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For those Americans wanting to live in the land of Dante, home of Michelangelo, the birthplace of Columbus, there is good news:  unless you want to buy property in the center of a major town, Italy can be a bargain.  All it takes is patience and flexibility in choosing a residence. Rents in Rome range from $600 to $2000 a month.  Six month rentals run about $650 per month twenty minutes by bus or metro ride from Rome's historic center.  Housing costs are less expensive in the country-side, although there are notable exceptions. Food costs are modest.  In the street markets, found in most every neighborhood, a head of lettuce currently costs about $.30, spinach $.75 a pound, and zucchini with the flowers still on  about the same.  We have cooked and enjoyed zucchini greens for about $.30 a pound.  Fresh figs, peaches, cherries, cantaloupes, oranges, and apricots are all available in their turn and at similarly low prices.  You probably haven't tasted fruits and vegetables this good in the U.S., unless you live on or near a farm, and even then, the volcanic soil of Italy produces flavors we just can't match.  Fish can expensive, but you can find bargains.  We bought fresh trout at $3.50 a pound.  Fresh shell fish is expensive out of season but frozen shellfish is available for about $5.00 a pound.  They tasted great with pasta.  In season, we have paid L3000 (about $1.75) for cozze (mussels) and vongole (clams).  Meat costs about what it does in the U.S.   For veal scallopini and turkey breast, we paid about $3.00 a pound, on sale at local 'alimentari' (grocery stores). Outside the tourist areas, there are many moderately priced restaurants serving very good food.  Expect to pay $10-$15 per person to dine in pleasant, attractive surroundings, including house wine.  I like the antipasto buffets, often including shellfish such as mussels, tiny octopi and calamari, which run $6-10.  These often include a variety of well-prepared, typical Italian vegetables.  A few establishments in the more touristic parts of town offer a set menu, currently around $10 excluding wine.  The menu generally includes a first course of pasta and a meat dish.

San Giovane in Laterano in Rome, dating from the 4th century.  St. Peter was martyred here. . Gary and Peg Kirkpatrick currently live in Rome.  They have lived in Europe since May of 1997, when they took an early retirement.  So far they have divided their time between the U.K., Montpelier, France, Madrid and now Rome.  They stay in most places for six months, renting apartments at local prices and living amongst the natives.  They lived in Dallas, Texas before taking off for Europe.  Gary was a mediator in private practice and Peg managed a bank's legal department.  They can be reached at garynpeg@hotmail.com and will try to answer all emails.

Renting a car will set you back, however.   A little car in the off season will cost at least $50 a day, but you can rent for less if you rent from the U.S.  You can do that even while abroad by calling the U.S.   At about $4.00 a gallon, you won't want to drive too far, especially if you are on one of many toll roads.  We took a toll road in the Italian Riviera that cost us over $30!  Air travel within Italy is not cheap but not necessarily unreasonable.  A recently advertised 'special' to Palermo from Rome ran about $55 one way.  Regular fares were running about $200 round trip.  Sicily is 600 miles from Rome and the train takes over ten hours, but the fare is about one half the regular price for air travel, and buses are even cheaper at $80 round trip.

Clothing prices run the gamut.  In high-class shops I saw a pair of men's underwear for $30.  Or you can buy three pairs for $8.00 at an outdoor market.  Italian shoes are stylish and well-made but you don't have to spend a fortune.  Electrical appliances and electronics cost more than in the U.S., but the prices are becoming more comparable. 

Electricity, gas and telephone costs are more expensive in Europe than in the U.S., but water is a bargain.  Getting a telephone installed can be quite expensive.  The phone company quoted us $200 to install and they wanted a deposit of a similar amount.  We got around this.  No installation fee, no deposit, no wait!  The landlord just kept the phone in their own name and we pay the bill.  Telephone charges are currently $.07 per 'unit'.  A unit is either about three or six minutes, depending on the time of day.   In addition, you will pay the monthly minimum of about $15.00 and taxes, so your local telephone bill is likely to be $30.00 per month.  Want to call Milan?  Do it often and your bill will climb quickly and steeply.  Don't use Italian Telecom to call the U.S.  The call-back services run about $.25 a minute, a far cry from the $1.00 or more that Telecom charges.

The use of large appliances is becoming more common, but the cost and availability of electricity throughout the country continue to suppress the demand.  The electric company imposes surcharges on all electrical use where the electrical capacity in the domicile exceeds three kilowatts (16 amps). By comparison, most houses in the U.S. have six or more circuits each with 16 amps! Three kilowatts is not enough to run big air conditioners, and if you have a small one, you probably couldn't run it and the electric hot water heater simultaneously. 

Most apartments have clothes washers, but not clothes dryers.  Clothes are dried either on a metal contraption that folds away, or a line that hangs out the window so everyone can see your drawers.  Don't be embarrassed.   You can see theirs, too, and nobody pays the slightest attention.  Very few places have dish washers.

Real estate is no bargain in most of in Europe, and Italy is no exception.  In Rome, a studio or two-room apartment costs at least $90,000.  You will have to spend at least $175,000-$200,000 if you want a big balcony, a popular neighborhood or a view.  The countryside in many parts of Italy is beautiful, and better prices are available there and in small towns and villages.  I have seen small, country houses for about $75,000 or less, depending on location.  In rural Sicily, $50,000 or so could do the trick and you could be at the beautiful beaches in 10 minutes.   If you like the rural life, this might be for you. 

Finally, a budget of about $2,000-2500 per month per couple is realistic (we are coming in around $1800 as I write).  This is at the current exchange rate of L1800 per dollar.  You must keep your housing costs down and walk past the expensive shops.  The $2,000 includes basic health insurance coverage, renting not buying an apartment or house, using public transportation, not a car, and only one fantastic cappucino per person per day;  what a pity.  With so much to see and do for free, especially in the big cities, your $2000 goes a long way without you having to feel deprived.  We do not think that the introduction of the Euro will change this very much, but that will depend on the exchange rates.