Cost of living in Italy: monthly budget

A month of life in Italy costs a family of three or four roughly 2000-3500 euro according to the community, and two items decide it - rent and utilities. Below is the breakdown item by item: rent by city tier, the bollette and why they shock newcomers, food, transport, healthcare, taxes and INPS contributions, children and school, a sample monthly budget and the difference between the north and the south. This is not financial advice and not a forecast: any sums here are a rough guideline according to the community, they depend on the city, the season, the home and the habits and are constantly changing, so verify the current details locally and count by your own receipts.

The main idea that almost everyone who has moved repeats: life in Italy is on average more expensive than what you are used to, but without a catastrophe. Some expense items are noticeably higher (utilities, restaurants, communications), some are on par or even cheaper (clothing, electronics, many groceries). The most common rough guideline according to the community is to aim for roughly a doubling of the fixed expenses compared with Moscow or Sochi. But this is very much an average: the spread between a modest family in the south and a comfortable life in a large city of the north is colossal.

When I laid out our spending for the first month, I whistled myself. Utilities versus Moscow are night and day, a restaurant with the same average bill comes to twice as much, the internet bites too. But the rent, groceries and communications are plus-minus like back home. In the end it feels more expensive, but not fatal.

Rent: the main expense and what it depends on

For most families it is precisely rent that is the largest item, especially if you work a lot from home. The price dances heavily by region, city and the state of the apartment, so naming a single "average" is pointless.

Rough guidelines according to the community (verify the current details on the local portals like idealista or immobiliare, the prices change):

• A small town or a small settlement - a one-room apartment is sometimes found for roughly from 500-600 euro, but for that money it is often an apartment with a renovation and furniture from half a century ago. Modern and comfortable housing starts noticeably higher.
• A medium city, an apartment normal by the standards of those moving - more often the range named is roughly 800-900 euro and up for something modern and spacious.
• A large city of the north (Milan and the like) - expensive; here you have to set aside substantially more for rent, and it is hard to save.
• Rome - more expensive than the outskirts; beyond the ring road (GRA) apartments of 50+ meters sometimes start at roughly from 550 euro, closer to the center more expensive.

We had a ceiling of 700 euro plus utilities, and in the summer the agencies showed nothing but options from a thousand and a half. And as autumn came, suddenly there turned out to be plenty of apartments exactly in our budget. The season really moves the price, so do not despair if you arrived in the height of summer.

A separate nuance is the type of contract. There is the canone concordato, where the price per square meter is agreed and below market (for which the landlord pays less tax), and there are flexible transitorio contracts for temporary residence. Many landlords ask for guarantees - a deposit or a frozen sum in the account (fideiussione), because the law is rather on the tenant's side. In detail about the types of contracts and registration - in the article on the rental contract and registering the contract.

Utilities: what shocks the most

If anything throws newcomers from the CIS into a stupor, it is the bollette - the bills for utilities. Electricity in Italy is historically expensive, and heating in an old home without a decent energy-efficiency class is capable of turning the winter gas bill into an unpleasant surprise. Many honestly describe it as going through all the stages of accepting the inevitable.

The first utility bills came at once for a couple of months, and the figures were such that I showed them to friends in Russia with comments beyond the literary language. The gas flew off into several hundred euro, the electricity and water added on top. In Russia we paid many times less for this.

What it consists of and which guidelines surface according to the community (all individual, the figures change):

• Gas and heating - the main item and the main risk. In the cold months in an energy-inefficient home the bill easily goes into the hundreds of euro. It depends heavily on whether your heating is individual or centralized, and on the building's energy-efficiency class.
• Electricity - expensive; in the summer the air conditioner adds to it, without which, according to the community, in the heat it is in places almost impossible to survive.
• Water - a separate line, usually more modest than gas and electricity.
• Garbage collection (TARI) - as a rule once a year; the sums named vary.
• Condominium - the upkeep of the building: in the center it is sometimes about 30 euro, and in a building with its own grounds and infrastructure - noticeably more. At the end of the year the condominium may send a separate bill for unforeseen expenses, and this can be sensitive.

