Who thrives here
Ideal for
- Culture-first travelers who like living in a place with layers
- Food-obsessed nomads
- Designers, creatives, and people who read magazines about cities
Probably skip if
- Ocean-obsessed nomads
Why people move here
A Renaissance city small enough to walk end-to-end and rich enough that you never quite finish looking. Food is a real reason to come here, not a footnote. There is enough history and culture that even a six-month stay leaves you with a list of things you didn't see.
Planning a stay in Florence
A month or more in Florence is a different trip from a week's holiday. The order you sort things out in matters more than the brands you pick, so here is the sequence most long-stayers follow, with what to look out for at each step.
1. Pick your dates
The most comfortable months in Florence are Apr, May, Sep, Oct. Arriving at the start of that window gets you the weather without the peak-season rents, and gives you room to extend if you like it. Fares move a lot with weekday, so search a range of dates on Aviasales or Kiwi.com rather than a single day.
2. Plan the first day
Late arrivals are where most first-day stress comes from: no local data, an unfamiliar taxi rank, and a check-in that is still hours away. A fixed-price transfer booked ahead, for example through Kiwitaxi, removes the guesswork, and if your room is not ready you can leave bags nearby with Radical Storage.
3. Find a base, then a home
Book one or two weeks somewhere central with free cancellation, then walk the neighborhoods above before committing to a month. Furnished one-bedrooms run around €1,400/mo here; ask for a recent internet speed test and photos of the desk, and expect monthly discounts of 20-40% off nightly rates.
4. Get connected before you fly
Install a travel eSIM at home, while you still have reliable Wi-Fi, so maps and messages work at the airport. Airalo and Saily both sell data-only plans for Italy. If you stay longer than a month, a local SIM is usually cheaper, and your eSIM becomes the backup for the day the apartment Wi-Fi drops.
5. Sort insurance and money
Ordinary holiday policies often stop covering you after 30 to 90 days, so check the maximum trip length before you go and look for cover that runs by the month. If a visa is involved, confirm the policy meets its requirements. A card with low foreign exchange fees makes rent and deposits in Italy cheaper.
6. Leave the weekends open
Don't book every tour in week one. Settle in, then pick the one or two trips that matter; sites like Klook and Tiqets let you cancel most bookings a day ahead. For places outside the city, comparing rental cars on Localrent is often cheaper than a guided day trip for two people.
If a flight is delayed or cancelled, you may be owed compensation; services like AirHelp handle the claim. Our Travel Kit has the full list of tools we recommend.
What life looks like
People move to Florence looking for one thing and stay for another. They come for the affordability or the food and end up staying for a slower relationship with a place that gets more interesting the longer you look at it. The first two weeks are usually spent walking, mapping cafés, figuring out where locals actually eat. By month three most nomads have found their coworking spot, their gym, their Sunday market - and start telling everyone back home that Florence might be it.
Slow morning at a neighborhood café - flat white, laptop, no rush. Deep-work block in a coworking space or a quieter café through lunch. Afternoon errand run - market, gym, a walk through one of the older parts of Florence. Dinner at a small restaurant you found on your third day and never quite stopped going back to. Home by eleven - early enough to actually sleep.
A Renaissance city small enough to walk end-to-end and rich enough that you never quite finish looking.
Neighborhoods to live in
Oltrarno
Left bank - workshops, wine bars, still faintly local.
San Frediano
The nomad favorite - cafés, aperitivo, walkable to everything.
Sant'Ambrogio
The market neighborhood - where Florentines actually live.
San Niccolò
Below Piazzale Michelangelo, this compact riverside quarter mixes old gates, hillside lanes and lively evening tables.
Le Cure
A local market and residential streets northeast of the center give this neighborhood a more everyday Florentine feel.
Food & café scene
The food scene in Florence rewards curiosity. Neighborhood markets, small family restaurants, a few destination places for special occasions. Specialty coffee is now a serious scene here - you'll find flat whites as good as anywhere in the world.
Nightlife & evenings
Nightlife is quieter - a handful of good bars, dinners that go long, not a scene you come here for.
Activities & things to do
Museums, galleries, weekend markets, walkable historic neighborhoods.
beach
Giardino di Boboli
Behind Palazzo Pitti, formal avenues, sculpture and hillside paths turn these historic gardens into an expansive outdoor retreat.
beach
Parco delle Cascine
Florence’s long riverside park follows the Arno west of the center, with generous space for cycling and shady walks.
nightlife
Rasputin
This discreet Oltrarno cocktail bar leans into a speakeasy atmosphere and carefully composed drinks.
nightlife
Via de’ Benci
Bars line this central street near Santa Croce, making it a familiar evening meeting point for students and visitors.
Working from here
coworking
Impact Hub Florence
This established coworking community brings shared workspaces and social-innovation projects to the Rifredi area.
cafe
Ditta Artigianale
A standard-bearer for Florence’s specialty coffee scene, this local roaster is a good alternative to a hurried espresso at the counter.
cafe
Caffè Gilli
On Piazza della Repubblica, this historic cafe pairs ornate interiors with a longstanding pastry tradition.
Cost of living, in real numbers
Averages hide what actually happens on a Tuesday. Here's what everyday things cost in Florence for a nomad on the short-let lifestyle. Numbers are illustrative and can swing 20-30% by neighborhood and season, but they'll give you a realistic feel before you book a flight.
Housing is where costs move most. A furnished short-let (1-3 months) in a central area is roughly €1,400/mo. The same apartment on a 12-month local lease is typically noticeably cheaper. Book 2-3 months out and you'll pay 15-25% less than last-minute weekly rates.
Food swings the second most. Cooking most meals with a couple of dinners out per week runs around €620/mo. Eat out or order in daily and you'll add €400-700/mo on top - especially in the tourist zones.
Everything else is fairly stable. Coworking (€150-280/mo unlimited or €15-25 for a day pass), gym or yoga (€40-70/mo), local SIM with 20 GB (€10-20), and getting around town by transit or the occasional ride will together come in around €550/mo.
Weather & best months
Average around 16°C. Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
Visa & residency
EU citizens: unlimited. Others: 90/180 Schengen; Italy's digital-nomad visa launched in 2024.
Last checked: November 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- World-class food scene
- Depth - you never run out of things to see
- Very safe day and night
Cons
- Bureaucracy for long stays can be slow
- Real estate turnover is quick - good apartments go in days
