Moving to and living in Firenze
The cradle of the Renaissance with a strong English-speaking expat scene, but expensive and overloaded with tourists. By the community it suits artists, students and those coming for a year or two for the culture and the English-speaking environment; the Russian-speaking community here is secondary.
Updated: - permesso.love editorial team
In brief: city and relocation
- Region: Toscana
- Cost level: high cost
- Single-person budget, rough: 1105-2122 euro/mo
- Questura: permesso speed: usually slow (per community)
Housing and rent
The market is squeezed by tourism and expat demand, so it is expensive; finding a long-term place in the centre is hard, easier on the outskirts. By the community the search can be agonizing, "we cannot find anything and time is running out". Check current prices yourself.
Russian-speaking community
A strong, visible English-speaking expat scene (artists, students, teachers) around art academies and galleries. There are Russian speakers, but in the shadow of the expat economy; the environment is international rather than Russian.
Jobs
The art sector, photography, language teaching and everything around tourism stand out. The scene is oversaturated with English-speaking expats, which pushes salaries down; outside the centre, Italian is needed.
Living budget: Firenze
- Single person, one-bed
- 1105-2122 euro/mo
- Family with kids, two-bed
- 2020-3384 euro/mo
Rough ranges: the community has few concrete rent figures here, so this is a price-tier estimate plus ARERA and ISTAT reference values. Check current numbers.
Build your own budget line by linePros
- Unrivalled cultural and artistic heritage
- A strong English-speaking community, easy for an Anglophone to fit in
- A lively young creative scene, academies and galleries
- A compact city with all of Tuscany nearby
Cons
- Expensive: a tourist markup on housing and daily life
- A tourist-clogged centre that loses authenticity in season
- A small Russian-speaking community, an English-centric environment
- A job market saturated with expats, lower salaries
Community voices
The centre of Florence is packed with English-speaking expats. I rather like that: it is easier to meet your own crowd without having to switch to Italian.
I live in Florence, and a normal pizza here is reasonably priced - it gets expensive only if you go to the most touristy spots. Housing, yes, is hard to find.
Quotes are paraphrased and anonymized; subjective experience, not statistics.
FAQ
How much does living in Florence cost?
Expensive: the market is squeezed by tourism and expat demand, long-term rentals in the centre are hard to find, easier on the outskirts. By the community daily life outside the tourist spots is reasonable, but the housing hunt can be agonizing. Check current prices.
Is there a Russian-speaking community in Florence?
There are Russian speakers, but they sit in the shadow of the strong English-speaking expat scene (artists, students, teachers around the art academies and galleries). The environment is international rather than Russian.
Is Florence worth moving to?
By community experience - yes for artists, students and those coming for a year or two for the culture and the English-speaking scene. Downsides: the tourist markup, a clogged centre and a job market saturated with expats.
Documents and timing
Other cities in Toscana
These are subjective community observations across different years, not a ranking or a promotion. Verify prices and conditions on the ground.
All cities for relocation