Guests of Italy often stick to the thought of staying here forever. Moreover, even those who have never been here are thinking about it. Why Italy does have it all? It is one of the top 10 most influential world economies, its language, rich culture, history, traditions, cuisine, nature, charm, and extremely developed sphere of fashion attract like a magnet.

Read more about health insurance for expats in Italy here.

Find the 7 best places to live in Italy for a high quality of life here.

Pros and cons of life in Italy

Advantages:

• Developed economy, a wide range of social guarantees and benefits, including free medicine;
• The location that allows traveling around Europe, the countries of North Africa, and the Middle East;
• Comfortable climate, picturesque landscapes, access to the sea and mountains;
• Incredible opportunities for travel, tourism, and recreation throughout the year;
• Cheap fruits, vegetables, and seafood;
• Access to education, high standards, and recognition of local diplomas in the leading countries of Europe and the whole world;
• Friendly and cheerful people: Italians live life like a holiday, and they sincerely enjoy it.

The system of adaptation of foreigners and repatriates is also noteworthy. It provides a wide range of concessions, adjuvant measures, and positive reinforcements. For example, benefits for the real estate purchase, help with finding a job or launching a business.

Disadvantages:

• Standards of living depend on the settlement and region;
• High level of taxes;
• Bureaucracy and unemployment;
• Problems with ecology, including flooding in some regions and drought in other ones, general pollution of air and rivers;
• The tension between southerners and northerners;
• Locals’ obvious conservatism, theatricality, and hot temper.

An additional disadvantage is that foreigners will be given a minimum pension here by default.

Knowledge of Italian is mandatory. Without it, you won't be hired. Also, most of the locals don't want to learn foreign languages ​​out of respect for their one. Therefore, no more than 30% of the population speaks English here.

The average salary in Italy is 2,000–2,300 euros in large cities and 1,300–1,500 in small ones. The subsistence minimum is set at the level of 850 euros.