
Rome
Southern Europe · Italy · Europe
Ancient ruins and golden-hour Vespa rides over plates of cacio e pepe.
Rome is overwhelming in the best and worst ways: layers of history on every corner, incredible food, and a theatrical, sun-soaked daily life. It's more affordable than Milan and endlessly rich in culture, but it's also chaotic, with notorious bureaucracy, transit strikes, and tourist crowds. Career options outside tourism and government are limited, and summers are brutal. It's a place you live for the beauty and the lifestyle, not the efficiency.
comfortable monthly budget
1-bed rent, good area
Best for
Not for
A blend of proud Romans, international students, and a steady expat crowd, with social life spilling into piazzas and trattorias. Making friends takes time with locals but the aperitivo and nightlife scenes are lively and accessible.
Where to land
The scorecard
Tax in Italy
Special regime: Impatriate regime (50% income exemption) and €200k flat tax on foreign income for new high-net-worth residents
Worldwide taxation with high IRPEF plus regional/municipal surtaxes, but generous new-resident regimes can sharply cut the effective rate.
Representative estimate — not tax advice. · source
Make the move to Rome
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Find my placePhoto via Wikimedia Commons · source