In short
Rome is the cheaper city: a single person with a central 1-bedroom spends about €1,930 a month, against about €2,150 in Madrid. Italy offers Americans a digital nomad visa, a retirement visa and a golden visa. Spain offers Americans a digital nomad visa and a retirement visa. Citizenship takes about 10 years of residence in both. Every figure below is checked against official sources.
The verdict
Which City Fits You?
Where one side is clearly better for most Americans, it gets the point — the rest depends on your plans.
Choose Rome if…
- You want lower costs — about €220 a month less for a single person with a central 1-bedroom in Rome.
- You have a job offer — the EU Blue Card salary bar is lower: about €36,300 a year (2026).
- You work remotely and want the lower bar: Digital nomad visa — at least €24,789 a year; degree or experience required; 1 year, renewable.
- You want residence through investment: Investor visa — €250,000 in an innovative startup, €500,000 in a company or €2 million in bonds; no property route. Spain's is closed.
Choose Madrid if…
- You live on a pension or savings and want the lower bar: Non-lucrative visa — €2,400 a month; no work at all, not even remote.
- You want to apply after arriving visa-free: for the digital nomad and entrepreneur permits — at the UGE, also during a visa-free stay.
- You will run a company — corporate tax is 25% (23% or less for smaller companies, 15% for new ones).
Cost of Living
Rome Is About €220 a Month Cheaper
| Rome | Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed apartment, city centre | Romeabout €1,085✓ | Madridabout €1,332 |
| 1-bed apartment, outside centre | Romeabout €780✓ | Madridabout €1,066 |
| Everyday costs, single person (no rent) | Romeabout €845 | Madridabout €820✓ |
| Total a month — single, central 1-bed | Romeabout €1,930✓ | Madridabout €2,150 |
Living costs: Numbeo estimates for the capital (2026), as shown with sources on each city guide and in the key facts below.
Daily Life
Daily Life in Rome and Madrid
| Rome | Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | RomeAbout 2.75 million; 4.2 million in the metropolitan city | MadridAbout 3.5 million; 7.1 million in the region |
| Public transport | RomeMonthly pass €35; Leonardo Express to Fiumicino €14 | MadridZone A monthly pass €32.70 (2026) |
| Nonstop flights to the US | RomeRome and Milan about 8–9 hours nonstop from the East Coast | MadridIberia nonstop from 8 US cities, plus American, Delta, United |
| Currency | RomeEuro | MadridEuro |
Visas & Residence
Visas & Work Permits Compared
| Rome | Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Main work permit | RomeQuota system for employer permits; EU Blue Card outside the quota | MadridEmployer permit with a labour-market test unless the job is on the shortage list |
| EU Blue Card salary | RomeAbout €36,300 a year (2026)✓ | Madrid€41,356 a year (2026) |
| Apply from inside the country | RomeNo — D visas from your Italian consulate; a tourist stay cannot be converted | MadridYes for the digital nomad and entrepreneur permits — at the UGE, also during a visa-free stay✓ |
| Digital nomad visa | RomeAt least €24,789 a year; degree or experience required; 1 year, renewable✓ | MadridAbout €2,849 a month (€34,188 a year); permit up to 3 years |
| Retirement / passive-income visa | RomeElective residence visa — about €31,000 a year of passive income; no work at all | MadridNon-lucrative visa — €2,400 a month; no work at all, not even remote✓ |
| Golden (investor) visa | RomeInvestor visa — €250,000 in an innovative startup, €500,000 in a company or €2 million in bonds; no property route✓ | MadridClosed since 3 April 2025 |
| Founders & startups | RomeItalia Startup Visa — €50,000 of funds; decision in about 30 days | MadridEntrepreneur permit — innovative business with a favourable ENISA report |
Settling In
Permanent Residence, Citizenship & Healthcare
| Rome | Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent residence | RomeEU long-term permit after 5 years, with A2 Italian | MadridLong-term residence after 5 years |
| Citizenship | Rome10 years, B1 Italian; dual citizenship allowed | Madrid10 years for Americans, plus A2 Spanish and civics exams |
| Public healthcare | RomeFree SSN for workers; others pay at least €2,000 a year to join | MadridPublic SNS for workers; others can buy in after 1 year — €60 a month under 65 |
Tax & Business
Taxes & Company Rules
| Rome | Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Special tax regime | Rome7% flat on foreign income for pensioners in small southern towns (10 years) | MadridBeckham regime — 24% flat up to €600,000 for 6 years (incl. digital nomads) |
| Usual company | RomeSRL — €10,000 standard capital, or €1 if fully paid in cash; notarial deed | MadridSL — capital from €1; online formation through CIRCE |
| Corporate tax | Rome24% IRES plus 3.9% IRAP | Madrid25% (23% or less for smaller companies, 15% for new ones)✓ |
| US tax treaty | RomeSigned 1999, in effect since 2010; Social Security agreement since 1978 | MadridSigned 1990, 2013 protocol; Social Security agreement since 1988 |
US citizens & Green Card holdersThe US still taxes you
Wherever you live, the US taxes its citizens on worldwide income. You keep filing a US return, and an FBAR once your foreign accounts total more than $10,000 at any time in the year.
