Rome
EUR
Italian
UTC+1
Daily life
- Climate: Mediterranean on the coasts and in the south: hot, dry summers and mild winters. The north and the Apennines have colder winters; summer heatwaves and wildfires are common.
- Safety: Low violent crime. Pickpocketing and bag-snatching in city centres and at tourist sites are the main risks; earthquakes and active volcanoes in the south are natural hazards.
- English: common in cities and among younger people
- Expat community: large
Sources: UK travel advice: Italy, safety and security (checked 2026-10-22) · EF EPI 2025: Italy (59th, moderate) (checked 2026-10-22) · Aeronautica Militare weather service (checked 2026-10-22)
Cost of living
| Monthly, EUR | Rome | Lecce | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | Couple | Single | Couple | |
| Rent | 780 | 1,145 | 425 | 610 |
| Food | 480 | 860 | 420 | 750 |
| Utilities | 215 | 230 | 180 | 190 |
| Transport | 35 | 70 | 30 | 60 |
| Health cover | 170 | 340 | 170 | 340 |
| Leisure | 230 | 400 | 200 | 340 |
| Total | 1,910 | 3,045 | 1,425 | 2,290 |
Rent: a one-bedroom flat outside the centre for one person, between one and three bedrooms for a couple. Health: the voluntary national health service fee (at least €2,000 a year per person). Utilities include internet. Lecce has fewer price reports than Rome, so its figures are rougher.
Sources: Numbeo: cost of living in Rome (updated Oct 2026) (checked 2026-10-22) · Numbeo: cost of living in Lecce (updated Oct 2026) (checked 2026-10-22)
Visas and residence
Elective residence visa
For people moving to Italy to live on substantial, steady income that is not from work (pensions, annuities, property, investments). Each applicant must show around €31,000 a year, and you need a lease or deed in your name registered with the tax office before the interview. Work is not allowed. Within 8 working days of arrival you apply for the residence permit at the Questura.
- Minimum income: 31,000 EUR a year
- Each person counts separately: a couple needs about €62,000 a year. Processing can take up to 90 days.
- Official page
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: residence registration
No visa needed. After 3 months you register as a resident at the town hall (anagrafe) with proof of resources and health cover.
Trying it first: United States passport: 90 days in any 180 without a visa; United Kingdom passport: 90 days in any 180 without a visa; Canada passport: 90 days in any 180 without a visa.
Sources: Embassy of Italy, Washington: elective residency visa (checked 2026-10-22) · Consulate of Italy, Houston: elective residence (€31,000 per person, €62,000 a couple) (checked 2026-10-22) · European Commission: Schengen visa policy (90 days in any 180) (checked 2026-10-22)
Healthcare
Non-EU retirees on elective residence can join the national health service (SSN) by paying a yearly voluntary fee, at least €2,000 per person; otherwise they keep private insurance.
- Public system: Voluntary registration with your local health authority (ASL) for the calendar year, paying at least €2,000 (article 34 of the immigration law; the Constitutional Court left the minimum in place in 2026).
- Private insurance, monthly (EUR): age 55-64: 80 · age 65-74: 120 · age 75+: 180
- Pre-existing conditions: varies by insurer
Sources: Constitutional Court ruling 97/2026 on SSN registration (checked 2026-10-22) · Ministry of Health (checked 2026-10-22) · Impatria: healthcare for foreign retirees in Italy (checked 2026-10-22)
Taxes
Residents are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates (23–43%) plus regional and municipal surcharges. Foreign property and financial assets are taxed (IVIE, IVAFE) and must be declared each year. Inheritance tax exists, with large allowances for spouses and children.
- When you become tax resident: You are tax resident if, for most of the year (more than 183 days), you are registered as a resident, live in Italy or have your main personal and family ties there.
