The average salary in Italy is probably one of the first things you’ll consider if you want to make Italy your new home. If you’re aware of the average pay, you’ll be able to determine whether an offer you’re getting is a good salary in Italy for your industry, position and experience. The simple answer is you can expect to earn about €2,625 per month working in Italy. But this number can vary depending on a number of factors.

Luckily for you, we’ve already done the digging necessary to help you figure out how much you should be earning as an expat in Italy.

Average income in Italy on a national level

According to Salary Explorer, the average gross salary for Italy as of February 2024 is around €43,900 per year or €3,660 a month. If this sounds high, it’s because this number includes various benefits, such as housing stipends, travel expenses, vacation allowance, etc.

If we look at the most recent salary data provided by Statista, the average gross salary for Italy shows a more realistic number around €31,500 or €2,625 a month. Either way, the national average for Italy is higher than that in the majority of European countries.

Combine that with the fact that the cost of living in Italy is lower than the EU average and the likelihood that you, as an expat, are a highly skilled worker means that life in Italy could be pretty cosy on the financial end!

Average salaries vary by industry or region

Don’t forget that the median income doesn't represent the absolute reality since 50% of Italy's population earns less than that.

The other factors that have an influence on the wages you’ll encounter are:

• The pay differences per region
• The industry
• Your experience

Additionally, it’s pretty likely that, as an expat, you’ll be looking for international or English-speaking jobs. These jobs are more likely to be found in larger companies, which also tend to pay more than average. In conclusion,

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Earning more than €43,000, including benefits, is considered a good salary in Italy, with many opportunities offering even more than that.

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If salary is an important factor on your move to Italy, it's good to take a look at the salaries across Italy as they vary a lot.

What is the best average salary in Italy by region?

If you’re looking for better salaries in Italy, there’s an easy rule to follow: go North!

The provinces with the highest average earnings include Lombardy in North Italy, Lazio in Central Italy and Piedmont in North-west Italy.__ There are no real surprises as to why these areas do very well. To start off, Lombardy is the home region for Milan, which boasts the highest average salary in Italy overall.

Then there’s the province of Lazio in the centre of Italy, which is where you’ll find Rome! In the province of Piedmont, we find another economic powerhouse that boosts the average in the region: Turin.

The regional averages are one thing, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t earn a good buck if you live in a different region.

Let’s take a look at some of the average salaries per city in Italy (Based on the numbers by SalaryExplorer):

National average	€3,660	Baseline
Rome	€4,320	+18%
Milan	€4,240	+15.9%
Napoli	€4,170	+13.9%
Turin	€4,090	+11.7%

That said, the further south you go, you'll find that the average salary gets lower. In fact, the average yearly salary in the Basilicata region (around the ankle of the famous Italian ‘boot’) is almost €7,000 lower than in Lombardy.

Why are southern salaries so much lower?

For one, the southern regions and the Islands have a much higher share of low-income employees and unemployment compared to the northern regions (According to Statista & Job Pricing). Some measure of explanation for the pay gap can be found in the higher levels of unemployment and the lower cost of living in the southern regions of Italy.

What is the minimum wage in Italy?

But what if you’re a student or intern, who often can only find work at minimum wage? Unfortunately, it’s not a straightforward answer: Italy does not have a national minimum wage. Instead, the minimum wage is determined on a sector-by-sector basis, known as national collective bargaining agreements (NCBAs), or negotiated at a local or even at a company level.

These agreements are renegotiated every 3 years. If you’re planning on taking on a student job, make sure you leverage your skills and multilingualism to negotiate a decent salary where possible.

Top earning industries in Italy

It’s no secret that some industries offer better salaries than others. Such industries typically require higher education or a specific set of skills to become employed there. So let’s take a look at some of the highest-earning and noteworthy(*) sectors in Italy:

National average (Statista)	€31,500	Baseline
Banking & Finance	€43,277	+37%
Pharmaceutical & Biotechnical	€39,294	+25%
Engineering	€38,222	+21%
Oil & Gas	€38,093	+21%
IT & Software consultancy	€36,118	+15%
Insurance	€35,679	+13%
Aeronautics	€35,191	+12%
Automotive*	€28,647	-7.4%
Fashion & Luxury*	€28,540	-8%

Italy is well-known for its automotive and high-end fashion industries. Unfortunately, the average salaries in these industries are below the national average.

If you’re looking to find which particular careers have the highest average salary in 2024, SalaryExplorer reports that you should look into picking one of the following professions:

Profession/ Position	Average monthly salary
Doctor	€ 13,600
Judge	€ 11,400
Lawyers	€9,230
Bank manager	€ 8,690
CEO	€8,140
CFO	€7,600
Orthodontist	€7,330
Professor	€6,510

Gender gap in Italy

Unfortunately, even in this day and age, there's still a discrepancy between the wages of men and women in the same field. Salary explorer reports that overall, women earn around 6% less than men across all industries, but some industries discriminate more than others.

Job pricing indicates that the Finance and Insurance industries favour men at an almost unreal rate. Men in finance and insurance can make up to 25% more than their female counterparts.

Depending on your area of expertise, you could easily find a decent job in Italy. With this guide, you'll be armed with the knowledge you need to guarantee a good salary to match.

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