Compare
Greece vs Italy
On cost of living, Greece grades mixed (54 of 100) and Italy grades mixed (41 of 100) and on safety, Greece grades mixed (54 of 100) and Italy grades mixed (63 of 100). [GR C1] [IT C1] [GR S1] [IT S1] The table below sets Greece and Italy side by side on every factor we have checked, and it does not rank them.
Side by side
Greece and Italy, factor by factor.
Each grade is against the same published measure for both places, with its source and the date we checked it. Research information, not advice.
| Factor |  Greece |  Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 54 of 100Mixed Price level 0.595 of United States prices (2025). Source: Price level index (GDP), Greece. Checked 15 October 2026. | 41 of 100Mixed Price level 0.690 of United States prices (2025). Source: Price level index (GDP), Italy. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Climate | 33 of 100Weak Athens, the main city: 5 comfortable months a year (April, May, September, October and November). June misses by a hair, with an average daily high of 30.3 °C against the 30 °C line. Source: Climate normals 1991-2020, Ellinikon (Athens). Checked 15 October 2026. | Unknown Turin, the main city, has no usable official 1991–2020 normals: the only Turin station in the WMO set sits on a hill at 709 m, not in the city. |
| Safety | 54 of 100Mixed Global Peace Index 2026: 53rd of 163. Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026. | 63 of 100Mixed Global Peace Index 2026: 35th of 163. Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Healthcare | 58 of 100Mixed WHO UHC service coverage index 77 (2023). Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026. | 73 of 100Strong WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023). Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Schools | Unknown Our research doesn't cover schools yet. | Unknown Our research doesn't cover schools yet. |
| Community | Unknown Not covered by Expat Insider 2026 | 63 of 100Mixed Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 14th of 31. Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Lifestyle | Unknown Not covered by Expat Insider 2026 | 56 of 100Mixed Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 18th of 31. Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Work and career | 85 of 100Strong Strong: a residence route for remote workers exists (digital nomad national visa, Migration Code Article 68) and fixed broadband is 44.7 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line. Source: Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 68: digital nomads (permit type Z.1); Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Greece; Digital nomad visa: frequently asked questions. Checked 15 October 2026. | 85 of 100Strong Strong: a national visa for remote workers and freelancers exists, and fixed broadband is 31.8 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line. Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa (New York consulate); Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Italy. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Retirement | 85 of 100Strong Strong: the residence permit for people with sufficient means (type I.8, Article 163) has no age minimum and no deposit, lasts 3 years and renews; five years of lawful residence can lead to permanent long-term resident status (Articles 144 and 145). The minimum income is about EUR 3,500 a month. To be safe, have more than EUR 3,600 a month. The permit gives no right to work. Source: Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 163 paragraph 8: residence permits for third-country nationals with sufficient means (type I.8); Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Articles 143 to 145: long-term resident status (type M1); Ministerial decision 225679/2024: amount and proof of sufficient means (Government Gazette B 5223, 17 September 2024); Residence permit for financially independent persons. Checked 15 October 2026. | 85 of 100Strong Strong: the elective residence visa is for people with stable income that does not come from work, and consulates describe it as for those who plan to reside permanently; the Polizia di Stato says the EU long-term residence permit can be requested after five years with a valid residence permit. Source: Elective residency visa (Los Angeles consulate); Elective residency (New York consulate); Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Internet | 100 of 100Strong 44.68 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line. Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Greece. Checked 15 October 2026. | 71 of 100Strong 31.78 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024). Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Italy. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| English | 95 of 100Strong EF EPI 2025 score 592 (rank 20), in EF's High band; the 2026 edition was not found on 15 October 2026. Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Greece. Checked 15 October 2026. | 42 of 100Mixed EF EPI 2025 score 513 (59th of 123), in EF's moderate band. Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Italy. Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Visa, United States passport | 85 of 100Strong Strong: the digital nomad visa is open to US passport holders who work remotely for employers or clients outside Greece, with no Greek job offer and no age minimum. It lasts up to 12 months, and a two-year residence permit can follow. The income test is a net income of more than €3,500 a month (about €42,000 a year, or about US$47,100 at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026), plus 20% for a partner and 15% for each child. No deposit or investment is asked. The visa fee is €75. It does not allow work for a Greek employer or Greek clients. Source: Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 68: digital nomads (permit type Z.1); Ministerial decision 225679/2024: amount and proof of sufficient means (Government Gazette B 5223, 17 September 2024). Checked 16 October 2026. | 85 of 100Strong Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 24,800 to 27,000 euros a year (about US$27,800 to $30,300 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 28,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and a registered lease. Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa (New York consulate); Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Los Angeles consulate). Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Visa, Canada passport | Unknown Research for Canadian passports is being checked | 85 of 100Strong Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 24,800 euros a year (about US$27,800 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 25,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and suitable accommodation. Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Ottawa embassy); Digital nomad and remote worker national visa (Toronto consulate). Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Visa, Australia passport | Unknown Research for Australian passports is being checked | 85 of 100Strong Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 25,500 euros a year (about US$28,600 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026); a remote employee's contract must pay about 33,000 euros, still under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 26,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and a registered lease. Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Sydney consulate); Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Melbourne consulate); Schengen visa checklist: digital nomads and remote workers (Adelaide consulate). Checked 15 October 2026. |
| Visa, New Zealand passport | Unknown Research for New Zealand passports is being checked | 85 of 100Strong Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 25,500 euros a year (about US$28,600 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026); a remote employee's contract must pay about 33,500 euros, still under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 26,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and a registered lease. Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Wellington embassy). Checked 15 October 2026. |
Where they differ
Where the grades fall in different levels.