FAQ
Rome or Madrid? Your questions
Is Rome or Madrid cheaper?
Rome is cheaper: a single person with a central 1-bedroom spends about €1,930 a month there, against about €2,150 in Madrid (Numbeo, 2026). Rent for a central 1-bedroom is about €1,085 in Rome and €1,332 in Madrid.
Does Italy or Spain have a digital nomad visa?
Italy: At least €24,789 a year; degree or experience required; 1 year, renewable. Spain: About €2,849 a month (€34,188 a year); permit up to 3 years.
How long until I can get citizenship?
Italy: 10 years, B1 Italian; dual citizenship allowed. Spain: 10 years for Americans, plus A2 Spanish and civics exams.
Do I still pay US taxes if I move?
Yes. The US taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. You keep filing a US return, and an FBAR once your foreign accounts total more than $10,000. Foreign tax credits and the treaties usually prevent paying twice on the same income.
Rome vs Madrid: key factsLast verified 1 October 2026
| Italy: 1-bed apartment, Rome | about €1,085/month in the centre, €780 outside (Numbeo, Sep 2026) estimate Source: Numbeo: cost of living in Rome (Sep 2026) |
|---|---|
| Italy: Living costs, single person (Rome) | about €845/month without rent estimate Source: Numbeo: cost of living in Rome (Sep 2026) |
| Spain: 1-bed apartment, Madrid | about €1,332 a month in the centre, €1,066 outside (Numbeo, October 2026) estimate Source: Numbeo – Cost of Living in Madrid |
| Spain: Living costs, single person (Madrid) | about €820 a month without rent — about €2,150 with a central 1-bedroom estimate Source: Numbeo – Cost of Living in Madrid |
| Italy: Population | Italy 58.9 million (ISTAT, 1 Jan 2026); Rome 2.75 million, metropolitan city 4.22 million Source: ISTAT: demographic indicators (Mar 2026) · Il Sole 24 Ore: Rome, Italy's most populous municipality (ISTAT data) |
| Spain: Madrid population | 3,497,277 (1 January 2026), about 19% foreign nationals; 7.11 million in the Madrid region Source: Ayuntamiento de Madrid – Padrón Municipal: Primeros resultados 2026 · Madrid Economía 2026 (Observatorio Económico, Ayuntamiento de Madrid) |
| Italy: Rome transport | Monthly pass €35, annual €250; 100-minute ticket €1.50; Leonardo Express to Fiumicino €14, about 32 minutes Source: ATAC: Rome tickets and passes · Trenitalia: Leonardo Express to Fiumicino |
| Spain: Madrid transport pass | Zone A monthly pass €32.70 in 2026 (40% subsidy on €54.60), €10 under 26, free from 65; discounts confirmed to 31 December 2026 Source: Xataka Móvil – Madrid confirma precios del abono transporte para 2026 · Merca2 – La bonificación del transporte público en Madrid extiende su descuento hasta final de año |
| Italy: Flights from the US | Rome and Milan about 8–9 hours nonstop from the East Coast; nonstops to many US cities; none to Florence Source: Boltflight: direct flights from the US to Rome · The Local Italy: new direct US–Italy flights in 2026 |
| Spain: Flights from the US | Iberia flies nonstop to Madrid from New York (JFK and Newark), Boston, Miami, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco; American, Delta, United and Air Europa add more, and United also flies Newark to Barcelona, Málaga, Palma, Bilbao and Santiago (some seasonal) Source: BoltFlight – Iberia evaluates four new nonstop US routes (21 Jul 2026) · Aviación al Día – United Airlines … new cities in Spain for summer 2026 |
| Italy: EU Blue Card | Gross salary of about €36,300 a year (2026) and the collective-agreement minimum; outside the quota system estimate Source: Arletti Partners: EU Blue Card minimum salary in Italy |
| Spain: Work permit | The employer applies; a labour market test applies unless the job is on the shortage list; first permit 1 year, renewals 4 years Source: Hoja 12 – Autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena (Ministerio de Inclusión) · El Gobierno aprueba un nuevo reglamento de extranjería (Ministerio de Inclusión press release) |
