🇮🇹 Italy · A realistic 2026 budget for newcomers — rent, food, transport, and what a month actually costs.
Wondering how far your salary goes in Florence? Here’s what everyday life costs, in local prices — the numbers that matter when you’re deciding to move or negotiating a package.
What things cost
One-bed flat, central (Centro, Santa Croce, San Frediano)EUR 1,000–1,500 / month
Room in a shared flat, the usual arrangement hereEUR 500–800 / month
One-bed flat, outer districts (Rifredi, Novoli, Campo di Marte, Scandicci)EUR 750–1,050 / month
Utilities and internet, one personEUR 110–180 / month
≈367,000 in the comune; ≈700,000 across the contiguous Florence–Sesto–Scandicci–Prato conurbation
Languages
Italian. English is widely spoken in tourism and the university sector and rarely in public offices
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Time zone
CET (GMT+1), CEST (GMT+2) with daylight saving from late March to late October
Power plug
Types C, F and L, 230 V — the Italian three-pin L socket persists in older buildings
Climate
Hot-summer Mediterranean in a river basin ringed by hills — very hot, still August days and cool damp winters, with poor air circulation in both
Local holiday
24 June, San Giovanni Battista — a public holiday in Florence alone, with the calcio storico final and fireworks over the Arno
Visitors
Around ten million a year against under 370,000 residents — the ratio that drove the short-let regulation
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.
A note on budgeting
Rent is usually the swing factor — location and whether bills are included move the number most. Build your estimate from the rent band above, add a monthly living figure, and keep a buffer for one-off setup costs (deposits, a residence permit, a local SIM, first-month transport). Globe Quest turns this into a personalized Florence checklist so nothing setup-related catches you off guard.
Plan your move to Florence
A free, AI-personalized plan — the language, culture, and setup steps timed to your move date.