Living in Tuscany: Where to Live, What It Costs and How to Move

Living in Tuscany usually means choosing between Florence, a small walled city such as Lucca or Siena, and a village or farmhouse in the hills. Florence has the jobs, trains and services, and in our estimate a comfortable single budget there is about €2,150 a month, with a central one-bed around €1,250. The smaller cities feel calmer and cost less, and the countryside gives you the Tuscany of the postcards but almost always needs a car.

Most non-EU movers come through Italy's elective residency visa if they live on passive income, or the digital nomad visa if they are highly qualified remote workers. This guide walks through the choice of place, the costs, daily life and the paperwork. It is research, not legal or tax advice.

Florence, a small city or the countryside?

The first decision shapes everything else.

Florence is the region's capital and its only big city. You get museums, universities, hospitals, international schools and high-speed trains to Rome, Bologna and Milan. You also get tourist crowds, rents pushed up by holiday lets and hot summers in the river valley. Our Florence guide has the full cost breakdown and neighborhood picks.

Small cities such as Lucca, Siena, Pisa and Arezzo give you a walkable historic center, shops and a hospital nearby, with a calmer pace than Florence. Lucca is flat and surrounded by walls you can walk or cycle on. Siena is hilly and built around the Palio. Pisa has a university, an international airport and easy trains to Florence. Arezzo is on the main rail line toward Rome.

The countryside, from Chianti to the Val d'Orcia and the Maremma, is what many people picture. It offers space, views and quiet, but isolation too: shopping, doctors and schools mean driving, winters are cold and very quiet, and old stone houses can be expensive to heat and maintain.

A common path is to rent in Florence or a small city for a year, explore the region and only then commit to a village or a purchase.

What living in Tuscany costs

We only publish detailed estimates for Florence. By our estimate, a comfortable single budget there is about €2,150 a month, with a central one-bed around €1,250. Smaller cities usually have lower rents, and village houses can be cheap to rent or buy, but running a car, heating a stone house and maintaining land add costs that city budgets do not include.

Our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle (rent included), checked October 2026. Real costs vary with neighborhood and lifestyle: see how we estimate costs or run the cost of living calculator.

Compare Florence with other cities in the cost of living tool, or see how it stacks up against Bologna and Rome.

Climate

Tuscany has hot summers and cool, damp winters. In Florence, July highs average about 32.3 degrees C and January highs about 11.2. The coast is milder in winter and breezier in summer, while the hills inland get frost and occasional snow.

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

Getting around

Florence and the main cities are linked by regional trains, and high-speed trains run from Florence to Rome, Bologna and Milan. Within Florence you can walk most places, and trams serve the airport and outskirts. Outside the cities, buses are infrequent, so most people in the countryside drive.

Florence's own airport mostly serves European cities. Pisa airport has more flights, and for most transatlantic trips people connect via Rome, Milan or another European hub.

Daily life

Daily life in Tuscany follows the rhythm of markets, long lunches and the seasons, with the grape harvest in autumn and village festivals in summer. Italian matters more than many newcomers expect: in Florence you can manage in English in some settings, but in small towns and villages you will need Italian for landlords, the town hall and neighbors. Learning it is the single best thing you can do for life in Tuscany.

The international community is concentrated in Florence and parts of the Chianti hills, with many British, American and northern European residents. Smaller cities have fewer foreigners and a stronger local feel.

Healthcare

Legal residents can register with Italy's national health service, the SSN, and Tuscany's regional health service is generally well regarded. Florence and Siena have large university hospitals, and Pisa has another major teaching hospital. In the countryside, check how far you would be from the nearest hospital and emergency department. Many visas need private insurance, at least at first.

Visa routes for living in Tuscany

• Elective residency visa: for people with passive income such as pensions or investments. You cannot work in Italy on it.
• Digital nomad visa: for highly qualified remote workers.
• Investor visa: for people investing in Italian companies or government bonds.
• Citizenship by descent: if you have Italian ancestry; rules have tightened, so check carefully.

Our Italy guide explains taxes, paperwork and the codice fiscale. Rules change, so confirm with the consulate or a qualified advisor.

Thresholds and rules change often. Each route links to its official government page: confirm there before you apply. Not legal advice.

Buying property in Tuscany

Many people dream of a farmhouse. Before buying, rent in the area through a winter, get an independent survey and a local lawyer, and check access roads, water, heating, internet and the cost of restoration permits. Old rural buildings can have planning restrictions, and resale can be slow.

Who Tuscany suits

Tuscany suits retirees and remote workers who love food, landscape and history, can live in Italian and do not mind driving. It suits people who want big-city careers, easy direct flights home or a large English-speaking community less. If those matter, compare Florence with Rome, Milan or Bologna, or take the quiz to see which European city fits you.