{"id":871972,"date":"2026-08-28T22:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T22:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/871972\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T22:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T22:52:13","slug":"aussie-who-left-good-life-in-australia-reveals-10000-cost-of-moving-to-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/871972\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie who left ‘good life’ in Australia reveals $10,000 cost of moving to Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Australian woman who walked away from her established life<\/a> and moved to Italy<\/a> alone at 40 has revealed the true costs behind the huge move as more people look to escape to the European country.<\/p>\n

Stefanie Reilly, who now runs a business helping people navigate a move<\/a> to Italy, told Yahoo News that a growing cohort of people are contacting her about escaping Australia.<\/p>\n

She has since spoken to more than 100 Australians considering doing the same<\/a> \u2014 and around two-thirds are women.<\/p>\n

The majority are in their 40s and 50s and are questioning what they want<\/a> the next 10 or 20 years of their life to look like.<\/p>\n

Some are coming out of relationships, others have older children or more flexible careers, while others haven’t experienced any major life upheaval at all.<\/p>\n

“They’ve just reached a point where they’re questioning whether they want to keep doing the same thing for the next 10 or 20 years,” Stefanie said.<\/p>\n

“There doesn’t always have to be some huge event that makes you want to change your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Sometimes you just decide you want to experience something else.”<\/p>\n

The decision to start again overseas<\/p>\n

For years, Stefanie had talked about living in Italy and properly learning the language, but there was always a reason not to.<\/p>\n

\"Stefanie<\/p>\n

After more than a year in Italy, Stefanie Reilly says she has no regrets about making the move at 40. Source: Supplied<\/p>\n

She had her own company, close friends, family and an established life in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

Then, after a trip to Europe in 2025 coincided with the end of a relationship and some career restlessness, she began looking at her future differently.<\/p>\n

“I was close to 40 and suddenly my future didn’t look like I had pictured,” she said.<\/p>\n

Rather than trying to recreate her life in Victoria’s capital, she decided to do something completely different.<\/p>\n

“I decided I could either try to recreate things again in Melbourne, or I could do something completely different and change things up.”<\/p>\n

A month after turning 40, she moved to Italy alone.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Stefanie<\/p>\n

Stefanie Reilly says around two-thirds of the more than 100 Australians who have contacted her about moving to Italy are women. Source: Supplied<\/p>\n

She arrived in February 2025 and eventually settled in Lecce, Puglia, where she completed the process of obtaining Italian citizenship through her Italian mother.<\/p>\n

“I wasn’t escaping a bad life. I had a good life in Australia. I’d just reached a point where I was ready to do something completely different,” she said.<\/p>\n

The financial reality of moving overseas<\/p>\n

Moving her life from Melbourne<\/a> to Italy came with a string of costs Stefanie hadn’t fully anticipated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She spent about $1,800 on her flight, $800 for help packing up her home, and another $500 on moving costs.<\/p>\n

Her Italian citizenship process cost more than $6,000, while setting up her new home meant paying $1,300 a month (\u20ac800) a month in rent, plus an agency fee and two months’ rent upfront.<\/p>\n

She also underestimated how little she would work initially, spending much of her first seven months living off savings and freelance work.<\/p>\n

“You’re basically setting your whole life up again in another country, and it all adds up,” she said.<\/p>\n

Her housing costs are now considerably lower than in Melbourne, where she was paying nearly double for a one-bedroom apartment in South Yarra.<\/p>\n

The reality behind the dream<\/p>\n

Stefanie’s own experience eventually led her to launch To Italy & Back<\/a>, helping others navigate the practicalities of relocating.<\/p>\n

But she is quick to warn that moving overseas isn’t an extended holiday.<\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED<\/p>\n

\"Restaurant<\/p>\n

Stefanie Reilly eventually settled in Lecce, Puglia, where she completed her Italian citizenship process and began building a new life. Source: Supplied<\/p>\n

“The biggest misconception is probably that moving to Italy means your life suddenly becomes an extended Italian holiday,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Eventually, you still have deadlines, bills, washing, bureaucracy and bad days \u2014 you just have them with the backdrop of a piazza instead.”<\/p>\n

Stefanie has experienced loneliness, heartbreak and moments of questioning her decision, but has also built a business, travelled and made new friends.<\/p>\n

More than a year on, she knows she made the right choice, with a message for women wondering if it’s too late.<\/p>\n

“You’re absolutely not,” she stressed.<\/p>\n

“I moved here at 40, and I’m still figuring it out as I go.”<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n