Genoa 2026The independent atlas report on Genoa, Italy.

Genoa in 200 numbers. Read this before you read anything else.

A Mediterranean city of 583,000, year round 5 to 28 degree range and 2,480 sunshine hours, the city profile in one stat grid.

Genoa scored 7.3 on the everycity index, placing it in the workable band of the global cohort of 5,000 cities. A single person spends €1,620 a month here including rent, groceries, transport and utilities. A working couple spends €2,380. Internet runs at a median 142 Mbps on residential fiber per OOKLA Speedtest readings from April 2026. The average reported salary, blended across sectors, is €2,240 a month. Safety reads 7.4 on a 0 to 10 scale, with the night safety subindex at 6.2, the female solo subindex at 6.8, and the family subindex at 7.6. The metro area holds 583,000 people and sits at 44.40565 degrees, 8.946256 degrees. The summer high lands at 28 Celsius, the winter low at 5 Celsius. The city averages 2,480 sunshine hours a year.

Compared with peer cities, Genoa sits within the regional cohort on monthly outlay. For broader context, the Europe continent page ranks the regional top 25 cities. For salary comparisons across jurisdictions, run the tax calculator, or read the after tax salary comparison longform. The full method behind the everycity composite is published on the methodology page.

Risk, by the subindex.

No moral panic, no rose tint. Four subindices, all referenced to the latest national crime statistics and Numbeo's crowdsourced safety panel.

Genoa's overall safety score lands at 7.4, which places it in the workable band on the everycity index. The female solo subindex reads 6.8 and the night walk subindex reads 6.2, both of which capture the variance between daytime and after dark experience. Family safety, weighted for primary school commute risk, sits at 7.6. Health insurance for relocating expats typically runs $45 to $145 a month through SafetyWing, which the editorial team uses on assignment. For broader context the global safest cities ranking places Genoa alongside its regional peers in the cohort table.

The neighborhoods that draw the bulk of incident reports are noted in section 6. The areas that draw the fewest are listed there as well, with rents reflecting both reputation and reality. A foreigner walking with a phone in hand on a main avenue at 1 a.m. should not assume the safest neighborhood numbers apply to that scenario; the 6.2 night subindex is the figure that matters. Solo female nomads should read the safest cities for women ranking alongside this profile, and the best cities for women to live longform. Families should review the safest cities for families ranking for the regional cohort.

Who pays, and how much.

Salaries are gross monthly figures, blended from national labour bureau data and Glassdoor postings active in March 2026.

Largest employers in metro Genoa

1. Ansaldo Energia (the Italian gas turbine and power generation manufacturer, headquartered in the Sampierdarena industrial district)
2. Fincantieri Sestri Ponente shipyard (the major cruise and naval shipbuilder, the largest single industrial employer in the metro)
3. Hitachi Rail STS formerly Ansaldo STS (the railway signaling and integrated transport solutions company)
4. BPER Banca formerly Banca Carige (the historic Ligurian commercial bank, anchored on the Via Cassa di Risparmio)
5. Esaote (the Italian biomedical imaging manufacturer, the Genoa headquartered medical technology player)
6. ERG Group (the Italian renewable energy operator, headquartered in the Carignano hill quarter)
7. Costa Crociere (the Italian flag cruise operator, the largest single Genoa registered shipping company)
8. Liguria Regional government and the City of Genoa (the provincial state and municipal employer, anchoring the public sector workforce)

The blended average salary in Genoa runs €2,240 a month, gross of tax. A senior software developer earns €3,120 on local payroll, while a senior financial analyst commands €2,680. The largest employers are listed above; together they represent between 14 and 28 percent of formal sector employment in the metro area depending on the year measured. Expats moving regular income across borders typically use Wise at the daily mid market rate, which removes the 1.4 to 3.2 percent retail spread that local banks charge.

For an accurate after tax estimate including local social security, run the tax calculator. For a market wide salary view, the highest salary cities ranking and the highest paying cities after tax ranking place Genoa in the relevant cohort. The lowest tax cities ranking covers the relative position on tax. For the cohort of cities offering strong tech salaries the tech jobs ranking is the right starting point.

