Moving to California from Italy
What to Expect
Considering a move from Italy to California? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Italy to California, you would find that California is 67.2% more expensive than Italy overall. A €65,374 salary in Italy would need to be roughly $98,620 in California to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Italy and California.
What does your salary buy?
€65,374 → $98,620
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 19.8% more
Groceries
pay 43.4% more
Transportation
pay 1.0% less
Housing
pay 2.5 times more
Childcare
pay 3.0 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 66.6% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in California cost about 56% more than cities in Italy.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Italy to California.
people moved from Italy to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
30.309,965
Italy
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in California compared to Italy.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Italy performs better than California across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
California performs significantly better than Italy across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
California performs significantly better than Italy across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Italy performs better than California across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Rome | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Rome | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
Data:
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Italy and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Italy passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Italy
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Italy?
On average California is around 31% pricier than Italy, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Budget about $24,655 for 3 months in California (based on a €65,374 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from California?
From major California cities the network usually holds up. Visa rules, your employer's stance on overseas employees, and tax residency in Italy and California are what actually decide it long-term.
How is healthcare in California compared to Italy?
Italy performs better than California across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to Italy?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 69°F in Rome. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Rome gets 31.7 in.
What language do they speak in California?
The official language in California is English. In Italy, the official languages are Catalan and Italian.
