Moving to Spain from Italy
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Italy to Spain — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Italy to Spain, you would find that Spain is 8.9% cheaper than Italy overall. A €64,826 salary in Italy would need to be roughly €63,399 in Spain to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Italy to Spain.
What does your salary buy?
€64,826 → €63,399
To maintain the same standard of living in Spain
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.5% less
Groceries
pay 15.5% less
Transportation
pay 11.2% less
Housing
pay 5.5% more
Childcare
pay 15.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.7% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Italy to Spain, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Italy and Spain stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Spain generally does better on safety, though Italy leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Italy leads in suicide rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Spain performs significantly better than Italy across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Spain generally does better on infrastructure, though Italy leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Italy generally does better on employment & economy, though Spain leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Italy generally does better on family life, though Spain leads in infant mortality.
Data: Italian Revenue Agency, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Rome | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Rome | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) |
| Mar | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) |
| May | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) |
| Jun | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) |
| Sep | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) |
| Oct | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) |
| Nov | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) |
| Dec | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) |
Data:
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology,
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Italy and Spain. To live, work, or study long-term in Spain, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Spain's immigration authority.
Italy passport holder visiting Spain
Visa Free
Spain 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 Spain than Italy?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Spain and Italy; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Spain?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a €64,826 comparable salary, that's around €15,850 in Spain for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Spain?
With 36.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Spain can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Italy and Spain.
Is Spain safe for expats?
Spain generally does better on safety, though Italy leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Spain is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Italy. About 78% of people in Spain feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Spain compared to Italy?
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Italy leads in suicide rate. There are 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, compared to 42.5 in Italy. Spain scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Italy: 84).
What's the weather like in Spain compared to Italy?
The average high temperature in Madrid is 68°F, compared to 69°F in Rome. Madrid receives around 16.6 in of rainfall per year, while Rome gets 31.7 in.
What language do they speak in Spain?
The official languages in Spain are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish. In Italy, the official languages are Catalan and Italian.