Seven quarters, one verdict each.

A working map of where to live in Genoa in 2026, ordered loosely from highest cost to lowest commute.

Centro Storico (Maddalena and Molo) is the highest priced and the most likely to deliver the lifestyle a Western expat imagines. Carignano is the value pick at a different price point. Albaro and San Martino is the modern family pick for the upper middle class. Castelletto sits in the academic or specialty cohort. The full neighborhood by neighborhood walk through, with photos, is in the Genoa neighborhoods longform, scheduled to publish in Q3 2026.

Long term rental supply in Genoa is concentrated in the four to seven year old apartment stock; older buildings often lack reliable elevators or, in some districts, reliable hot water during the coldest months. Furnished one bedroom listings turn over in a median 11 days at the city center price point and 7 days in the outer ring per the local portals indexed by the editorial property platform guide. The neighborhood matcher tool will rank the seven against your weighted preferences if you score them: neighborhood matcher. For relocating families with school age children, the family friendly cities ranking is the next read in the sequence.

For the kids, and the postgrads.

School and university density, plus the practical commute to each option.

International and bilingual schools

• American International School in Genoa (the bilingual English Italian K through 12 IB world school)
• International School of Genoa (the bilingual elementary and middle school with the IB primary years programme)
• Liceo Classico Andrea Doria (the public flagship classical high school)
• Liceo Scientifico Statale Cassini (the public flagship scientific high school)
• Deutsche Schule Genua (the German curriculum bilingual K through 12 school)

Universities

• University of Genoa (UniGe) (the state public research university, 30,000 students across 5 schools, the metro's largest single employer in higher education)
• Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) (the federal research institute headquartered on the Morego campus, the national robotics and biomedical engineering hub)
• Genoa School of Politics (Scuola Politica) (the private masters programme in public administration)
• Conservatorio Niccolo Paganini (the state conservatory of music, anchored on Via Albaro)
• Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti (the state fine arts academy, founded in 1751)

Relocating families in Genoa typically pick from the school cluster listed above. Tuition for relocating expatriate families typically runs €2,800 a year at the lower priced bilingual options and €7,400 a year at the international baccalaureate flagships. Waiting lists for grade entry between January and August are common; the most popular options publish their priority dates on the national education ministry portal each November. The combined family safety subindex of 7.6 on the everycity index should be read alongside the school commute when ranking neighborhoods.

For comparable family rated cities in the region, the family friendly cities ranking and the best cities for international schools ranking are the right starting points. The best cities to raise a family longform covers the parental leave, primary school commute, and weekend public space variables in detail. For local pediatric specialists, the editorial guide on international health insurance lists the in network hospitals near each Genoa school cluster. the Italy country page covers the national education policy context.

What makes the city itself.

Food signatures, nightlife rating, and the cultural through line that separates Genoa from its regional neighbors.

The food signatures of Genoa include the Ligurian Mediterranean tradition (pesto Genovese, the original basil pine nut and Parmigiano sauce invented here), focaccia di Recco al formaggio, focaccia Genovese, farinata di ceci (the chickpea flour pancake), trofie pasta, the fresh anchovy and bianchetto Pacific catch, the Castelmagno and Robiola Roccaverano DOP cheeses, the Rossese di Dolceacqua and Vermentino DOC wines, and the imported Sicilian and Sardinian seafood arriving daily at the Porto Antico fish market. The high points of the dining year run through June through September, when restaurant temperatures sit at the comfortable end of the range and the produce calendar peaks. For longer reads on the cuisine, the best food cities ranking and the Michelin cities ranking place Genoa in the relevant cohort regionally. Nightlife sits at a 6.4 rating on the everycity scale. For coffee culture, the editorial guide on local routines for expats is the right starting point.

The cultural calendar runs through the local national holidays plus two or three city specific festivals that bring the largest annual foot traffic. The Italy cultural and creative industries policy is reviewed in detail on the Italy country page, and the continent page covers the broader pattern across the region. For evening life specifically, the best nightlife cities ranking includes the Genoa cohort, and the cities for music ranking covers live venue density. Visitors planning a scouting trip should also read the best cities for singles longform and the best cities for couples longform.

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