A different level is a difference in the measure, not a verdict on either place. What matters depends on your own circumstances.
Questions about Greece vs Italy.
How do living costs and rents compare in Greece and Italy?
World Bank price levels for 2025 were about 0.60 of US prices in Greece and 0.69 in Italy; both are national averages, not budgets. Rents are adverts, not averages: two Athens flats asked €1,150 and €1,200; four Turin furnished flats asked €600 to €850. Cities and sizes differ.
How do the visas for working remotely compare in Greece and Italy?
Greece’s digital nomad visa asks a set net monthly income (to be safe, more than €3,600), lasts up to 12 months and bars work for Greek employers. Italy’s national visa lasts one year, renewable; consulates print about €24,800 to €27,000 a year, so to be safe, more than €28,000. Consulates differ.
How do Greece’s I.8 permit and Italy’s elective residence visa compare?
Both are for staying without working. Greece asks a set monthly amount (plus 20% for a spouse, 15% per child); to be safe, more than €3,600; it runs 3 years, renewable. Italy asks about €31,000 to €32,000 a year per person; to be safe, more than €33,000. Italy’s EU long-term permit follows five years.
When do you become a tax resident in Greece and in Italy, and what special regimes exist?
Greece: main home or centre of ties, or over 183 days in 12 months; Article 5B is a flat 7% on a foreign pension, if you qualify. Italy: 183 days registered, domiciled or present; the flat-rate scheme (15%, or 5% for five years) is for freelancers up to €85,000, and the impatriate regime taxes 50% of qualifying income.
How do healthcare access and English compare in Greece and Italy?
WHO’s health coverage index (2023): Greece 77, Italy 82. Work From Greece says non-EU arrivals need private cover, as they are not entitled to the public system; Italy’s remote work visa needs private cover and public access for permit holders is unknown. EF English index 2025: Greece 592 (20th), Italy 513 (59th).
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [GR C1] Price level index (GDP), Greece, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 59.54 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [IT C1] Price level index (GDP), Italy, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 68.96 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [GR W1] Climate normals 1991-2020, Ellinikon (Athens), Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS). Checked 15 October 2026. HNMS climatic data portal (https://www.emy.gr/en/climatic-data), normal values for the period 1991-2020, read from the portal's data service on 15 October 2026 (data created 17 March 2026). The service labels the monthly mean of daily highs 'max'; the service gives no monthly rain totals, so the rain test was checked against the older HNMS city page (period 1955-2010, http://newportal.hnms.gr/emy/en/climatology/climatology_city), where every month with a comfortable high has under 150 mm. Station Ellinikon (HNMS), id 72, 37.89 N, 23.74 E, 46 m. Monthly mean daily highs 13.5 (January) to 33.4 (August); June is 30.3 and July 33.2. HNMS lists no other long-record Athens-area station on this portal (Elefsina is an automatic station without published normals).
- [GR S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Greece ranks 53rd of 163 countries, score 1.828 (ranking table, report PDF opened 15 October 2026).
- [IT S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 35th of 163 countries (score 1.712); read from the report PDF on 15 October 2026.
- [GR H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Greece: 77 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory data service (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026.
- [IT H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Italy: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory API on 15 October 2026.
- [IT Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 14th of 31 countries.
- [IT Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 18th of 31 countries (Quality of Life Index).
- [GR K1] Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 68: digital nomads (permit type Z.1), Hellenic Republic, Migration Code (consolidated text on Taxheaven, a private legal portal; official Gazette text not opened). Checked 15 October 2026. National visa for up to 12 months for third-country nationals who work remotely for employers or clients outside Greece; sufficient means EUR 3,500 a month net, plus 20% for a spouse or partner and 15% for each child; visa fee EUR 75; no work for Greek employers; a 2-year type I.8 permit can follow. Greek text; carries the scheme first created by Law 4825/2021.
