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 70.7% more expensive than Italy overall. A €67,000 salary in Italy would need to be roughly $128,000 in California to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is California cheaper than Italy?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 17.4% more
Groceries
pay 39.5% more
Transportation
pay 0.8% less
Housing
pay 2.9 times more
Childcare
pay 3.0 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 56.1% 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.
What salary do you need in California?
What does your salary buy?
€67,000 → $128,000
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →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 54% more than cities in Italy.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to California
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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.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in California vs Italy
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Rome | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Rome | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) |
| Feb | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) |
| Mar | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) |
| May | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) |
| Sep | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) |
| Nov | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) |
Data:
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology,
National Weather Service
Can you move from Italy to California?
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 71% pricier than Italy, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Budget about $32,000 for 3 months in California (based on a €67,000 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 Los Angeles is 75°F, compared to 69°F in Rome. Los Angeles receives around 14.9 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.
