The HONEST Cost of Living in SICILY: Our Personal Breakdown

In today’s video, we provide an honest overview of the cost of living in Sicily based on our personal experiences.

Sicily, with its sun-drenched landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture, undeniably casts a spell on many. Whether you envision a permanent escape or an extended sabbatical, the allure of island life is undeniable. However, beneath the surface of this Mediterranean paradise lies the practical reality of daily living.

Before succumbing entirely to Sicily’s charm, conducting a thorough financial assessment is essential. The cost of living is a crucial factor in determining the feasibility of your move. This extends beyond housing and utilities to encompass the everyday expenses that can significantly impact your budget.

To provide a clear financial roadmap, we’ve compiled a comprehensive breakdown of living costs in Sicily. Drawing from our firsthand experience, we offer real-world examples to help you visualize your potential expenses.

We aim to empower you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and ensure a smooth transition to your new Sicilian life.

Let’s dive into the details to help you determine if Sicily is a financially viable dream.

▶️ Video Chapters:
00:00 – Cost of Living in Sicily
00:36 – Misconception about Sicily Cost
00:44 – Sicily Housing Costs
01:25 – Clarification about Current Location
01:46 – Water and Sewer Costs
02:16 – Garbage and Recycling System
02:58 – Electricity Costs 04:06 – Gas Costs
04:59 – Internet Costs
05:23 – Cell Phone Service
06:13 – Car Insurance / HDI
06:40 – Fuel Costs (Gas/Diesel)
07:28 – Medical and Dental Costs
08:58 – Grocery Costs
09:57 – Entertainment and Dining Out
11:06 – Monthly Budget Recommendation
11:44 – Additional Fees to Consider (Exchange Rate, Transfer Fees)
12:03 – Conclusion – Is Sicily affordable

Cost of Living in Sicily

Join us as we break down the honest cost of living in Sicily and share our personal experience along the way. When we decided to move to Sicily, everyone seemed to have a different idea of what it would take to live in Sicily. Some said it would be ridiculously cheap, while others warned we would lose everything in a couple months.

Misconception about Sicily Cost

But what’s the reality? Today we’ll be completely transparent about our experience living in Sicily. And we’re going to dive into the real cost including rent, groceries, and all the other expenses that add up. We’ll give you a breakdown of what you can really expect to pay.

One of the biggest misconceptions about living in Sicily is that it’s super cheap. It actually depends.

Sicily Housing Costs

So let’s start off with the biggest one which is rent. For our three-bedroom, two-bath apartment, that was 1,500 square feet, beautiful villa, I’ll link the description for the tour. How much rent? €600 for the rent and €600 for the deposit. Security deposit, that’s right. We paid €1,200 to get in, to be able to move in. And so it’s incredibly affordable to live in Sicily. You can get a three-bedroom, two-bath, and you’re talking marble floors, beautiful furnishings, fully furnished. You can look at the video, but anyway, very, very affordable.

Clarification about Current Location

A quick edit to clarify that we are currently in Texas with family. And if I say ‘here in Sicily’ or speak in present tense, it’s because we’re putting ourselves in the villa we lived in to fully discuss the cost with you. We’ve already got our one-way ticket to go back, and we’ll give you details in an upcoming video. Back to the costs.

UTILITIES

Water and Sewer Costs

Okay. The next category is water and sewer. What are the costs there? Nothing because they have a well. Yes, well water, and we use the water from the tap, well water, to cook and to clean and to shower. But if we use water for cooking that we don’t drain — like for pasta where you drain the water, we use tap water. But if it’s water that stays in a broth or a soup or something like that, that’s not going to cook out, I use bottled water for that.

Garbage and Recycling System

Next category is garbage. What do we pay for garbage? €25 a month. €25 a month, and that’s including a huge recycling system, guys. Talk about culture shock. There are so many different categories. I had to get an app on my phone to figure it all out of what they picked up when. You’re talking organic, paper, plastic, metal, glass, differenziata, which is a general non-recyclable trash. And they pick up different items on different days. It is incredible. I’ll tell you this: I was pleasantly surprised about how efficient their system was for picking up the garbage, so well done, Sicily.

Electricity Costs

The next category is electric costs. What do we pay for utilities in electric? Now, before I get into the price, we have a company, and it’s called Iren Luce. And the electric that we use would be: running our fans, AC during the summer, the washing machine, and the lights. Because we have gas heating. We have a pump outside that’s electric but it actually uses the electric pump to pull up the gas from the big cistern down below. And our radiator is filled with hot water which is heated by gas. But the little pump to heat — or to pull the gas up is electric which wouldn’t be much. Anyway, that’s what we use electric for. And how much do we pay? It runs about €110 a month.

Okay. €110 a month, and that’s paid every two months for this company, right? Right. Okay. €220 every two months averages out to about €110 per month. And like I said, we do run our AC during the summer, about two to three months.

Gas Costs

Next is gas, and we use a company called ButanGas for the gas line. And we have a stove in the kitchen that uses that gas and also it fills the radiators for heat. We use ButanGas for heat and so all of the radiators use that. And then outside, the little stove outside, we use a bombola, a tank, a gas tank that we get refilled which is how much? About €29 a month. €29 a month to cook on the stove outside, and we do that quite a bit. So that’s a separate cost. But the ButanGas, the gas company that comes and fills the cistern, and the main source of gas, is how much, Croce? It’s €150, every two months about 75 each month. Okay. Very good.

LIFESTYLE

Internet Costs

Next category is internet. And I work from home doing transcription so I’m downloading audio, video, and I’ve never had an issue. The company we use is Wishnet, and we got service for €17 a month. They’ve gone up now to about 18.99, but I’ll tell you, I’ve never, ever had an issue. So I highly recommend Wishnet.

