City comparison
Florence vs Palermo: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Palermo is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €600 a month less than Florence, mostly because of rent. Palermo has the milder winter (about 16°C vs 12°C average highs in Dec to Feb). Both are in Italy, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same: the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.
Choose Florence for
- Expat community
- English-friendliness
- Safety
- Walkability
Choose Palermo for
- Affordability
- Beach life
- Sunny, warm climate
- Nature & green space
- Lower living costs
Florence vs Palermo at a glance
| Florence | Palermo | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Italy | Italy |
| Single budget / month | €2,150 | €1,550 |
| Couple budget / month | €3,200 | €2,350 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,250 | €550 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 12°C / 53°F | 16°C / 60°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 31°C / 88°F | 30°C / 86°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | - | 2,530 |
| City size | Mid-size city | Large city |
| Coastal | No | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | No | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Florence or Palermo?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,150 a month for one person in Florence and €1,550 in Palermo, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,200 vs €2,350, and for a family of four €4,400 vs €3,300.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,250 in Florence against €550 in Palermo, while a monthly transit pass costs - vs -. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 12°C (53°F) in Florence and 16°C (60°F) in Palermo. In summer it’s roughly 31°C vs 30°C.
788 mm of rain a year · Source: Florence Airport (Peretola) station, 1991-2020 normals via NOAA, as tabulated on Wikipedia (Florence). The page gives about 6 sunshine hours a day on average but no annual total, so it is left null.
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11°C / 52°F | 2°C / 36°F |
| Feb | 13°C / 55°F | 3°C / 37°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 61°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 68°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| May | 24°C / 76°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Jun | 29°C / 84°F | 16°C / 61°F |
| Jul | 32°C / 90°F | 18°C / 65°F |
| Aug | 32°C / 90°F | 19°C / 65°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 81°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| Oct | 22°C / 71°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Nov | 16°C / 60°F | 6°C / 44°F |
| Dec | 11°C / 53°F | 3°C / 37°F |
2,530 hours of sunshine a year · 591 mm of rain a year · Source: Palermo-Boccadifalco 1991-2020 normals (Servizio Meteorologico) via the Wikipedia climate table; sunshine is the about 2,530 hours a year in the article text
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15°C / 59°F | 9°C / 49°F |
| Feb | 15°C / 60°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Mar | 17°C / 62°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 68°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| May | 24°C / 75°F | 16°C / 60°F |
| Jun | 28°C / 83°F | 20°C / 67°F |
| Jul | 31°C / 88°F | 23°C / 73°F |
| Aug | 31°C / 89°F | 23°C / 74°F |
| Sep | 28°C / 82°F | 21°C / 69°F |
| Oct | 24°C / 76°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Nov | 20°C / 68°F | 14°C / 56°F |
| Dec | 16°C / 61°F | 11°C / 51°F |
Daily life
Florence is a mid-size city; Palermo is a large city on the coast. Florence is a compact, walkable Renaissance city that rewards a slower life and punishes anyone who needs big-city services. Rents run high for the size of the city (about €1,250 for a center one-bed), and the airport has few transatlantic links. It suits retirees, art lovers and students more than career movers. Palermo is the most affordable city in our whole set, with mild winters, beaches and centuries of layered history. It suits budget-minded retirees and remote workers who can live in Italian and accept patchy public services.
Living in Florence: the upsides and downsides
- The whole center is walkable, with art on every corner
- Fast trains to Rome, Bologna and Milan
- Tuscan countryside, wine and hill towns within easy reach
- Downside: Tourism crowds and short-let pressure on rents
- Downside: Few direct flights to North America
Living in Palermo: the upsides and downsides
- Among the lowest rents of any city we cover
- Mild winters and a long beach season
- Street food, markets and a big historic center
- Downside: Public transport and waste collection are unreliable
- Downside: Few English speakers and a small expat community
Visas and residency
Both cities are in Italy, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:
- Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) - Citizenship by descent, changing
- Italy Digital Nomad Visa (Remote Worker Visa) - Digital nomad visa, open, €2,125/mo income
- Italy Elective Residency Visa - Retirement visa, open, €2,583/mo income
- Italy Investor Visa (Golden Visa) - Golden visa, open, €250,000 investment
Read the full guides: living in Florence and living in Palermo.
Related comparisons
- Florence vs Bologna
- Rome vs Florence
- Milan vs Florence
- Cagliari vs Palermo
- Naples vs Palermo
- Palermo vs Valletta & Sliema
- Florence vs Naples
- Palermo vs Rome
- Milan vs Palermo
- Bologna vs Palermo
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.