Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Italy instead of California, you would:

Health

be 50.7% less likely to be obese

In California, 28.4% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 25.3% more likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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be 71.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In California, 11.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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make 48.5% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: California vs. Italy

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Italy is 41.4% cheaper than California
→
Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 1.3 times bigger than Italy.
→
Moving from California to Italy · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Los Angeles vs Rome
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Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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