Imagine Italy: the beautiful landscapes, the history, the people, the food, the wine…now imagine living there.
Imagine living in your beachside villa with a pool. Sound impossible? In parts of southern Italy, you could buy a 5,500-square-foot villa with a pool or a charming farmhouse in Tuscany for $450,000, the median home price in the U.S. That’s according to an analysis of home prices by My Dolce Casa, a research blog about moving, living and retiring abroad.
Homes in the U.S. have become increasingly unaffordable, according to ATTOM real estate data, which found that median-priced single-family homes and condos remained less affordable in the third quarter of 2022 in 99% of counties across the nation. One year before, it was 69% of counties.
At the same time, the U.S. dollar is strong in Europe and more Americans are looking to live abroad.
To explore whether Italy is a good location for Americans to buy a home, researchers at My Dolce Casa looked at real estate listings there to see what you could buy in Italy’s top 50 largest cities for the same amount that you would spend on a median home in the U.S., then ranked the cities that offer the most living space for your money.
They found that for the median $450,000, you get an average of 2,000 square feet of living space in the U.S.
In Tuscany, the most desirable region in Italy, the median price will buy you a charming farmhouse about the same size. In the least expensive city, Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, you could get that big villa with a pool. The average price of a home in Reggio Calabria was $82 per square foot, meaning you could get a 2,000 square foot home for around $164,000. In Milan, Italy’s most expensive city, 2,000 square feet can cost nearly $900,000.
In about 80% of the Italian cities they looked at, $450,000 will buy you much more than 2,000 square feet, often more than double, the analysis found.
To compile this list of cities in Italy where you can get the most home for the $450,000 -- the median home price in the U.S., -- My Dolce Casa analyzed July 2022 average home price data from Italian real estate portal idealista.it by city and by region. The prices per square meter in euros were converted to prices per square foot in U.S. dollars, assuming dollar-to-euro parity. For U.S. home prices, they used Realtor.com and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and for home prices in Italy, they used data from idealista.it.
Check out these gorgeous Italian towns where you could live in the home of your dreams.
1. Reggio Calabria
- Home size: 5,517 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $82
- Population: 178,760
- Region: Calabria
The Calabria region is in southern Italy, in the toe of the boot. The sunny region has hundreds of miles of coastline and many popular beaches, as well as rugged mountains and old villages. The city of Reggio Calabria is the largest city.
2. Taranto
- Home size: 5,323 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $85
- Population: 195,227
- Region: Puglia
The Puglia region is also in the south, and forms the heel of Italy’s boot, and also has hundreds of miles of coastline. It is known for its whitewashed hill towns, centuries-old farmland and turquoise waters.
3. Terni
- Home size: 4,873 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $92
- Population: 110,530
- Region: Umbria
Umbria is in central Italy, the only region that doesn't touch the coast. It is known for its wine and foraged truffles, and is dotted with Medieval towns.
4. Messina
- Home size: 4,726 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $95
- Population: 229,565
- Region: Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and an autonomous region of Italy. It has a unique culture, beautiful beaches, and a rich history.
5. Syracuse
- Home size: 4,535 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $99
- Population: 120,405
- Region: Sicily
6. Perugia
- Home size: 4,424 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $102
- Population: 166,969
- Region: Umbria
Perugia is the capital of the Umbria region.
7. Foggia
- Home size: 4,384 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $103
- Population: 149,904
- Region: Puglia
8. Catania
- Home size: 4,194 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $107
- Population: 311,402
- Region: Sicily
The Amphitheater of Catania, shown here, is a Roman ruin on the northern edge of this ancient Sicilian town.
9. Andria
- Home size: 4,003 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $112
- Population: 99,307
- Region: Puglia
10. Novara
- Home size: 3,948 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $114
- Population: 103,985
- Region: Piedmont
Farther north, the Piedmont region sits at the foot of the Alps, on the border of France and Switzerland.
11. Sassari
- Home size: 3,878 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $116
- Population: 126,769
- Region: Sardinia
Sardinia is another Mediterranean island, smaller than Sicily, with a rugged interior landscape and beautiful sandy beaches.
12. Lecce
- Home size: 3,869 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $116
- Population: 96,534
- Region: Puglia
13. Palermo
- Home size: 3,844 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $117
- Population: 657,960
- Region: Sicily
14. Ferrara
- Home size: 3,689 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $122
- Population: 132,195
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
15. Genoa
- Home size: 3,567 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $126
- Population: 574,090
- Region: Liguria
Genoa is the capital of the Liguria region, which is known as the Italian Riviera. Located in northwest Italy, Genoa is a port city with a number of ferries, and not too far from France. The Liguria region is also home to the Cinque Terre villages and Portofino.
16. Barletta
- Home size: 3,497 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $129
- Population: 94,316
- Region: Puglia
17. Vicenza
- Home size: 3,438 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $131
- Population: 111,764
- Region: Veneto
The Veneto region is in the northeast of Italy, and home to Venice. The town of Vicenza is about an hour from Venice.
18. Udine
- Home size: 3,327 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $135
- Population: 99,051
- Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia
The town of Udine is also in northeast Italy, between Venice and Trieste, near the borders of Austria and Croatia and at the foot of the Alps. The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region is home to the beautiful Dolomite mountains.
19. Ancona
- Home size: 3,249 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $139
- Population: 100,282
- Region: Marche
Ancona is on the Adriatic coast and is known for its beaches. It is the capital of the Marche region, whose countryside is dotted with fortified hilltop settlements. Ancona is the capital, and has a ferry port with ferry connections to Greece (Patras, Igoumenitsa and Corfu,) Croatia (Zadar, Split and Stari Grad) and Albania.
20. Reggio Emilia
- Home size: 3,137 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $143
- Population: 172,124
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
21. Piacenza
- Home size: 3,121 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $144
- Population: 104,315
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
22. Forlì
- Home size: 3,062 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $147
- Population: 118,000
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
23. Pescara
- Home size: 3,048 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $148
- Population: 119,800
- Region: Abruzzo
The Abruzzo region is on the Adriatic Sea, and east of Rome. Pescara sits on the coast, and the interior of Abruzzo has a couple of beautiful national parks.
24. Arezzo
- Home size: 2,921 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $154
- Population: 99,258
- Region: Tuscany
The beautiful Tuscan region, on the Mediterranean in central Italy, is home to famous cities like Florence and Pisa. Arezzo is inland. The town has a fortress from the 1500s with sweeping views.
25. Turin
- Home size: 2,727 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $165
- Population: 870,952
- Region: Piedmont
26. Latina
- Home size: 2,709 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $166
- Population: 129,133
- Region: Lazio
Lazio is the central region where Rome is located. Although much smaller, Latina is actually the second largest city of the region after Rome.
27. Ravenna
- Home size: 2,692 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $167
- Population: 158,058
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
28. Brescia
- Home size: 2,688 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $167
- Population: 199,579
- Region: Lombardy
The Lombardy region is in northern Italy and home to Milan and much of the Lakes area. Brescia sits between Lake Garda and Milan. Brescia Castle, shown here, has a drawbridge and ramparts, as well as a museum exhibiting ancient weapons and armor.
29. Bari
- Home size: 2,624 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $171
- Population: 322,316
- Region: Puglia
Bari is a port city is southern Italy, with ferry routes to Greece and Croatia.
30. Livorno
- Home size: 2,539 sq. ft.
- Price per sq. ft: $177
- Population: 157,024
- Region: Tuscany
Read more about this analysis at MyDolceCasa.com.