| Spain: EU Blue Card | Salary of at least €41,356.36 a year (1.4× the average salary, 2026), or €33,085.09 for recent graduates and shortage occupations; handled by the UGE, permits up to 3 years Source: Tarjeta azul-UE: la Orden PJC/44/2026 fija el umbral salarial mínimo (laboral-social.com) · Nota informativa: modificaciones introducidas en la Ley 14/2013 por la Ley de empresas emergentes (ECIJA) |
| Italy: Where to apply | Long-stay (D) visas come from the Italian consulate for your US state of residence; a tourist stay cannot be turned into a residence permit in Italy Source: Consulate General of Italy in New York: digital nomad / remote worker visa · Italian Foreign Ministry: rights and duties of D-visa holders (Jun 2026) |
| Spain: Digital nomad permit length | Visa from a consulate for up to 1 year, or a residence permit of up to 3 years applied for inside Spain at the UGE (also during a visa-free stay), decided in 20 working days; renewals of 2 years with no overall cap Source: Regulación de la residencia de nómadas digitales (Sepin) · Consulate General of Spain in Houston – Telework Visa (Digital Nomad Visa) · Consulate General of Spain in Washington – Telework (Digital nomad) Visa |
| Italy: Digital nomad / remote worker visa | At least €24,789 a year; a degree, licensed profession or 5 years' experience (3 for IT); 6 months of remote work; insurance of at least €30,000; 1 year, renewable Source: Consulate General of Italy in New York: digital nomad / remote worker visa · Embassy of Italy in Washington: digital nomad / remote worker visa |
| Spain: Digital nomad visa | Gross income of at least 200% of the minimum wage — €34,188 a year in 2026 (about €2,849 a month; US consulates quote €2,442 × 14) — plus 75% of the minimum wage for the first family member and 25% for each other; a degree or 3 years of experience; at least 3 months with your employer or clients, an employer operating for 1 year, and freelancers may earn up to 20% from Spanish clients Source: Consulate General of Spain in Washington – Telework (Digital nomad) Visa · Consulate General of Spain in Houston – Telework Visa (Digital Nomad Visa) |
| Italy: Elective residence visa | About €31,000 a year of passive income per adult (US consulates ask about €62,000 for a couple); registered lease or deed; no work of any kind, including remote work Source: Consulate General of Italy in Houston: elective residence visa checklist (Dec 2025) · Embassy of Italy in Washington: elective residence visa |
| Spain: Non-lucrative visa | Passive income or savings of 400% of IPREM — €2,400 a month or €28,800 a year in 2026 — plus €600 a month (€7,200 a year) per dependant; no work of any kind, including remote work Source: Consulate General of Spain in New York – Non-Working Residence Visa · Consulate General of Spain in Chicago – Non-Lucrative Residence Visa |
| Italy: Investor visa | €250,000 in an innovative startup, €500,000 in an Italian company, €1 million donation or €2 million in Italian government bonds; no property route Source: Embassy of Italy in Pretoria: Investor Visa for Italy |
| Spain: Golden visa | Closed: Organic Law 1/2025 repealed the investor visa from 3 April 2025. Applications filed before that date are decided under the old rules, and existing holders can renew Source: Inversores – Unidad de Grandes Empresas (Ministerio de Inclusión) |
| Italy: Italia Startup Visa | €50,000 of funds for a new innovative startup; nulla osta from the MIMIT committee in about 30 days; free to apply Source: Italia Startup Visa: guidelines (MIMIT) · Italia Startup Visa: official site (MIMIT) |
| Spain: Entrepreneur permit | For an innovative business with a favourable ENISA report; visa for 1 year or a permit of up to 3 years applied for inside Spain at the UGE, decided in 20 working days Source: Nota informativa: modificaciones introducidas en la Ley 14/2013 por la Ley de empresas emergentes (ECIJA) · Consulate General of Spain in Houston – Telework Visa (Digital Nomad Visa) · Billin - La visa de emprendedor en España (Ley 14/2013) |
| Italy: Permanent residence | EU long-term permit after 5 years: no more than 6 months away in a row or 10 months in total, A2 Italian and enough income Source: Assolombarda: EU long-term residence permit |
