The national average: how much you earn in Italy
The average gross annual salary (RAL) in the private sector in 2025 was €32,991, 3.6% more than the previous year, with inflation at 1.5%. In monthly terms that is about €2,749 gross over 12 payments, and the annual net is around €24,000.
The figure places Italy 23rd out of 34 OECD countries, 16.6% below the European average of about €40,000 gross. The tax burden on gross pay (22.1%) also exceeds the EU average (16.6%).
There is a contextual nuance: pay has been growing faster than prices for two years, but the purchasing power lost between 2015 and 2025 (salaries +15% vs prices +22.6%) has not yet been fully recovered.
The regional map: the north pays 15% more
The north-south difference is structural: €34,119 average RAL in the north, €32,746 in the centre and €29,777 in the south and islands. The gap between north and south is about €4,400 per year, close to 15%.
By region, Lombardy leads with €35,137, followed by Liguria (€34,008), Piedmont (€32,361), Emilia-Romagna (€32,268) and Lazio (€32,220). In the south, Campania stands at €29,296, Puglia at €29,076, Calabria at €28,010 and Basilicata at €27,232.
Milan is the location with the highest salaries and also the most expensive for rent. The practical implication: the same role costs 10-15% more if your office is in Milan than in the south.
Average salary by sector
Financial services is the highest-paying sector, with an average RAL of €45,461. It is followed by utilities (€34,861), process industry (€33,710) and manufacturing (€33,349).
At the lower end are services (€30,752), retail (€30,527), construction (€28,709) and agriculture (€26,518). In 2026 the best-paid profiles are concentrated in technology and artificial intelligence, finance and management, engineering and supply chain, and specialised technicians.
From gross to net: how much reaches your pocket
An employee with a RAL of €33,350 earns about €2,566 gross per month and takes home around €1,863 net, according to JobPricing data. Progressive IRPEF and employee social contributions, around 10%, are applied to gross pay.
Watch out for the pay structure: Italian salaries are usually paid in 13 monthly instalments (the tredicesima is received in December) and some collective agreements add a 14th. The more instalments, the lower the monthly net, even though the annual amount does not change.
What it costs you to hire in Italy in 2026
On top of gross pay, the company pays INPS contributions of around 30%, plus the TFR (6.91% per year accrued as deferred severance) and, depending on the sector, training funds and insurance. As a general rule, the total cost of an employee is around 1.4-1.5 times their net salary.
From 7 June 2026, the European pay transparency directive requires salary ranges to be stated in job adverts. Use the average benchmark for your sector to anchor the range: offering well below market rate only delays hiring, and the collective agreement (CCNL) remains the source that sets the minimums for each sector.