On average families of three or four people name utilities of about 200-350 euro a month, but this is very conditional. Before signing the contract it makes sense to ask the landlord for the real past bills for that specific apartment. How to deal with the bills, changing the provider and arranging the contracts for electricity, gas and water - in the article on utilities: electricity, gas, water.

Let me list it for our home over the year: garbage and water - a few hundred each, gas about as much again, and electricity came out noticeably more than everything else. Plus a decent condominium. And at the close of the year a letter of happiness flew in for unforeseen expenses of almost a thousand. Divide by twelve yourself - it comes out tangible.

Food: more expensive, but not astronomical

We have a separate detailed breakdown of groceries, so here only about the budget. According to the community, food in Italy is on average a little more expensive than usual, but some items are cheaper, and on quality many rate it higher. A real way to save is to shop at a discounter near home (Lidl, Eurospin) and get vegetables and fruit at the market.

Guidelines according to the community (they depend on the city, the family size and the habits, verify against your own receipts):

• For a family the community most often names around 500 euro a month on groceries as the comfortable lower bound; some manage on less by shopping at a discounter.
• For a large family the budget is naturally higher; some of those with many children near Rome fit food within about 1000 euro even with regular outings to cafes.
• There is no single norm: in discussions people regularly argue where sensible shopping ends and economizing begins. Compare against your own receipts for the first month, not someone else's average.

In more detail about the chains, the prices for a basic basket and where to get the familiar products - in the guide on groceries and supermarkets.

Transport: public is cheap, a car is like everywhere

Here is good news for those used to a car: in a city with normal infrastructure a car for everyday life is often not needed, only for trips and leisure. Public transport on a season pass works out inexpensive.

Guidelines according to the community (the prices are each city's own, verify on the local carrier's site):

• A monthly pass for city transport - per the community around 35-40 euro for 30 days (plus a couple of euro for the card itself). If you travel every day, individual tickets come to several times more than a pass. How city and rail passes work - in the guide on trains and abbonamento.
• Suburban trains on a season pass are also much cheaper than single tickets; children often free or with a discount.
• Petrol and diesel - about 1.8-1.9 euro per liter, but the cars here are more economical, so in absolute terms the difference from what you are used to, by the community's estimate, is not so terrible.
• Car ownership - insurance is a tangible item: an annual policy with partial collision coverage is named at roughly from several hundred euro, and on a premium car it easily goes over a thousand a year; the payment can usually be split by months. Plus the annual bollo (the transport tax).

Healthcare: basics almost free, there are nuances

State healthcare (SSN) is one of the pleasant sides of the budget. After arranging the tessera sanitaria, basic treatment and the family doctor's appointment, according to the community, are in effect free, and most prescription medicines are either free or cost a symbolic ticket of around a couple of euro.

What pleasantly surprised me - school and kindergarten are free, and the ordinary medical card covers the main problems also without money. Most medicines at the pharmacy are either a pittance fee or entirely free. After Moscow prices at the current exchange rate, almost everything we need comes out cheaper here, including a good private dentist.

Nuances worth keeping in mind (the details change, verify the current ones):

• At the pronto soccorso (the emergency room) with a non-serious problem you can sit in the queue for half a day - the urgency is determined by the status, not the order of arrival.
• Private medicine and dentistry are paid and in places not cheap: for a crown at a private clinic the community names roughly 400-900 euro depending on the material and the city. A breakdown of prices and how to find a dentist - in the article on dentistry.
• With a low income you are entitled to exemption from part of the medical surcharges (esenzione per reddito), but the threshold is set by the region and changes - check with your ASL and comune.

Taxes and INPS: we count not from revenue

For most immigrants on a permesso through lavoro autonomo the tax part of the budget is income tax and the mandatory contributions to the INPS pension fund. The key thing that confuses newcomers: they are calculated, as a rule, not from the whole revenue but from the tax base, which depends on the ATECO code (roughly, a percentage of the invoices issued).

Guidelines according to the community (this is not a calculation of your case, count the regime and sums with a commercialista):

• On the forfettario regime there is income tax at a preferential rate plus INPS contributions. The revenue limit for the regime is 85000 euro a year.
• INPS contributions for the gestione separata are named at about 26 percent of the tax base (without the mandatory fixed payments); the artisans' funds have a lower rate, but there are fixed contributions.
• For a family of three or four with one earner people name a guideline of around 4000-4500 euro of taxes a year - it is precisely this payment that is later shown at the renewal of the permesso. On top of that comes paying the commercialista.

