Moving to Italy from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
Considering a move from Saudi Arabia to Italy? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Italy, you would find that Italy is 37.9% more expensive than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR280,000 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly €91,900 in Italy to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Catalan and Italian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Rome averages 69°F vs 92°F in Riyadh, making it significantly cooler.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Saudi Arabia and Italy.
What does your salary buy?
SAR280,000 → €91,900
To maintain the same standard of living in Italy
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 2.5 times more
Groceries
pay 49.8% more
Transportation
pay 47.4% more
Housing
pay 22.9% more
Childcare
pay 26.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.9% 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.
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 Italy cost about 14% more than cities in Saudi Arabia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Saudi Arabia to Italy.
people moved from Saudi Arabia to Italy · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Italy compared to Saudi Arabia.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Italy performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics.
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
Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Italy performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia 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
Saudi Arabia 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
Saudi Arabia generally does better on employment & economy, though Italy leads in gdp per capita.
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 Saudi Arabia leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016), Italian Revenue Agency (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Riyadh | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia and Italy. To live, work, or study long-term in Italy, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Italy's immigration authority.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Italy
Visa Required
Italy passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on ArrivalData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Italy than Saudi Arabia?
On average Italy is around 38% pricier than Saudi Arabia, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Italy?
Budget about €22,975 for 3 months in Italy (based on a SAR280,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Italy?
Connectivity is usually fine (Italy: 31.8 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Italy offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Italy safe for expats?
Italy performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Italy is 0.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.9 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Italy compared to Saudi Arabia?
Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Italy, compared to 34.1 in Saudi Arabia. Italy scores 84 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Italy compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Rome is 69°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Rome receives around 31.7 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Italy?
The official languages in Italy are Catalan and Italian. In Saudi Arabia, the official language is Arabic.