- [GR K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Greece, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 44.68 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [GR K3] Digital nomad visa: frequently asked questions, Work From Greece (Marketing Greece, a tourism-industry body, under the auspices of the Hellenic Government). Checked 15 October 2026. Plain-English summary for non-EU applicants: visa up to a year, apply at the Greek consulate of main residence, no right to work for a Greek company. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages (mfa.gr) refused automated access, so this is the page the Ministry points to; not an official legal text.
- [IT K1] Digital nomad / remote worker visa (New York consulate), Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page. A national visa for non-EU citizens who work remotely while living in Italy, for freelancers (digital nomads) and employees (remote workers); only for highly qualified people. Jurisdiction rules differ by consulate.
- [IT K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Italy, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 31.78 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [GR R1] Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 163 paragraph 8: residence permits for third-country nationals with sufficient means (type I.8), Hellenic Republic, Migration Code (consolidated text on Taxheaven, a private legal portal; official Gazette text not opened). Checked 15 October 2026. Permit lasts 3 years and renews for equal periods; family members may join; no right to dependent work or independent economic activity. Greek text.
- [GR R2] Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Articles 143 to 145: long-term resident status (type M1), Hellenic Republic, Migration Code (consolidated text on Taxheaven, a private legal portal; official Gazette text not opened). Checked 15 October 2026. Five years of lawful, continuous residence, income above the minimum wage plus 10% for dependants, full health insurance and a Greek language and history test; the status is permanent (Article 145 paragraph 7). Article 143 paragraph 2 excludes study, protection and diplomatic permits and does not name the sufficient-means permit. Greek text.
- [GR R3] Ministerial decision 225679/2024: amount and proof of sufficient means (Government Gazette B 5223, 17 September 2024), Ministry of Migration and Asylum (published in the Government Gazette; copy hosted on migration.gov.gr). Checked 15 October 2026. For the type I.8 permit (Article 163 paragraph 8, a and b) and for digital nomads: at least EUR 3,500 a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child, shown by a foreign pension, a bank account or own funds with a lawful origin, without working in Greece. Greek text.
- [GR V1] Residence permit for financially independent persons, Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Checked 15 October 2026. The page only lists two clarifying circulars (23 June 2022 and 7 November 2022, both written under earlier law); it confirms the permit exists but gives no requirements. Used for the permit's existence only.
- [IT R1] Elective residency visa (Los Angeles consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page; the visa is for people who wish to reside permanently in Italy and can show high self-sustaining income and financial assets; no work allowed.
- [IT R2] Elective residency (New York consulate), Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page; income must not come from work, 'typically around €31,000 per person'; the visa does not allow any work.
- [IT R3] Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo, Polizia di Stato (Italian Ministry of the Interior). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated PDF; the EU long-term residence permit can be requested only by someone who has held a valid residence permit for at least five years; short-stay permits do not count.
- [GR F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Greece, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 592 (down 10 on the previous score), global rank 20; the page lists Athens 616 and Thessaloniki 611; the 2026 edition was not found on 15 October 2026.
- [IT F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Italy, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 513, global rank 59 of 123 countries and regions, down 15 points on the previous score; global average 488; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.
- [IT K3] Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Los Angeles consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page, partly written in 2024. For US residents: income of at least three times the health-contribution exemption level from work done in Italy, a permit issued for one year and renewable at the Questura, no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [IT K4] Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Ottawa embassy), Embassy of Italy in Ottawa (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page. For the Ottawa consular area: income from the previous fiscal year in the country of residence above 24,780 euros; qualification and six months of experience; no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [IT K5] Digital nomad and remote worker national visa (Toronto consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. No clear date. For the Toronto consular area: same national visa, the page prints no euro income figure; no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [IT K6] Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Sydney consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Sydney (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. Undated checklist in the July 2026 upload folder. For New South Wales: income for the previous financial year of at least 8,500 euros x 3 (25,500 euros); no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [IT K7] Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Melbourne consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. Undated checklist in the July 2026 upload folder. For Victoria and Tasmania: same figures as Sydney.
- [IT K8] Schengen visa checklist: digital nomads and remote workers (Adelaide consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Adelaide (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. File name dated 14 August 2026. Prints 25,500 euros as three times the health-contribution exemption level.
- [IT K9] Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Wellington embassy), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. Undated checklist in the July 2026 upload folder. For New Zealand citizens or permanent residents: income for the previous financial year of at least 8,500 euros x 3 (25,500 euros); no minimum age, no deposit or investment.