The main thing I did not grasp right away: the tax and the pension contributions are taken not from the whole sum of the invoices but from the base - it is a percentage of the revenue depending on the activity code. So the frightening rate in fact hits a smaller sum. Counting by hand is pointless, an accountant handled everything for me, and for renewing the permesso it is precisely the paper about the payment that matters.

How the preferential regime, the rates and the contributions work - in detail in the article on forfettario and taxes for the self-employed. And to get discounts on kindergarten, school meals and the bus, you will need to arrange the ISEE through DSU on the INPS portal.

Children and school: the study itself is cheap, surcharges are trifles

Good news for families: a state school is in effect free - you pay at most a symbolic fee. The main children's expenses are meals, the school bus and kindergarten for the little ones.

Guidelines according to the community (they depend on the region and your ISEE, verify in the commune):

• A school meal (mensa) - about 5-6 euro a day. But with a low ISEE the price drops sharply, down to a symbolic one, and the school bus for the year can cost a pittance.
• Textbooks in primary school in many places are issued for free (you pay only for the covers).
• A state kindergarten or nursery - noticeably cheaper than a private one; some name around 150 euro all included.
• A private kindergarten - a guideline of about 300 euro a month with meals. But in a state one you still pay for meals, so the final difference is not always huge.
• Trifles like a special comb or shampoo (kindergartens and lice in the EU are a common thing) also add up; such a comb costs about 16 euro.

In the first year the commune calculated our ISEE, and it came out very low, because we simply had no balance sheets or declarations for the past years. As a result the meal at school cost literally a euro, and the bus for the whole year - mere pennies. So do not neglect arranging the ISEE, it really cuts children's expenses.

In more detail about how the school and kindergarten are organized - in the guide on school for children in Italy.

A sample monthly family budget

To have something to start from - a notional example based on what families describe in the community. This is not a norm and not your calculation, but an illustration of the structure. A family of three (two adults and a child), a small city, work from home, no car. The figures are rounded and depend heavily on the city - verify the current details.

Adding up the basic items without frills, families name a total of roughly 2000 to 3500 euro a month. In the south and in small cities the lower bound is achievable; in a large city of the north or with a comfortable lifestyle it comes to more.

We live near Rome, not far from the sea, a family of four, and in a month we rarely go beyond two and a bit thousand euro. The rent is modest, the utilities moderate, on food we try not to overdo it, although we do go to cafes. By feel it is more comfortable than Moscow - the main thing is not to compare head-on, but to look at the difference.

North versus south

Geography must be factored into the budget: the difference between the north and the south is large on both sides - both in expenses and in income.

According to the community (this is a generalization, verify the specifics for the city you need):

• The south is on the whole cheaper: both rent and many services. By some estimates housing in the south can be found about thirty percent cheaper than in the north. But salaries are lower, there is less work and strong healthcare, and it is farther to the rest of Europe.
• The north is more expensive in rent and services, but closer to Europe, with more developed infrastructure and, as a rule, higher salaries. Small cities and regions like Piedmont, that said, give unexpectedly affordable housing.

We were choosing between a large city in the south and a city in the north. In the south everything is simply cheaper, but the north is closer to the rest of civilization and more convenient logistically. In the end the north outweighed, though for that we had to pay extra on literally every item. It is up to you what matters more.

What to keep in mind in the end

• The most common rough guideline according to the community: fixed expenses are roughly twice as high as in Moscow or Sochi for a comparable standard of living. But this is very much an average.
• The main surprises for newcomers from the CIS are the utilities (especially gas and electricity), the cost of restaurants and the coffee culture; while clothing, electronics and some groceries are cheaper.
• Rent and utilities are two items for which you absolutely need to see the real past bills for the specific apartment before signing the contract.
• State healthcare, school and kindergarten take off part of the load, and the ISEE gives discounts on children's expenses.
• All the sums in this guide are a guideline according to the community, not a financial forecast. Prices are constantly changing and depend on the city, the season and the lifestyle, so count your budget by your own receipts for the first month.

