Job Discussion Forums

[Teacher in Rome]

There's an interesting thread on the general discussion board about living costs in different countries.

How expensive are living costs for you in different areas of Italy? How much do you reckon you need to earn each month in order to have a comfortable life?

It would be interesting to be able to make a comparison with different cities and regions in Italy. I imagine that Milan is the most expensive, closely followed by Rome...

[cornishmuppet]

I'm currently teaching in Brindisi for British School, and its pretty cheap. Depends what you do, if you go out and get wasted every night it'd cost a lot, but if you don't the pay (800 euro a month) goes a long way.

Eating out here is cheap, 2 - 7E for a pizza, up to about 20E if you have the whole five course Italian thing. Eating at home is cheap too if you buy from the markets and local shops, I can live on about 30 euro a week easily if I don't go out drinking.

I've been to Milan/Venice etc, and I can testify that in general things are a lot cheaper here. In the restaurants especially you are actually treated like a customer rather than just a cash sign, as I've experienced elsewhere. Beer prices seem fairly standard though, 3-4E in a pub, 1.50 - 3E in a bar.

Other stuff, chemists, corn flakes, guitar strings(!) are the same as anywhere in England. And baked beans, my god, I saw them in one place, 1.60E. Pasta and pizza are the way forward.

Chris
Chris

[scot47]

800 Euro a month ?!

You work for 800 Euro a month !????????????????

[angeinitaly]

Its interesting to see what different area earn and the costs, i would like a change and maybe move north or another country but not to sure where,
but
I live in Naples,
I pay $300per mon for a mini fully furn appartment. but i live near sorrento in a small town right on the beach so it costs a bit more to live in the city, just depends.

avarage wage is 15euro ph, so on average I get $1200-1500pr month.
I work at 2 private schools. avg 28hr per week.

food is cheap well italian food, lots of markets with fresh fruit and veg for about 1-2euro a kilo.

my problem is i get tired of eating italian food and eat sushi and shop at a asia food shop which is really expensive. but worth it.

ange

[cornishmuppet]

[Teacher in Rome]

Rent is expensive in Rome. I share with my bf and between us we pay 775 euro in rent, 70 in condominium charges. On top of that are the utilities: 100 euro per month for phone and internet; 50 for electricity and not much for gas. Our rent is actually pretty reasonable - we're quite central as well. Comparable places are a lot more expensive, but we've been here a while, and the rent hasn't gone up yet.

Food from the markets are cheap, but prices vary according to season.

Angeinitaly: I buy a lot of Asian food, but it's not too expensive. There are a few Chinese groceries and a couple of places in the market that sell fresh coriander, limes etc. I doubt you'd earn as well here as you do in Napoli, though. (Unless you get paid gross. that is.)

[Caroline]

I live in Perugia. Here is the rent has gone up a lot in the last few years. I am lucky to be paying 230 Euro a month for a very small apartment. Most people are paying more (300-500 Euro for your own apartment or 150-300 Euro to share an apartment).

Wages here sound similar to Napoli. At a good school a qualified teacher can get about 12 Euro an hour, while you can ask for 15-20 for private lessons. You can make 1000-1200 Euro a month if you teach a full schedule (20-25 hours a week)

Eating out has got more expensive - even a simple pizza and coca cola is about 10 Euro, a nicer dinner with wine or beer could be 15-25 Euro a person.

I can save a bit of money here but not much. It's a great lifestyle, though.

[Rhesus]

[Teacher in Rome]

775 euro per month is rare in central(ish) Rome. Studios (monolocale) are cheaper, but you don't get much space. If you don't mind student-type accommodatino, you can get a room in a shared flat, but this might set you back 300+ euro (per room). You can see some of the prices in the magazine porta portese: www.portaportese.it

As a general rule, the further out from the centre, the cheaper the accommodation. Train travel is cheap - you may well prefer to live outside Rome to save money.

At the moment, the Italian economy is a little stagnant. Wages haven't kept pace with inflation and many people are tightening their belts. I doubt if the situation is much better anywhere else in Italy.