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 4.0% cheaper than Italy overall. A €67,000 salary in Italy would need to be roughly €64,300 in Spain to maintain the same lifestyle.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Spain cheaper than Italy?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 8.2% less
Groceries
pay 14.7% less
Transportation
pay 14.9% less
Housing
pay 15.3% more
Childcare
pay 12.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% 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.
What salary do you need in Spain?
What does your salary buy?
€67,000 → €64,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Spain
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 Spain cost about 5% less than cities in Italy.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Spain
We've teamed up with a vetted network of international movers to help MyLifeElsewhere readers plan their move with confidence. Tell us about your move and get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes in under 2 minutes.
- ✅ Up to 5 quotes from screened movers
- ✅ Licensed and insured providers only
- ✅ 100% free — you choose who contacts you
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
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Italy leads in adult obesity 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
share of households with internet
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
share of people below the poverty line
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 education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Italian Revenue Agency (2016), Agencia Tributaria, Spain (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Spain vs Italy
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
Can you move from Italy to Spain?
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?
Generally yes: Spain runs about 4% cheaper than Italy on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
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 €67,000 comparable salary, that's around €16,075 in Spain for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Spain?
With 39.2 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 adult obesity rate. There are 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, compared to 41.9 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.