| Spain: Long-term residence | After 5 years of continuous legal residence (no absence over 6 months, 10 months in total), with health insurance and sufficient resources; card renewed every 5 years Source: Hoja 50 – Autorización de residencia de larga duración UE (Ministerio de Inclusión) |
| Italy: Citizenship by residence | 10 years of legal residence, B1 Italian and enough income; €250 fee; dual citizenship allowed Source: InfoImmigrazione: citizenship by residence (Jul 2026) · Chamber of Deputies: Italian citizenship law — current rules |
| Spain: Citizenship | 10 years of legal, continuous residence for Americans (2 for Ibero-American countries, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea; 1 if married to a Spaniard), plus the DELE A2 Spanish and CCSE civics exams Source: Código Civil (BOE) arts. 22–23 · Instituto Cervantes – Nacionalidad española (DELE A2 y CCSE) |
| Italy: Healthcare | Workers are enrolled in the national health service (SSN) for free; retirees and others not working in Italy pay at least €2,000 a year to join voluntarily (since 2024) Source: Arletti Partners: voluntary national health service enrolment (€2,000 minimum) |
| Spain: Healthcare | Workers and the self-employed are covered by the public SNS; others can buy in through the Convenio Especial after 1 year on the padrón — €60 a month under 65, €157 from 65 Source: Convenio especial de prestación de asistencia sanitaria (Ministerio de Sanidad) |
| Italy: 7% regime for pensioners | 7% on all foreign income for 10 years if you receive a foreign pension and move to a southern town of up to 30,000 people (since April 2026); no Italian tax on foreign assets Source: Fiscomania: 7% flat tax for foreign pensioners — towns up to 30,000 · Il Sole 24 Ore: no foreign-asset reporting for the 7% regime |
| Spain: Beckham regime | 24% on employment income up to €600,000 (47% above) for the year of arrival plus 5 years, if you were not resident in the previous 5 years and move for a job, remote work (incl. the digital nomad visa), a directorship or an innovative business — not for non-lucrative visa holders. Optional: file Modelo 149 within 6 months of starting work Source: Artículo 93 Ley del IRPF (Iberley – consolidated text) · Modelo 149 – Instrucciones para cumplimentar la comunicación (Agencia Tributaria) |
| Italy: Usual company type | SRL (limited liability company): €10,000 standard capital, or €1–9,999 if fully paid in cash; notarial deed Source: Civil Code art. 2463 (SRL capital) |
| Spain: SL (limited company) | Minimum capital €1 since October 2022, fully paid in; below €3,000, 20% of profits must go to a reserve and founders are liable for the shortfall up to €3,000 if the company is wound up Source: Uría Menéndez - La Ley Crea y Crece: menos trabas y costes para crear, operar y financiar negocios · Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2010, Ley de Sociedades de Capital (consolidated) |
| Italy: Corporate taxes | IRES 24% plus regional IRAP 3.9% (4.82% in Lazio) Source: PwC Tax Summaries: Italy — corporate income tax · InformazioneFiscale: regional IRAP rates |
| Spain: Corporate tax | 25% standard; in 2026 companies under €10M turnover pay 23% and under €1M 19% on the first €50,000 and 21% above; new companies 15% for their first 2 profitable years and certified startups 15% for up to 4 Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries - Spain: Taxes on corporate income (reviewed 30 Jun 2026) |
| Italy: US tax treaty | Signed 1999, in effect since 2010; US citizens still file US returns Source: Accounting Today: the US–Italy tax treaty enters into force |
| Spain: US tax treaty | Signed 1990; the 2013 protocol has applied since 27 November 2019 — dividends 15%, 5% (10%+ holding) or 0% (80%+); the US still taxes its citizens Source: Treasury Announces Entry into Force of Tax Treaty Protocols with Japan and Spain (US Treasury) · PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries - Spain: Withholding taxes |
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Rome or Madrid — Let's Decide Together
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