Cost of Living in Italy

Is the cost of living in Italy high?

We asked people how much they someone comfortably live on in Italy, they wrote:

"That really depends... In Minturno, a couple who want to live simply, using the bus and train for transportation, $20,000/year would suffice," explained one expat.

Expat Health Insurance in Italy

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
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Will I save money living in Italy?

"Cost of living has increased dramatically in the past 2 years, but petrol prices have dropped. Internet service is cheaper but phones are more expensive. Everything is a trade off. Italy is still a good value for our money," explained one expat.

What is the average cost of housing in Italy?

If you are thinking about moving to Italy, cost of living in probably a key consideration. Expats commented about the cost of housing:

"Housing prices vary a great deal. A decent apartment can be had for 130,000 euros. Homes in the Umbria region though are disappointingly high priced. We've seen places for over 200,000 euros that needed extensive remodeling and repair. Rome and Naples and Florence are higher priced. The other factor is there are many homes that have poor lighting, no fly screens on the windows, very hard water that clogs pipes, and mold problems. It's hard to find a modern-designed home like you'd easily find in any town in the US," said another expat in Passignano sul Trasimeno.

"The euro was high in 2013 when I moved there at 1.47 so my first apartment was 1200 euro a month. I moved closer to the city center by the Ponte Vecchio and I paid 1600 euro which is much higher than Minneapolis. You can stay within 1000 for a two bedroom if you don't mind being out of the center of town or in a lower neighborhood," added another person living in Florence.

"Lower cost for initial purchase. Check the internet real estate sites. Cost is based on location and housing requirement just like anywhere. We downsized a bit in the process as part of a life plan," explained one expat living in Minturno.

"Much higher. Meat is expensive. Gasoline/diesel is high. It's cheaper to buy clothes and house items in the US on holidays and bring them back in the suitcase," said another in Torino.

"Well, property taxes here are incredibly low. At least compared to my native California. Houses and even apartments can be very expensive here though. There are places here in Catanzaro, apartments, overlooking a parking lot asking over 400,000 EURO! We bought our beautiful property (just outside of Catanzaro and about 15 minutes to the Mediterranean sea) with a lot of land and producing orchards and rebuilt the home spending around 600,000Euro. However, going outside the city into a rural community, even 10km outside of town, you can pay half of that. Here, neighbours are an issue and there are many lawsuits when they cannot get things sorted out (especially in our area where there are many lawyers who are unemployed). We got lucky and have a large piece of property with no problems. Here, in the country you can get a good deal. If my property were in California, we would be paying well over 1,000,000 dollars easily! We enjoy our life in the country here and wich those thinking of coming here the same good fortune," explained one expat who made the move to Catanzaro.

"Housing costs are much higher here than where we used to live outside of Seattle, WA. We pay 2077 euros a month for our apartment. This is probably a little below average as our apartment is on the 1st floor. The higher you go up in floors, the higher the rent. We only paid $1500 in a mortgage payment when we lived in Washington State," added an expat living in Rome.

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

Learn MoreGET A QUOTE

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

Learn MoreGET A QUOTE