Country research
Italy
Prices overall are about 0.69 of United States prices at market exchange rates, and people living abroad rank Italy 14th of 31 countries for ease of settling in. English proficiency is moderate (EF 2025: 513, 59th of 123), and Italy has a national visa for remote workers and freelancers. [C1] [Q1] [F1] [K1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
41 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.690 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Italy. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
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
63 of 100Mixed
Global Peace Index 2026: 35th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
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.
Community
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
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 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 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
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
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: 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
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
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
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.
Topics
The detail on Italy.
Guides
Italy, by passport.
Each guide is written for citizens of one country.
For your situation
Italy for different circumstances.
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Side by side with another country.
The same measures for both places, with no ranking.
Questions about Italy.
How do prices in Italy compare with the United States?
Prices overall in Italy are about 0.69 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025). That is an economy-wide average, not a budget for one household, and it does not show what rent, food or any single item costs.
Is there a visa for remote workers and freelancers in Italy?
Yes: a national visa for highly qualified remote workers (employees) and digital nomads (freelancers), for one year and renewable. Consulates print an income test of about €24,800 to €27,000 a year. To be safe, have more than €28,000. A home in Italy must be shown; ask your consulate.
How long can I stay in Italy without a visa?
US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports can visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area. New Zealand's 1961 visa letters give no extra days we can confirm. Fingerprints and a photo are taken at entry. ETIAS has no confirmed start date.
Is there a retirement visa for Italy?
The elective residence visa is for people with stable income that does not come from work, and it allows no work. Consulates cite about €31,000 to €32,000 a year per person; to be safe, have more than €33,000. After five years on a valid permit you can ask for the EU long-term residence permit.
Do I pay tax in Italy if I work remotely from there?
Since 2024 you are Italian tax resident if, for most of the year (183 days), you are registered as a resident, live there or are present. Residents pay tax on worldwide income: for 2026, 23% to €28,000, 33% to €50,000, 43% above, plus regional and municipal surcharges. Your home country's rules are separate.
How does healthcare work for foreigners in Italy?
The WHO universal health coverage service index for Italy is 82 out of 100 (2023); it measures access to services, not hospital quality. The remote work visa needs private health insurance for the whole stay (US consulates ask for at least €30,000 of cover). Public system access for permit holders is unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked 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.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 14th of 31 countries.
- [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.
- [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.
- [G1] Bari, Italia.it (official Italian tourism portal). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated tourism portal; its menus list sea destinations alongside cities, mountains and countryside; its Bari page describes the Apulian capital's waterfront.
- [G2] Torino, Turismo Torino e Provincia (official tourist board). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated tourist-board description: Turin sits 'at the foot of the western Alps'.
- [G3] Resident population on 1 January 2025, Torino, Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics), SDMX API. Checked 15 October 2026. Comune di Torino: 853,196 residents on 1 January 2025 (a 2026 provisional estimate of 855,654 is flagged 'e'); read on 15 October 2026.
- [G4] Annuario statistico italiano 2024, chapter 1: Territorio, Istat. Checked 15 October 2026. 2023: 5,525 comuni have 5,000 inhabitants or fewer, 70% of all comuni.
- [G5] Rural population (% of total population), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 30.3% of the population is rural (national definitions), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [G6] Agricultural land (% of land area), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 43.6% of land area, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Bari Palese (WMO 16270), Aeronautica Militare (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Bari, an alternative city, for the weather type: coolest month's mean temperature 8.3 °C, warmest 25.4 °C, a difference of 17.2 °C (four seasons).
- [W2] Climate normals 1991–2020, Torino Bric (WMO 16061), Aeronautica Militare (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. The only Turin station in the WMO set: Bric della Croce, on a hill at 709 m, so not the city's own climate. Used only for the weather type: coolest month's mean temperature 3.0 °C, warmest 21.3 °C, a difference of 18.3 °C (four seasons).
- [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.
- [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.
- [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).
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.