Living in Rome, Italy

Rome is a large coastal city in Lazio, Italy (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 17°C over the year with about 703 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,567 a month to live centrally, and Italy sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Italy is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $2,718 a month in income.

See how Rome ranks for you

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Est. cost
€3,567
a month for a couple
Tax tier
High
personal income tax
Climate
17°C
703 mm rain a year
Size
Large
1 to 5 million people
Safety
57/100
country-level
Internet
~70 Mbps
median fixed broadband
Residency
Comparatively open
outside free-movement blocs

What stands out about Rome

  • Stronger healthcare than 87% of the cities we compare
  • Has a residency route for remote workers
  • On or near the sea

Residency and visas

Comparatively open, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Italy offers several realistic long-term routes for a capable applicant: a digital nomad/remote-worker visa, an elective-residence (passive-income/sufficient-means) visa for retirees and the independently wealthy, and an investor (golden) visa, all leading to permanent residence after five years.

Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Italy:

  • Income: about $2,718 a month (Italy Digital Nomad Visa (lowest sufficient-means/salary route, no Italian sponsor), EUR 28,000/yr (~EUR 2,333/mo), converted at ECB EUR/USD 1.1649 on 2026-06-02; as of June 2026)
  • Investment: about $291k (Italy Investor (Golden) Visa, lowest innovative-startup tier EUR 250,000 one-time, converted at ECB EUR/USD 1.1649 on 2026-06-02; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Healthcare

Italy scores 76 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 87% of the cities we compare.

Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Italy.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €3,567 a month to live centrally in Rome, 31% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 24% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.

Taxes

Italy sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.

Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Rome in their results.

Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.

Internet and remote work

Median fixed broadband in Italy runs at about 70 Mbps, faster than 25% of the cities we compare. Italy also has a residency route aimed at remote workers (see residency below).

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.

Language and culture

Main languages: Italian. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 72 out of 100.

Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.

Climate

Rome averages 17°C across the year with about 703 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 38% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Safety and stability

Italy scores 57 out of 100 on safety, safer than 40% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.7 out of 10.

Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Italy. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.

Questions couples ask about Rome

Is Rome a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Rome scores well on healthcare. It is weaker on affordability and internet speed. Expect a mild, moderately wet climate (17°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Rome and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Rome?

We estimate about €3,567 a month for a couple living centrally, 31% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

What are taxes like in Rome?

Italy is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Rome in their results.

Can foreigners live in Italy long term?

Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Italy offers several realistic long-term routes for a capable applicant: a digital nomad/remote-worker visa, an elective-residence (passive-income/sufficient-means) visa for retirees and the independently wealthy, and an investor (golden) visa, all leading to permanent residence after five years. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $2,718 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $291k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Rome?

Rome averages 17°C across the year with about 703 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 38% of the cities we track.

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