I left the U.S. and bought a house in Italy for $13K
A family relocated to the Abruzzo region of Italy and purchased a house for $11,500 in cash, spending an additional $15,000 on renovations. They detail their monthly living costs including preschool, utilities, and groceries, and emphasize the financial and emotional relief of owning their home outright.
Summary
The speakers have relocated to Abruzzo, Italy, located approximately 3 hours east of Rome and 2.5 hours from Naples. They purchased their home for $11,500 in cash and invested an additional $15,000 in renovations and decorating, completing much of the work themselves. The house tour reveals a living room used as the family's main gathering space, a master bedroom, a bathroom, and a daughter's bedroom decorated with vibrant colors. The kitchen is highlighted as the most colorful room in the home. The family of three maintains a cost-effective lifestyle, with preschool costing €60 per month, electricity approximately €150 monthly, and groceries around €120 per week to feed the family plus two cats and two dogs. The speakers emphasize the significant psychological and financial benefit of owning their home outright without mortgage obligations, expressing a sense of relief and completion from the cash purchase.
Key Insights
- The house was purchased for $11,500 in cash with an additional $15,000 spent on renovations, and the speakers were able to handle much of the work themselves because the renovation needs were not completely unrealistic for a DIY approach
- Full-time preschool in Abruzzo costs €60 per month, representing a significantly lower childcare cost compared to typical Western countries
- Weekly grocery expenses for a family of three plus two cats and two dogs total around €120, demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of food expenses in the region
- Monthly electricity costs are approximately €150, indicating relatively low utility expenses in this Italian region
- The speakers experience a continuous sense of relief and psychological benefit from owning their home in cash without any mortgage obligations, describing it as 'done' and requiring no further financial worry
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] We are currently living in the Abbruto region of Italy. It is about 3 hours east of Rome and about 2 and a half hours from Naples. We bought the house in cash for 11,500. And after renovations and decorating, we spent an additional 15,000 on top of that. The amount of work and the type of work that needed to be done wasn't completely unrealistic for us to handle ourselves. This is our home in Abbruto. Welcome and come on in. So, this is our living room where we naturally spend the [0:31] most amount of time together as a family. This is our master bedroom. So, this is where Alex and I sleep. This is our small…
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