In October 2023, Milan was by far the most expensive city in Italy to rent a dwelling. In fact, people wishing to rent an apartment or a house in the city were expected to pay almost ** euros per square meters. Following in the ranking, came Florence and Bologna with **** and ** euros per square meter. Rome, the Eternal City, came fifth: renting a dwelling in the Italian capital cost on average **** euros per square meter.

According to a June 2025 study, Como was the most expensive city in Italy to book an overnight stay in a four-star hotel, with an average price per night of roughly *** euros. Venice reported the second-highest figure that month, with an average price per night of over *** euros.

This statistic illustrates the average room rates in the top 12 most expensive travel destinations in Italy in 2017. According to the study, Venice was the most expensive destination in the country (*** euro per night for a hotel room), followed by Milan (*** euro per night) and Florence (*** euro per night).

This statistic illustrates the most expensive cities to rent a single room in Italy in 2018 and in 2019. When comparing the two years, it results that average rents increased over time in every city, except for Bari. According to the study results, Milan was the most expensive city in both years, with the average monthly rent for a single room exceeding *** euros: renters paid on average *** euros per month in 2019, not including utilities. The second most expensive city was Rome (*** euros), followed by Bologna (*** euros) and Florence (*** euros). The city with the lowest average monthly rent was Catania with *** euros for a single room.

According to an October 2024 study, the most expensive ski destination in Italy was Cortina d'Ampezzo at an average price of roughly *** euros a day, which included the cost of a ski pass and accommodation. Second in the ranking was Val Gardena (Gröden) at around *** euros a day.

In 2024, a square meter of retail space in Venice cost on average ***** euros, making it the most expensive city in Italy for retailers. The ranking presented in the graph shows that Milan, the Italian fashion capital, came second, with an average price per square meter of ***** euros. When looking at office space, Venice boasted again the highest prices in Italy. In this real estate segment, second in the ranking was Milan, followed by Rome. Residential real estate in Venice Venice is not only the most expensive city in Italy for office and retail spaces, but it also boasts some of the highest prices for residential properties. Residential dwellings on the island can fetch up to ***** euros per square meter, with the most expensive areas being the districts San Marco and Rialto. Renting is not very affordable either: a flat in the two districts can cost up to 20 euros per square meter per month, depending on the neighborhood. Why is Venice so expensive? Space in Venice is limited, and the city island became the victim of its own success. Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, the number of overnight stays in Venice had grown twofold since 2003. The unavailability of space for new constructions and the increasing pressure exerted by tourism pushed prices up in all real estate sectors. Due to many tourists visiting from all over the world, it should not come as a surprise that retailers and investors want to seize the chance to own a space in one of the most famous cities in the world.

In 2024, Venice was the most expensive city to buy office space in Italy: the average price was 3,791 euros per square meter. According to the ranking, the second most expensive city was Milan, followed by Rome, and Naples. Overall, cities in southern Italy offered lower prices: office space in Catania, for example, cost on average 1,345 euros per square meter. Retail space more expensive than office space According to the same report, published by the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), retail spaces are more expensive than office spaces. For example, one square meter for retail use in Venice cost as much as 4,779 euros in 2024, approximately 1000 euros more than office spaces. In Milan the gap was also similar to the one in Venice. Retailers there could expect to pay on average approximately 4,258 euros per square meter, around 600 euros more than the price asked for office spaces. Milan and Rome are prime locations Due to their population size and their role as the leading economic centers, Milan and Rome are the most well-off cities in the country. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that both cities boast the highest prices in all segments of the real estate market. In 2022, a new dwelling in Milan cost on average 4,214 euros per square meter; one in Rome approximately 3,359 euros per square meter.

In 2019, via Montenapoleone in Milan ranked as the most expensive retail location in Italy. The average yearly rent in the Milanese luxury shopping street was as high as 13.7 thousand euros per square meter. Via Condotti in Rome came second in the ranking with an average yearly rent per square meter of 12.5 thousand euros. Calle San Moisè in Venice and via Roma in Florence completed the ranking. These shopping locations host the most famous luxury brands worldwide, which also makes them a popular attraction among tourists.

Retail spaces in Italian cities

When considering the average price for retail space in Italian cities, the scenario changes. In 2019, a square meter for retail space in Venice cost on average 4.3 thousand euros, making it the most expensive city in Italy for retailers. Milan, the Italian fashion capital, and Naples followed in the list, with an average price per square meter of 3.5 thousand and 2.9 thousand euros, respectively.

Prices for residential real estate in Italian cities

Considering the average price for residential properties in major Italian cities, the scenario is different once again. According to data from 2020, Milan was by far the most expensive city in Italy to purchase a residential property. In fact, people looking to buy an apartment or a house in the Italian capital of fashion could expect to pay on average 4.7 thousand euros per square meter. Florence followed in the ranking (four thousand euros per square meter), and Rome (3.2 thousand euros per square meter). Venice came fourth: purchasing a dwelling in the island city cost on average 3.1 thousand euros per square meter.

