Best fit by profile
For families
Australia
For tech workers
Australia
Lower budget
Italy
Faster residency
Italy
Australia vs Italy
Compare Australia and Italy across visas, costs, education, healthcare, community fit, and the path to residency.
Overall picture
Australia leads in 7 of 12 equal-weight categories.
This comparison is based on general data and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Verify details with official sources.
Data last reviewed: 2026-06-03 · 2 sources
| Category | Australia | Italy |
|---|---|---|
Visa & Entry Leads: Italy | 2/5 Points-based skilled migration; employer sponsor or 189/190 state nomination required. | 3/5 Startup Visa and elective residency are available; bureaucracy can be slow. |
Cost of Living Leads: Italy | 2/5 Sydney and Melbourne are among the most expensive cities globally. | 3/5 Affordable outside Milan; Rome and major cities are moderate. |
Housing Leads: Italy | 2/5 Median Sydney house price exceeds AUD 1.3M; rental vacancy near historic lows. | 3/5 Excellent value outside northern cities; Milan comparable to Western Europe. |
Healthcare Leads: Australia | 5/5 Medicare universal public system; world-class hospitals. | 4/5 Servizio Sanitario Nazionale provides universal coverage; quality varies by region. |
Education Leads: Australia | 5/5 Excellent public schooling; top-ranked universities. | 4/5 Good public schooling; strong international schools in major cities. |
Taxes Tied | 3/5 Progressive federal tax up to 45%; no wealth tax. | 3/5 EUR 100k flat-tax regime (Res Non-Dom) available for new residents moving to Italy. |
Safety Leads: Australia | 5/5 Consistently top-10 globally on peace index. | 4/5 Generally very safe; low violent crime rates. |
Language Leads: Australia | 5/5 English is the official language; no barrier for Hebrew-English speakers. | 2/5 Italian required for daily life outside tourist areas. |
Israeli/Jewish Community Leads: Australia | 3/5 ~120k Jewish residents; active communities in Melbourne and Sydney. | 2/5 Historic Jewish communities in Rome and Milan; approximately 30k Jews total. |
Job Market Leads: Australia | 4/5 Strong demand for tech, healthcare, and engineering professionals. | 2/5 High unemployment nationally; best for remote workers or entrepreneurs. |
Path to PR Tied | 3/5 Skilled visa holders can apply for PR after 2–4 years depending on pathway. | 3/5 EU long-term residence available after 5 years of legal stay. |
Path to Citizenship Leads: Australia | 3/5 Citizenship available after 4 years of permanent residency. | 2/5 Standard path requires 10 years; descendancy route faster for eligible applicants. |
Typical salaries (Software Engineer)
| Low | Median | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 90,000 AUD | 120,000 AUD | 160,000 AUD |
| Italy | 25,000 EUR | 35,000 EUR | 50,000 EUR |