Cell Phone Service

Next is cell phone service. Now, we have two phones that were unlocked when we came to Sicily, and we use a company in town called ho. And it’s h-o, and it’s lowercase, and you don’t pronounce the h, so it’s just, ho, right? Ho, right. And we actually paid €8 per phone, per month, so €16 per month. They’ve gone up slightly, I believe. But right now they’re offering a special in July for €5.99. And I believe that it’s 100 gigs with unlimited minutes and text so that’s a really good offer. They run specials, and you can really get in at a good time when they run those. Because that’s good for a full year, I think, before the price changes. So €8 per month, per line, and that’s a whole lot cheaper than Texas for sure.

Car Insurance / HDI

Next up is car insurance which is definitely a big one. We paid for the whole year to save a little bit, and we went with HDI Insurance Agency. They’re all over Sicily. And what was the cost? €900 a year, about 75 a month. 75 a month, but we paid all of it up front. I think it’s a little more if you go the monthly route.
I think they give you a big discount if you go by the year.

Fuel Costs (Gas/Diesel)

Okay. Fuel costs for the car; gas, diesel. Well, we have a Toyota Yaris, and it’s very good on diesel. It takes diesel, and it’s a semi-automatic transmission. And we go all over Carini, nearby towns, to Palermo once a week, and we spend about how much per month? About €70 a month. €70 a month; that’s average, some a little more, some a little less. And it’s actually about €1.69 per liter which ends up being $6.40 cents per gallon. So it’s a lot more per gallon. It sounds astronomical. But when you can drive around for a month for €70, that’s a really good deal, I think. Yes. Really good.

Medical and Dental Costs

Let’s talk about medical costs. If you want private doctors, you can certainly get them and pay out of pocket here in Sicily. Croce and I are both Italian citizens, and we are eligible for the socialized medicine here. It’s free to citizens but the system is really good. The medical system is good, and we have not had any issues. It’s mostly free. You might have little co-pays here and there.

For example, I twisted my ankle. I hurt my ankle, and I went to an ortho and had to get x-rays. Well, the whole thing: the exam, the x-rays, and the radiologist reading the x-rays, all of that cost us €30. So it’s a really affordable way to go. Yes. Now, for non-citizens, it would be different. You could get international medical coverage, whatever, but it’s very good in Sicily.

Okay. Let’s talk about our dentist. Your brother recommended a dentist. Yes. I had an incident where I have a crown on a bottom molar. It popped off because I grind my teeth slightly at night. And it bore a little hole in the crown so it popped off. And I called, and I got in the same day for an appointment. They took me the very same day. And they repaired the crown. They put on the crown and sealed it. And we were home within 45 minutes, and it cost how much? About €50. €50 for that whole dentist appointment. Unbelievable.

Grocery Costs

Let’s talk about our favorite topic: groceries. We love to eat in Sicily. And our budget for the month for everything is how much? About €320 a month. Okay. And that includes fresh meat, fish, veggies, fruit, everything, dry goods. Now, this is not including cleaning products, cosmetics, or miscellaneous items like that for the house. That’s not including that. But we get fresh swordfish every week. It’s incredibly affordable, and you can find amazing deals on fresh fish, meat, and cheese, you name it.

Now, the imported items out of season are expensive so you need to be aware about that. But we have thoroughly enjoyed shopping in Sicily for groceries. The meat is so fresh. The vegetables are tasty. The fruit is so sweet and juicy. And we buy everything local, zero-kilometer, they say. And we have thoroughly enjoyed eating in Sicily.

Entertainment and Dining Out

Next category is entertainment and eating out. We love to eat out. We eat out about once a week, don’t we? Yes. And we head over to — less than a mile away is — what’s the name of that place again? Fratelli Candela. Fratelli Candela, and I always get a bacon cheeseburger with super duper everything on the side. I don’t get the bun. I don’t eat the bread, but it is a huge cheeseburger with bacon, and caramelized onions, and lettuce, tomato, and everything. It’s so delicious. And you usually get what, pizza? Yes, the pizza, the margarita pizza. Margarita pizza. And we get two bottles of the fizzy drink. Full waitress service, and we get out of there for €15. Anyway, we do that once a week. And not just there, but we go out once a week.

And then sometimes museums fees, entrance fees are incredibly affordable, and sometimes events, if we want to tour something. So our budget for the month is between €75 and €100 per month to eat out, enjoy different restaurants, and trattorias, and events, and have fun.

Monthly Budget Recommendation

So what’s our budget for the month to live comfortably in Sicily? Well, we recommend, based on our experience, that you would budget €1,500 per month for a couple. We spend less than that, but that’s to live very comfortably. You could definitely get a place cheaper than what we got. You could get €350, €400 for a two-bedroom, one-bedroom, with one bath, in town or even out in the rural areas. And you can definitely get housing cheaper than what we got. So it’s definitely doable for €1,500 per month in Sicily.

Now, remember to factor in the exchange rate of the dollar. Because the dollar to euros, because you’re going to lose a little bit on that. And then also, if you use a transfer service, like Wise, there are fees associated with that. So you have to factor those fees and things into your budget for the total.

Conclusion – Is Sicily affordable?

So in conclusion, living in Sicily can be an incredible experience with its stunning landscapes, rich culture, delicious food, and such warm, friendly people. It may not be the cheapest place in all of Europe, but it’s definitely an affordable solution for a lot of folks.

We appreciate you watching. If you have any questions, let us know. If you have experience in Sicily, in Italy, let us know that, too. We’d love to know what your experience has been. Thank you for watching. Please like and subscribe, and see you in the next video.