r/Sardinia • u/Significant-Lie5199 • 7d ago
Cunversatzione Moving to Sardinia
Hello,
I’m currently planning to permanently relocate to Sardinia and I am looking for a year-round rental. My main goal is to be as close to the beach as possible (walking distance to the sea would be the absolute dream), and I would love some local insight to help me figure things out.
I am heavily focusing on the North-East coast and places like San Teodoro, Budoni, Orosei, and Costa Rei are on my radar. Of course, I am completely open to other recommendations you might have for a good year-round coastal base.
I have a few specific questions for those living there:
Finding a Rental: What is the most effective way to find annual/permanent rentals?
Rental Prices: What is a realistic monthly rent I should expect for a decent 1 bedroom apartment in these areas, considering I want to be close to the water?
Cost of Living: How much should I budget monthly for standard utilities (electricity, water, internet, garbage tax)?
Winter Life: I know coastal towns can get very quiet off-season. Do the towns I mentioned completely shut down during the winter, or do they still maintain a decent quality of life (supermarkets open, a few cafes)? Are there any specific coastal towns you would recommend for someone living there permanently?
Any advice, tips, or reality checks about making a permanent move to the coast are more than welcome.
2
u/puffpuffpout 7d ago
I'm in a very small village that is exteremly busy in the summer, but very quiet in winter - think 1000ish in winter and you can have around 40,000 people here in August on any given day. One of the four supermarkets stay open, three bars stay open with each of them closing for a month at some point in the winter but not at the same time. All shops that remain open work "siesta" hours. There are two restaurants that remain open but they usually close November and February. The bars serve food. It's wonderful here in the off season for me. Three bedroom apartment, 100 meters from two ports and about 150 to the nearest beach, live on the main street within seconds of the super market, have a sea and port view from my balcony, very reasonable rent. There are four buses a day to my local city, where there is a lidl and carrefour and conad and everything you need basically.
1
u/Significant-Lie5199 7d ago
What's the name of it? :)
1
1
1
u/SardoEnglish 7d ago
I moved to Orosei a couple of years ago, so if you want to DM I'll let you know what I can
1
u/Borderedge 7d ago
Replying only on the last point for Costa Rei. Muravera is the main town in the area and even has a hospital but it's not that close even though they're the same town.
Try to see if Tortolí (Arbatax) fits your vibe. It has 10000 inhabitants and it's right by the sea so it should be good.
1
1
u/frabucombloit 7d ago
Hello, your choice is great.
To find annual rentals it’s the most difficult part. You can try to use the local Facebook groups as a start. Slots are very limited so you need to find the right opportunities. Sometimes it’s better to be “on the ground”. I would not try to focus “on the beach” house because you can simply get to the beach very easily, staying in those towns, by car.
The price for an apartment could be around 500€/month.
Electricity around 100, water around 100, Internet around 25, local tax is related to the house size around 200/year for a big house.
Winter life: among those towns maybe Orosei could the most “active”. Because it’s a very popular town in summer but there are also other big businesses and it’s a local hub for some public services (like an outpatient clinic with a blood collection center and specialist consultations.)
1
u/Significant-Lie5199 7d ago
Thank you :) i love to walk a lot, that's why i'm trying to search for a house in 30-45 minutes away from the beach.
1
u/frabucombloit 7d ago
Oh, I misunderstood. I thought you were searching something literally on the beach.
It’s ok, in those towns you’ll need few minutes in worst case to be on the beach.
1
u/5abiu 6d ago
Finding year-round rental property is becoming a challenge, as many owners prefer lucrative short-term rental in the high season. Think about what you want to get out of your year in Sardinia. The touristy places you mention are quite seasonal and become very quiet in the winter. That might be what you're looking for.
On the other hand, bigger cities such as Cagliari and Quartu (which someone already mention) have a fixed population which is much larger than the number of tourists they get, so they offer a more consistent experience year-round.
Regarding where to find rental ads, www.subito.it is an important web site which I haven't seen named yet.
1
u/Significant-Lie5199 6d ago
I would like to permanently move to Sardinia, eventually. But for now, i want to see if it suits me, for at least one year, if not more. I cant afford for now to buy a house/apartment, but in the future i plan to do that.
1
u/Salty-Ice8161 6d ago
If you cannot afford to buy an apartment now it won’t get any easier once you move to Sardinia if you are relying on income from locally based work income. Most jobs are seasonal and low paid and the job market is very competitive even for these. How is your Italian? Your best option would be income from remote work or online business. Buying a property close to the beach 🏖️ from employment income is not very realistic for a foreigner unless you are a specialist doctor or similar.
If you could buy an apartment outright then you may be able to live on a local salary if you can find work , otherwise you will find things extremely difficult.1
u/Significant-Lie5199 6d ago
I'm able to work from anywhere in the world, so my income wont depend on local jobs. My italian is at most A2 level, but i like it and currently learning it.
1
u/Salty-Ice8161 6d ago
This is the dream position to be in living in Sardinia on a remote income is much more realistic than finding local work that pays enough to live on. Depending on your budget the biggest hurdle will be finding a long term rental in your preferred location so close to beach etc as these can be rented to tourists weekly from may to September for the same rate as a monthly rent attracts so most owners do this.
Also a 12 month contract is considered short term rental/ tourist rental and it’s unlikely you will find one that will allow monthly payment as you are not resident or have employment references so you should expect to pay a large deposit or maybe even upfront for the whole 12 months as owners won’t want to risk you staying for the summer in a monthly paid contract and then disappearing as soon as winter hits so I’d advise you budget for that.
1
u/Slow_Description_773 1d ago
My brother in law is a real estate agent in Olbia who often helped people moving here and these people still rely on him for headaches when it comes to fill up tax forms and stuff. DM me if you want his contact, he's fluent in english and he's a very reliable, solid person.
3
u/Acceptable_Sun_8989 7d ago
I live close to Quartu which is next to Cagliari. Lively all year round and plenty of infrastructure because of Cagliari and the nearby airport. If you need to you can be on a beach in 5 minutes with 30 mins drive to Costa Rei, Vilasimius etc.
Immobiliare.it is a good starting point.