Italy is a great country in Europe where you can get a quality and attractive education. The quality of its universities, low tuition fees, and vast scholarship opportunities are some of the factors that make Italy attractive. There is no difference between the cost of education at a private university in most of the country and the cost of living in Italy. If you want to live and study in Italy, do not decide without reading this article.

Factors That Make Italy Attractive

  • Low tuition fees
  • A very high-quality education opportunity in Europe’s oldest and well-established universities
  • Scholarship Opportunities
  • The blue diploma you will receive when you graduate from Italy is valid all over the world

In this article, we will look for an answer to the question of what is the cost of living in Italy for a student. We will give the cost of living on a monthly and yearly basis. All fees are average and are set by a team with life and education experience in Italy.

Living Costs in Italy – Accommodation

Students in Italy generally prefer dormitories as accommodation options. Dormitories offer a more social environment for both students. Besides, they also choose to rent rooms and apartments. Accommodation costs in Italy vary in the southern and northern regions. The north part is economically more developed than southern Italy, and the living costs are proportionally higher.

Accomodation and Dormitory in Italy

Student Dormitory Fees in Italy

Dormitory fees in Italy range from 250-400 Euros per month.

Room prices can start from 350 Euros up to 600 Euros.

The options for apartments are monolocale, bilocale, trilocale. Monolocale is a studio apartment and usually has a kitchen in it. Bilocale are two-bedroom apartments, and trilocale are three-bedroom apartments.

For detailed information, you can check our article “Accommodation Opportunities in Italy.”

University Fees in Italy

The annual tuition fee of universities in Italy varies between 500-3,000 Euros for public universities. The fees of private universities are between 5,000 and 25,000 Euros. The majority of universities in Italy are public universities. Private universities are universities that specialize in fashion design, design, and gastronomy. It is possible to get discounts on tuition fees. You can get support from our expert team regarding the procedure you need to follow.

Students who receive university education in Italy generally benefit from rich content from university and city libraries. The necessary or supplementary sourcebooks and stationery costs for the course are around 20 Euros per month.

For detailed information, you can check our article “Education Fees in Italy.”

Market Prices in Italy | Cost of Living in Italy

Italy is a country famous for its cuisine. Although pizza and pasta are the most well-known Italian dishes, they appeal to all tastes with very different dishes in each region.

In Italy, lunches are served at universities, and they offer a wide range of options. Therefore, kitchen expenses become more affordable. Italians’ eating out culture is generally in the form of a beverage called “aperativo” and an open buffet dinner. Breakfast is usually a light breakfast with coffee and brioche (croissant).

The monthly kitchen cost of living in Italy is between 100-120 Euros. Markets such as Lidl, Esselunga, Pam, and Simply in Italy are quite affordable for students. The quality of its products is close to each other and at an acceptable level. Shopping prices in Italy are generally like this. There are many markets where you can find cheap and quality products, especially in terms of food. Esselunga, Lidl, and Penny are the market chains where you can find reasonable and quality products in Italy.

Eating out is more costly in any country. When you want to eat out in Italy, the cost will be between 8-15 Euros. When you eat out with your friends several times a month, it will cost around 50-60 Euros per month.

Transportation Fees in Italy

Transportation Fees in Italy include all means of transportation for the city, such as metro, bus, and tram. There are monthly discounted cards for students and give unlimited usage rights within that month. Although it varies from city to city, the city’s average monthly transportation cost varies between 22-30 Euros.

In addition, the campuses of some universities may be in different cities. Or, you may want to see other cities in your area. In this case, you can get a single card that you can use for the trains and all public vehicles in your area. The cost of this is around 100 Euros, although the cost of living in Italy varies from region to region.

Do Students Have the Right to Work in Italy?

In Italy, students have a work permit for 20 hours a week. You will be more likely to find a job if you know Italian.

Social Life Expenditures in Italy (Travel, Entertainment, Culture, Art)

Italy is a very wealthy country with its nature, tourism, and historical monuments. Concerts, exhibitions, and festivals are held in every city, and social life is vivid. Many museums are free on the first Sunday of every month in Italy. You can visit many museums with low budgets. You can also find many activities such as parties, nature walks and meeting events in Italy, where international student mobility is also very high.

The monthly social life expenses of a student in Italy are around 150-200 Euros.

Museum Pompeii

Living Costs for Students in Italy

Public Universities Private Universities
Accommodation 300 400
Transportation 30 30
Food 100 100
Expenses 120 220
Monthly Expense Total 550 750
Annual Expense Total (10 Months) 5.000 7.500
Annual Tuition Fee 1.000(Average) 7.000-25.00
Annual General Total 6.000-9.000 14.500-32.500

Cost of Living for Erasmus in Italy

The expenses of students who will go to Erasmus education in Italy will be close to the costs we have provided. In this sense, they can use the table we have given above in their calculations before going to Italy.

Working While Studying in Italy

In Italy, students have a work permit for 20 hours a week. So it is possible to work while studying in Italy. However, it may not be enough to know English to find a job. In this sense, our advice to students who want to work while studying in Italy is to improve their Italian.

Social Rights in Italy | Cost of Living in Italy

Italy is a country where social state understanding is ingrained. Many facilities are provided mainly for the low-income segment of society and students. There are many opportunities in terms of social rights in Italy, especially with discounted transportation opportunities.

Also, you can take a  look at our “Study on a Scholarship in Italy” article.