Family Relocates from NYC to Italy for Affordability

In a bold move, a family tired of New York City’s high living costs decided to purchase a house in a remote Italian village for around $13,000.

Cassandra Trestle, 33, along with her husband, felt the weight of their living situation after welcoming their daughter in 2020. They reassessed their future and realized that owning a home in the Big Apple was simply unrealistic.

At that time, they were shelling out $2,000 per month to rent an apartment, which is, frankly, exorbitant by any standard. New York’s affordability crisis has driven the average age of homeowners to a concerning 58.8 years.

“I really couldn’t envision saving enough for a down payment on a house in New York,” she shared.

Instead, they targeted Italy’s Abruzzo region in 2022 to buy a house for roughly 11,500 euros (about $13,000) and made the permanent move in 2023.

“It was honestly incredible to buy a house with cash,” Trestle said, reflecting on her New York years from 2015 to 2019.

They invested an extra 15,000 euros (around $17,000) in renovations, citing that the most significant cost was redoing the plumbing, which came to about $3,000.

While many Italians might consider their village remote, the family deliberately avoided tourist hotspots, settling in a town with a population of around 1,300.

“Abruzzo really stood out to us,” Trestle explained, noting their desire to escape “mass tourism” like that found in Tuscany.

This area, they now call home, seems like an authentic small town located about three hours east of Rome.

The transition has significantly reduced their ongoing expenses.

For instance, Trestle mentioned that her daughter’s full-time preschool costs only $70 a month—a tiny fraction compared to what her friends pay in larger U.S. cities.

Monthly utility bills are manageable too—electricity hovers around $170, water around $80, and Wi-Fi costs just $15, with cell phone plans averaging $14 each.

The family has also acquired another property for just $20,000, putting another $17,000 into renovations. Her husband manages it as a rental, and they estimate an average income of about $1,100 monthly from it.

Initially, Trestle worked remotely for the same tech startup she was with in New York before taking a marketing role at a travel agency in Italy.

“I might earn less than I did with a New York company, but honestly, it feels like a better use of my time,” she remarked.

The move has transformed her perspective on life.

“I kept pondering what I wanted out of my career, and I realized I perhaps didn’t care as much as others do about climbing the ladder,” she admitted.

Living in a small town in Italy pushed them to adapt—learning the language and embracing a more relaxed lifestyle.

“Being in a small town has allowed me to slow down and realize that, really, not much matters,” she added.

They now primarily shop at a local butcher, favoring the quality of meat and cheese over what was available in the U.S.

Their grocery expenses are around $140 a week for a household that includes two cats and two dogs.

While she acknowledges missing family and friends back home, Trestle has no intention of moving back to the U.S. permanently.

“Honestly, at this point, I can’t picture living in the U.S. full-time,” she said.

Most importantly, owning a home has lifted the financial burdens that come with renting in New York, a city plagued by rising housing costs.

“The biggest feeling from buying a home here is peace of mind,” she remarked.

“We own the house outright, we pay cash, and it’s just a done deal, without the stress of rent or mortgage hanging over us,” she concluded.