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Is Italy good value? Salary vs cost of living
Real Eurostat take-home pay and cost of living for Italy, with its Gera EU Value Index of 88.6 (ranked 17 of 27 EU countries).
Is Italy good value — how far does a salary go there?
As of 2024, Italy has a Gera EU Value Index of 88.6 (EU≈100), below the EU median of 94.9 and ranked 17 of 27 EU countries. Net annual take-home pay is €23,959 (Eurostat, single person, 100% of average wage), with a Gera EU Cost Index of 109.5. In purchasing-power terms its earnings index is 102.4 (EU=100).
Italy salary & cost figures
| Metric | Value | vs EU |
|---|---|---|
| Net annual take-home pay | €23,959 | -2.9% |
| PPS earnings index (real buying power) | 102.4 | EU=100 |
| Cost of living (Gera EU Cost Index) | 109.5 | +9.5 pts |
| Gera EU Value Index | 88.6 | median 94.9 |
| EU value rank | 17 of 27 | — |
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Enter a net (take-home) salary and pick two EU countries. We index it against the EU norm using the same real Eurostat earnings and cost-of-living figures behind the Gera EU Value Index.
| Metric | Italy | Austria |
|---|---|---|
| Your salary, locally | €35,000 | €35,000 |
| Salary value vs EU norm | 129.5 | 120.4 |
| Local cost of living (EU=100) | 109.5 | 117.8 |
| Typical local net pay | €23,959 | €35,824 |
| Gera EU Value Index | 88.6 (#17) | 123.2 (#2) |
On €35,000 a year, your salary stretches further in Italy — a value index of 129.5 against the EU norm of 100, because its cost of living is 109.5 (EU=100). The same salary indexes 129.5 in Italy and 120.4 in Austria. The Gera EU Value Index median is 94.9.
Italy salary & value — FAQ
- Is Italy good value to live and work in?
- Italy has a Gera EU Value Index of 88.6 (EU≈100, 2024), worse than the EU median of 94.9, and ranks 17 of 27 EU countries. It pairs €23,959 net annual earnings with a Gera EU Cost Index of 109.5. The index reflects how far take-home pay stretches against local costs, using Eurostat data.
- What is the average take-home salary in Italy?
- Net annual earnings in Italy are €23,959 for a single person at 100% of the average wage, after tax and social contributions, per Eurostat (earn_nt_net, 2024). In Purchasing Power Standard terms its earnings index is 102.4 (EU=100), adjusting for local prices.
- Is the cost of living high in Italy?
- Italy has a Gera EU Cost Index of 109.5 (EU average ≈ 100), built from Eurostat price levels and household electricity and gas prices. That is above the EU average, so day-to-day costs are higher than in most member states.
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Contains public sector information published by Eurostat (European Commission) and licensed under the Eurostat reuse policy (© European Union — free reuse with attribution). Source: Eurostat — Net annual earnings (earn_nt_net), single person at 100% of average wage (2024 (earnings) · 2024 price levels / 2025-S2 energy (cost of living), published 2025 (Eurostat earnings release)).