In short
In Messina (Sicily), a €300,000 resale home bought from a private owner as a prima casa pays €6,100 in purchase taxes, €27,100 as a second home; 2,390 homes changed hands there in 2024 (OMI). That is 11 sales per 1,000 residents, against 12.5 for Italy; the tax rates are national.
What the sales data say about Messina
Messina is 18th of 20 on both measures used here. The Agenzia delle Entrate's OMI data show 2,390 home sales in 2024, and ISTAT's 216,458 residents turn that into 11.0 sales per 1,000, under the 12.5 for Italy. The city holds 0.3% of the national total.
Provisional 2025 data give 2,457, which is +2.8%. The national total moved by +6.4%, so the country grew faster than the city.
Messina province totals 6,337 sales, with the city at 37.7%. The other municipalities recorded 3,948 in 2024 and a provisional 4,028 in 2025 (+2.0%). Both parts grew slowly and at nearly the same speed.
Sicily counts 50,104 sales; its ratio is 10.5 per 1,000 islanders. Messina is 4.8% of the volume and 4.5% of the population, and its own rate is a little above Sicily's.
Low rankings do not mean an absent market: thousands of deals still take place each year. For a buyer, the table shows how many and where, never what homes cost. 2025 is provisional.
Data as of 31 December 2025 for OMI home sales (2024 final, 2025 provisional, collected on 19 October 2026) and 1 January 2026 for ISTAT population.
The questions, answered
How much tax do you pay to buy a €300,000 home in Messina?
The rates are national, so Messina pays what all of Italy pays: €6,100 on a resale bought from a private owner as a prima casa, €27,100 as a second home, €12,600 on a new build from a builder as a prima casa and €30,600 otherwise, before the notary's fee.
How many homes are sold each year in Messina?
2,390 homes were sold in Messina in 2024 according to the OMI register of the Agenzia delle Entrate, and 2,457 in 2025 (provisional, +2.8%).
Is the property market in Messina more active than the Italian average?
Messina recorded 11 home sales per 1,000 residents in 2024, against 12.5 for Italy as a whole (OMI sales, ISTAT population).
How do I find the IMU property tax rate in Messina?
Each Italian municipality sets its own IMU rate by resolution, published on the Ministry of Economy and Finance site (finanze.gov.it, IMU rates search). A main home in categories A/2 to A/7 is exempt.
The figures
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes on €300,000, resale, prima casa | €6,100 | DPR 131/1986 |
| Taxes on €300,000, resale, second home | €27,100 | DPR 131/1986 |
| Taxes on €300,000, new build, prima casa | €12,600 | Agenzia delle Entrate |
| Home sales, 2024 | 2,390 | Agenzia delle Entrate – OMI |
| Home sales, 2025 (provisional) | 2,457 | Agenzia delle Entrate – OMI |
| Sales per 1,000 residents, 2024 | 11 | OMI, ISTAT |
| Population, 1 January 2026 | 216,458 | ISTAT |
Buying from abroad
What differs for a foreign buyer: Buying as a foreigner · prima casa and residence · the codice fiscale · IMU property tax.
Cities of Sicily on Payotte
Sources
- Purchase taxes: calculator sources (DPR 131/1986, Agenzia delle Entrate).
- Home sales: Agenzia delle Entrate – OMI, Volumi di compravendita (NTN), residential, province and capoluogo series: 2024 definitive, 2025 provisional; territory excluding the tavolare regime (Trento, Bolzano, Trieste, Gorizia, partly Udine) (CC BY 4.0).
- Population: ISTAT, resident population by commune on 1 January 2026 (SDMX dataflow 22_389, status e = estimate) (CC BY 4.0).
- IMU rates: Dipartimento delle Finanze, IMU rules and rates search.