Is 1500 €/month a Good Salary in Italy?
Around this number you'll find graduates, junior roles, and trade entrants across Italy. Comfortable in cheaper regions; tight in metro areas.
A gross salary of this level in Italy sits around the 5th percentile — entry-level for the country. After estimated tax, take-home is roughly 12,152 EUR/year.
What does this salary mean?
For Italy, 1500 € per month is a modest income. It works for a single adult in mid-cost areas, but it feels noticeably tighter in Milan-tier cities.
Annualized, that is roughly 18.000 € per year before tax — and about 12.152 € per year (1013 €/month) after estimated tax in Italy.
Supporting a family on a single income at this level in Italy is difficult — most households would need a second earner or significant cost-cutting.
Monthly affordability snapshot
Directional pressure across the main spending categories at this income in Italy.
Rent is workable in mid-cost cities; Milan still leaves a narrow margin.
Day-to-day food and household basics are covered without strain.
Owning a modest car or commuting daily is sustainable.
Realistic savings rate is low single digits — most income is consumed by essentials.
Discretionary spending is limited; most months focus on essentials.
Rent pressure
In Milan, rent alone could absorb roughly 65% of take-home — the salary will feel meaningfully tighter than in Bari. These are directional figures based on typical 1-bedroom rent benchmarks; actual rent depends heavily on neighbourhood, size, and timing.
Take-home pay context
Gross pay is what's listed on the offer; net pay is what arrives after income tax and INPS. For this level in Italy, the combined effective deduction is roughly 32%, leaving about 1013 € per month. Actual take-home varies with state/regional taxes, filing status, retirement contributions, and benefits — treat these as planning figures rather than payroll numbers.
Lifestyle tier
Covers only the most essential needs in lower-cost areas. A second income or shared housing is usually required.
Practical interpretation
- Building meaningful savings is hard without reducing rent or transport costs.
- Solo living is workable mainly with roommates or smaller-unit rentals.
- Significantly stronger in lower-cost regions than in Milan.
- Check rent and transport totals before committing to a city — they dominate the budget.
How it stacks up in Italy
What this salary means in practice
Supporting a family on a single income at this level in Italy is difficult — most households would need a second earner or significant cost-cutting.
Realistic savings rate at this level is in low single digits — most income is consumed by essentials.
Renting in Milan eats a heavy share of net pay; smaller cities like Bari feel much more sustainable.
In Milan, costs run roughly 30% above the national baseline — so the same salary feels meaningfully different than it does in Bari.
What earners at this level can usually afford
Realistic in most cities
Affordable with monthly budgeting
Possible only by saving over months
Occasional, not routine
Difficult without dual income
Hard while covering essentials
Generally out of range
Adjust the numbers
Try a different country or amount to see how the verdict shifts.
Compared against Milan cost-of-living baseline. Estimates only — not financial advice.
Other Italy salary verdicts
Go deeper
In Italy, 1500 €/month is below the national median — about 40% below the median. After ~32% in income tax and social contributions, take-home is around 1013 €/month (12.152 €/year). Living costs in Milan run noticeably higher than the national average, so the same paycheck stretches further in smaller cities.
- Below national median
- Tight for single person
- Tight for family of 4
- Moderate housing pressure
- Limited savings room
Compare nearby Italy salaries
Common questions
Last updated: 2026. Verdict uses simplified national statistics. Estimates only — not financial advice.