The highest average price for residential property in Italy in October 2025 was registered in the region of Trentino South-Tyrol, followed by Liguria and Aosta Valley. These three regions ranked as the most expensive in the country also because of their strategic position, natural beauty and peculiarity. These characteristics make them economically successful and, from a touristic point of view, appealing to a wealthy public. In Trentino South-Tyrol, the square meter price of residential real estate was over ***** euros, over ***** euros above the country average. Lombardy: the most active market in the sector The region of Lombardy (which includes Milan) might not be as exclusive as the regions mentioned above, but its real estate market is the most active in Italy. In 2024, Lombardy registered over 151,000 transactions in the residential real estate segment. Moreover, the total value of these transactions amounted to almost ** billion euros. Milan, an attractive destination for investments Thanks to its role as a capital of business and finance as well as an innovation hub, Milan was able to attract human capital and investments, both domestic and foreign. The ability to grow and innovate was also reflected in the city’s real estate market, the most dynamic in the country. The number of transactions in residential real estate in Milan increased steadily since 2012 and so did prices: some areas of the city are among the most expensive in the country to buy a property.

The average price for properties for sale in the Italian municipality of Milan increased steadily between December 2016 and October 2024. Milan is one of the most expensive cities for real estate in Italy, with the sales price of residential real estate significantly exceeding the country average. Starting at ***** euros per square meter in December 2016, the average price of a square meter of property increased to ***** euros by October 2024.

This statistic illustrates the top ten most expensive domestic holiday destinations in Italy in 2016, ranked by accommodation price in euros. According to the study results, Venice was the most expensive Italian destination for a city trip: the average price for a double bedroom in 2016 was *** euros. Located in Southern Italy, Sorrento and Taormina were the second and third most expensive destinations.

Renting a bed in a double room is a cheap solution many students and workers resort to when looking for accommodation. This statistic shows the average monthly rent in 2020 in Italian cities that host one or more universities. Milan was the most expensive city to live in in this respect, with an average rent of *** euros per person. Rome came second in the list, with tenants of double rooms spending *** euros each on average. Palermo was the city in which double rooms were the cheapest, with an average monthly rent of only *** euros.

This statistic illustrates the average daily prices of long-term rentals in selected Italian cities in the period from the second half 2016 to the second half 2017. According to the study, the most expensive city for long-term rentals in the second half of 2017 was Milan, where renting a flat cost on average ** euro per day.

This statistic illustrates the average daily prices of short-term rentals in selected Italian cities in the period from the second half 2016 to the second half 2017. According to the study, the most expensive city for short-term rentals was Venice, where renting a flat cost on average *** euro per day in the second half of 2017.

The average price for properties for sale in Florence, Italy increased steadily between December 2016 and May 2020 after which it experienced significant fluctuation. After declining to ***** euros per square meter in February 2022, the average price of properties for sale in the Italian city increased, reaching its peak in October 2024 at around ***** euros. Florence is one of the most expensive cities for real estate in Italy, with the sales price of residential real estate significantly exceeding the country average.

This statistic illustrates the year-on-year change in the average hotel room rate in the top 12 most expensive travel destinations in Italy between Q3 2017 and Q3 2018. According to the study, Bologna and Venice registered the highest percentage increase in average hotel rates (*** percent), whereas Caserta and Verona recorded decrease of the hotel rates (**** and ***** percent, respectively).

According to a 2025 study, Ferrara was the Italian city with the highest average occupancy rate in four-star hotels in May 2025, with an average occupancy rate of **** percent. Meanwhile, Venice was one of the most expensive Italian cities based on the average price of four-star hotels in June 2025. The occupancy rate is a key metric used in the hotel industry. It is calculated by dividing the number of occupied rooms by the number of available rooms in a specific period and multiplying by 100 to obtain a percentage.

Giudecca, one of the most popular areas in Venice, had an average rent for residential properties higher than in any other area in 2024. In October, the square meter rent cost on average approximately ***** euros per month. Venice ranks among the most expensive cities in Italy to rent residential real estate properties, second only to Milan and Florence, which together with the city island is one of the touristic hotspots of Italy. Renting or buying?  When faced with the choice of buying or renting a house, Italians prefer by far the option of purchasing and therefore owning their own home. Moreover, in the last few years, conditions have been favorable for people willing to purchase a house. House prices in Italy decreased steadily since 2012 and so did interest rates on new mortgage loans, making it cheaper for people to buy their own house or to invest in residential properties.   Residential real estate in Italy  Despite these favorable conditions, the residential real estate market in Italy has not fully recovered since the 2008 financial crisis. However, positive signs can be seen: the number of transactions increased steadily after reaching an all-time low in 2013. Moreover, low prices in many Italian cities attract individuals interested in purchasing residential real estate for investment.

The prime rent for retail real estate in Rome and Milan increased for all property types in 2023. As of the fourth quarter of the year, high street shops had a prime rent of ***** euros per square meter per year. Renting a retail park was a notably more affordable, at *** euros per square meter. Overall, Rome and Milan were some of the most expensive places to rent retail real estate in Europe.

The average sale price of residential real estate in the inner-city center of Turin, Italy, amounted to roughly ***** euros per square meter in October 2024, making it the most expensive area for housing in the city. In comparison, housing in Le Vallette, Lucento, Madonna di Campagna, Borgo Vittoria, and, Parco Dora, which were among the most affordable areas, cost approximately ***** euros per square meter. The Piedmont region, where Turin is located, has a lower than the average for the country property price.