Related articles

• Groceries and supermarkets in Italy
• Forfettario and taxes for the self-employed
• The rental contract and registering the contract
• Utilities: electricity, gas, water
• ISEE through DSU on the INPS portal
• School for children in Italy
• Trains and abbonamento - passes and fares.
• Dentistry in Italy - the most expensive medical line item.
• Italian cities for relocation - compare costs across specific cities.
• The regions of Italy - the price difference between regions on a map.

Official sources

• Price and household spending statistics: istat.it
• Taxes, deductions and rates: agenziaentrate.gov.it
• Contributions and benefits: inps.it
• Electricity and gas tariffs, bonus sociale: arera.it

This is not financial advice. The article summarises the experience of the Russian-speaking community and open official materials; prices, tariffs and thresholds change - check the current figures on the sites above, at your comune and against your own bills.

Frequently asked questions

How much money a month does a family need to live in Italy?

According to the community, for a family of three or four people the range most often named is roughly from 2000 to 3500 euro a month, and a lot is decided by the city and the lifestyle. Near Rome and in the south families sometimes manage on 2000-2500 euro, in a large city of the north it easily comes to more. The rough guideline repeated most often: spending is roughly twice as high as in Moscow or Sochi for a comparable standard of living. This is not a norm and not a forecast - count by your own first receipts, not by someone else's average.

What is most expensive in Italy that surprises newcomers from the CIS?

According to the community, what shocks the most is the utilities, first of all gas and electricity: the heating bill in an energy-inefficient home easily reaches several hundred euro. Electricity here is historically expensive, and at the end of the year the condominium may send a separate bill for unforeseen expenses. The restaurant and coffee culture is also noticeably more expensive than usual, while clothing, electronics and some groceries are often cheaper. The specific sums are each person's own - they depend on the home, the energy-efficiency class and the consumption.

How much do utilities cost in Italy per month?

According to the community, the spread is huge and depends on the area, the home's energy-efficiency class and the type of heating. Families of three or four people name on average about 200-350 euro a month, but in the cold months the gas bill in an old home can jump much higher. Water, garbage collection and the condominium come separately, and at the end of the year there may be a surcharge for the totals. This is highly individual: ask your future landlord for the real past bills for the specific apartment.

Is it cheaper to live in the south of Italy than in the north?

According to the community, yes, the south is on the whole noticeably cheaper: both rent and many services; by some estimates housing in the south can be found about thirty percent cheaper than in the north. But salaries in the south are usually lower too, and it is harder with work and in places with healthcare. The north is more expensive, but closer to the rest of Europe and with more developed infrastructure. This is a trade-off, not an outright win - count the income-minus-expenses pairing for the specific place.

What taxes does an immigrant on a permesso pay in Italy?

According to the community, if you have arranged a partita IVA on the forfettario regime, the main thing is income tax and the mandatory contributions to the INPS pension fund, which are calculated from the tax base, not from the whole revenue. For a family of three or four with one earner, people name a guideline of around 4000-4500 euro of taxes a year for the purposes of renewing the permesso, plus paying the commercialista. The exact sum depends on the income, the ATECO code and the regime - this is not a calculation of your case, count with an accountant. Details in the section on forfettario.

How much do kindergarten and school cost in Italy?

According to the community, a state school is in effect free in itself (a symbolic fee), you mostly have to pay for meals and the school bus. A meal in the canteen costs roughly 5-6 euro a day, but with a low ISEE the price drops sharply - down to a symbolic one. A private kindergarten is named at around 300 euro a month with meals, a state one is noticeably cheaper. Textbooks in primary school are often issued for free. Prices and benefits depend on the region and your ISEE - verify in your commune.

Related materials - Guides

• Italian bureaucracy: a map of the agencies
• Italian supermarkets: where food is cheapest
• Renting a flat in Italy: contracts, deposits
• Regions of Italy: where to move

Next stepCost of living: 29-city budgetsPick a city, household and housing - a rough monthly budget with rent, utilities, groceries and transport, each line source-labeled.

Documents for this topic

• Certificate of Tax Residency in Italy (Attestato di Residenza Fiscale - Agenzia delle Entrate)
• Declaration of exemption from television fee (Agenzia delle Entrate)
• Directory of Poste Italiane branches with currency exchange service (cambiavalute)