Why More Italians Are Choosing Spain Over Italy in 2025

martinagvisionfact
Sep 2, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Sep 17, 2025

The “dolce far niente” has a new address

Once upon a time Italy was the place of dreams where everyone wanted to live. The birthplace of art, of literature , the cradle of “la dolce vita “ where every day felt like living in a romantic comedy. The Italian dream for decades attracted thousands of tourists excited to taste real pasta, see the colosseum and experience the sunsets of Sicily .

The truth is that while the world was falling in love with italy , italians were packing their bags.

Students, young workers and whole families are looking for something more than what their native country can offer , and Spain apparently managed to fix what Italy has forgotten .

Spain is no longer just a tourist vacation destination, where to go to party one weekend and get drunk on Sangria: it's a prospect of a real, tangible future.

So let’s see how while the world continues to dream of the Italian” dolce vita” the Italians have found it , just a little further west.

Live to work or work to live ?

Let's leave romance aside for a moment. We all know what a postcard looks like: a historic square, a sunset on the beach and a glass of wine. A seemingly perfect image, but for an increasing number of Italians it has only one flaw: it's just an image. While everyone is busy romanticizing la dolce vita, Italians are trying to pay for it, and the bills are a nightmare.

The stark financial reality is forcing people to reconsider their entire identity. The average salary of a young Italian professional after paying rent in cities like Milan or Rome leaves just enough for an espresso and an existential crisis a day : it's like being a spectator in a magnificent theater but the ticket only allows you to sit , not to see the show. In Spain the numbers tell a different reality : consumer prices ( rents excluded) are about 22.6% lower and even rents for an apartment in a big city are 6.7% lower. Let's be honest, spanish salaries won't make you rich but they do allow one thing that's difficult in Italy : saving money and thinking about something other than how to pay the next bill.

The great career migration

Italy in recent years has perfected stagnation : for decades it has been sold the myth of the steady job, the career that is handed down from father to son, the sense of sacrifice to achieve the bare minimum.

Unfortunately, for many, this has translated into years of unpaid internships and contracts that do not even pay the bills. Youth unemployment has become one of the most pervasive problems that pushes more and more people to seek their fortune elsewhere.

But while Italy stood still, Spain moved. It has decided to invest in sectors that are not based only on the glorious past but tend to an innovative future: we are talking about tech, renewable energy and digital tourism. These are not just jobs, but careers that evolve offering real growth opportunities.

Spain overcame the post Covid crisis at a faster rate with an increase in employment of over 8% compared to Italy's 6% between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2025.

The most bitter fact is the disparity in sectoral growth: added value in the manufacturing sector has increased in Spain by 11% over the same period while in Italy it has only grown by 1%.

In Madrid, Barcelona, Cordoba the investment in startups and research centers is tangible and offers concrete opportunities unlike Italy that still seems stuck in the past.

The sad reality is that Spain offers a stage and a chance while Italy prepares a monologue destined for emptiness.

The school of life (in a different country)

For decades in Italy the path was clear : graduation, a long apprenticeship full of sacrifices and if you were lucky a permanent position a few miles from home . This supposed comfort however has become a golden cage for many .

In Spain the educational program looks like a completely different world : it is a place that has embraced international mobility and universities actively encourage students to cross their borders . The Erasmus program in particular is no longer just a simple semester abroad, but a real stepping stone to a working career and a future that was not already written in advance for the younger generation .

This reality underlines the profound difference in work mentality .

In Italy it seems that the hours spent in the office are more important than the actual quality of the work completed and private life has to adapt to the company's rhythms and not the other way around .

The concept of work life balance is much more integrated into the spanish corporate and social culture . Continuous work days ( allowing to finish at 4 or 5 p.m. ), hourly flexibility and remote work are not gifts given to employees but the norm because work is a part of life but not all .

The softest landing

But what makes Spain such an attractive destination to create a new future from Italy?

Simply the fact that you don't have to start from scratch, it's like moving in with cousins who are doing better.

In any Spanish city an Italian feels the air of home, recognizes the flavors, colors and sounds of their homeland. You don't have to learn a new body language to make yourself understood, the gestures are the same and the cultural customs are very similar. In fact, you don't even have to learn a completely new language, in a few weeks you can have basic conversations and integrate with the locals.

Even the social habits don't require a radical change: the culture of the bar as an extension of the living room at home, the sacredness of family and the love for quality food are values that are found in every corner.

There is no need to explain why a lunch lasts two hours or the meeting always starts 15 minutes later, Spain understands your sense of time and your love for food . That's the proof that ” la dolce vita “still exists, but to find it, sometimes you just have to cross a border and find yourself among cousins.

Home, but with a future

The story of young Italians in Spain is one of maturity, not of escape. For an entire generation, Italy has been a long, beautiful promise that, through no one's fault, simply wasn't kept. The beauty of cities, the warmth of families, the richness of history are still there, but they can no longer compensate for the need for a concrete future.

This isn't about abandoning one's roots, but allowing those roots to grow on more fertile soil.

In Spain, you can find an economy that runs a little faster, a job market that rewards talent in new fields, and a culture that, while familiar, has embraced flexibility and balance.

In the end, the story of young Italians in Spain proves that one can be fiercely Italian without necessarily living in Italy. It is not about fleeing a beloved homeland, but about finding one's way in a land that feels, surprisingly, like a second home.