 0.01% |
| South Korea | 8 | 0.01% |
| Austria | 6 | 0.01% |
| Canada | 6 | 0.01% |
| Denmark | 5 | 0.01% |
| Japan | 5 | 0.01% |
| Norway | 2 | 0.00% |
Country of birth
| Group | Residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Born in Italy | 64,987 | 82.27% |
| Born elsewhere in the EU | 1,832 | 2.32% |
| Born outside the EU | 12,173 | 15.41% |
Spaniards over time
Quality of life in Varese
Full BES profile for Varese →Varese on cost vs quality of life (province-level) →
Property prices
Buying in Varese is above the Varese average of €1,300/m². Averaged across 13 OMI micro-zones, which can differ substantially within the same town.
17.6 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 46% more than ordinary condition — €2,062/m² against €1,412.
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 €1,680/m², against €1,412 for an apartment.
Compared street for street — houses and flats priced in the same neighbourhood — a house costs 26% 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.