- 7% flat tax for foreign pensioners: If you receive a foreign pension, were not tax resident in Italy in the previous 5 years and move to a small town in southern Italy (or certain earthquake-hit towns in the centre), you can pay a 7% flat tax on all foreign income for up to 10 years. The population limit for eligible towns was being revised in 2026: check the current list.
Coming from United States
The US keeps taxing its citizens wherever they live (the treaty's saving clause); foreign tax credits are what prevent paying twice. Ask an adviser who knows both systems before you move.
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: US Social Security paid to an Italian resident falls under Article 18(1) (protocol, point 14), so Italy taxes it as your country of residence; the US exemption does not apply to people who are citizens only of the US, so the US taxes it too, with a credit.
- Private pension: Private pensions are taxable only in Italy as your country of residence (Article 18(1)).
Sources: US–Italy income tax treaty (IRS) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from United Kingdom
Italy taxes your UK pensions at its progressive rates, or at 7% under the southern small-town regime if you qualify. Your UK State Pension rises each year while you live there (EEA country or social security agreement).
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: Taxable only in Italy (other income article).
- Private pension: Taxable only in Italy, annuities included (Article 18). Most UK government pensions (such as civil service pensions) are taxed only in the UK.
Sources: GOV.UK: Italy tax treaties (checked 2026-10-22) · GOV.UK: countries where the State Pension is increased each year (checked 2026-10-22) · GOV.UK: tax on your UK income if you live abroad (State Pension, Personal Allowance, government pensions) (checked 2026-10-22) · HMRC International Manual INTM343190: pensions and annuities (State Pension under tax treaties) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from France
Italy and France share the tax on social security pensions under the 1989 treaty: Italy credits the French tax against its own.
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: Basic state pension: social security pensions can be taxed by France as well as Italy (Article 18(2)); Italy, as your country of residence, gives a credit for the French tax. Civil-service and military pensions are taxed only in France.
- Private pension: Taxable only in Italy (Article 18(1)). Check with the tax office whether your supplementary AGIRC-ARRCO pensions count as social security under this treaty.
Sources: Agenzia delle Entrate, ruling 385/2023: Italy–France treaty Article 18 (social security pensions taxable in both countries) (checked 2026-10-22) · economie.gouv.fr: income tax for residents abroad (minimum rates, non-resident withholding on pensions) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from somewhere else? The general rules above apply; check your home country's tax treaty with Italy or ask a licensed advisor.
Sources: Agenzia delle Entrate (checked 2026-10-22) · Fiscomania: the 7% regime for foreign pensioners (2026) (checked 2026-10-22)
Housing
Foreigners can buy; for non-EU citizens not yet legally resident, the notary checks reciprocity (whether Italians may buy in your country). Buying from a private seller costs 9% registration tax on a second home, or 2% if it becomes your main home after you take residence, plus notary and agency fees.
- Can foreigners buy? Yes
- Purchase costs: about 11% of the price (taxes and fees)
- Renting: The elective residence visa requires a registered lease or deed before you apply; short-term rentals and hotels do not count.
Sources: Notaio Online: foreigners buying a home in Italy (checked 2026-10-22) · Agenzia delle Entrate (checked 2026-10-22)
Settling in
Once you choose Italy, the settling plan takes you through 8 steps, from a year before the move to your first year there. The first ones:
- Get your Italian tax code (codice fiscale): Needed to sign a lease or deed and open a bank account; Italian consulates and the tax office issue it.
- Rent or buy a home and register it: The lease or deed must be in your name and registered with the tax office before your visa interview.
- Apply for the elective residence visa: At the Italian consulate for where you live, with proof of income (around €31,000 a year per person); processing can take up to 90 days. The national visa fee is €116, converted into local currency each quarter.
- Apply for the residence permit within 8 working days: Request the permesso di soggiorno for elective residence at the Questura of your province, with copies of your visa documents.
The full plan, with costs, delays and official links, is in your personal space (coming soon).
Rules and figures change and we can make mistakes: confirm with the official source or a licensed advisor before acting.