Venice
Italy · Europe · 255K people
Canal city built on water, spectacular but increasingly squeezed by tourism.
Ranked #213 of 303 overall · 45.44, 12.32
Overview
With a population of around 255,000, Venice is one of Italy's notable cities, part of the wider Europe region. Its reputation is built on history, architecture and a dense cultural calendar. Venice is coastal, with the sea shaping daily life and the local economy. People who choose to settle in Venice tend to point to a strong sense of safety, a climate most people find easy to live with, and solid infrastructure for remote work as the deciding factors. Within the 103 cities we track in Europe, the regional average sits at 6.9/10, which puts Venice's 6.1/10 a little behind the regional norm. On CityMatch, Venice scores 6.1/10 overall across cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet, ranking #213 of 303 cities in our database. Its strongest single criterion is safety at 7/10, while cost of living is its softest spot at 4/10 — the full breakdown, honest trade-offs, and who this city actually suits are below.
Full scorecard
Costs add up faster than average.
Generally safe with normal precautions.
Air quality is acceptable most of the year.
A car helps for anything off the main routes.
A normal seasonal mix, nothing extreme.
Solid, unremarkable healthcare access.
Solid enough for day-to-day remote work.
Is Venice right for you?
Set your own priorities and see where it ranks against every city in the dataset.
Run the recommender →How are these scores calculated?
Every city on CityMatch is scored 1-10 on seven criteria — cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet — and those seven numbers are combined into the overall score shown throughout the site using a consistent, automated formula (an equal-weighted average by default, or your own weighting via the recommender tool). The same method is applied identically to every city, so scores are comparable across the full database.
Sources & data provenance
The current dataset is an internally curated starter dataset built for this version of the site, reflecting each city's general reputation on each criterion rather than a live feed from a single external provider. It is not yet sourced from a specific third-party API. If that changes, this section will be updated to name the exact sources in use.
Last updated: 17 July 2026
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
A 7/10 safety score puts Venice among the more reassuring cities to walk around, day or night.
Climate scores 7/10 — genuinely pleasant weather is one of the clearer reasons people choose Venice.
Healthcare scores 7/10, a meaningful factor for families, retirees, or anyone planning to stay long-term.
Trade-offs
Cost of living is the toughest line item, at 4/10 — budget accordingly, especially on rent.
Transport is the soft spot at 5/10 — plan on a car or regular rideshares rather than relying on public transit alone.
Is Venice safe?
At 7/10, safety in Venice is unremarkable in a good way: no particular risk stands out, but it's not a standout strength either.
At night
Nighttime is fine in most central areas, but it's worth checking which neighborhoods quiet down early versus stay lively and populated.
For tourists
Tourists are generally fine sticking to well-trodden areas; the usual advice about watching belongings in crowds and transit hubs applies.
For families
Safety, healthcare (7/10) and environment (6/10) together suggest a reasonable, if not exceptional, environment for families.
For solo travelers
Solo travel here is broadly fine with standard precautions; it's worth reading recent, specific traveler reports rather than relying on the city's reputation alone.
On public transport
Transport is reasonably safe day-to-day; late-night service quality and crowd levels are worth checking if you'll rely on it after dark.
Practical tips
- →Stick to well-lit, populated streets after dark, as you would in most cities.
- →Keep valuables out of sight rather than out of caution about any specific threat.
What's the climate like in Venice?
Venice scores 7/10 on climate — pleasant enough for most of the year, without being a specific draw on its own.
Seasonal character
Expect a normal four-season rhythm (or a wet/dry split closer to the equator), without extremes dominating the calendar.
Comfort level
Comfort is generally good, with the odd day or short stretch that calls for planning ahead rather than year-round ease.
Best time to live here
Shoulder-season months (spring and autumn, broadly) tend to be the safest bet if you can choose when to visit or move.
Note: this reflects our single aggregate 1-10 climate score rather than month-by-month temperature, humidity or rainfall data, which we don't currently track — treat it as a general read rather than a forecast.
Quality of life in Venice
Put together, quality of life in Venice is shaped less by any single number and more by the combination: venice doesn't lean strongly toward any particular pace — it's neither a nightlife-driven city nor a notably sleepy one, more of a middle-ground, live-and-let-live kind of place, paired with an outdoor/environment picture that's generally favorable and transport that's worth planning around.
Pace & lifestyle
Venice doesn't lean strongly toward any particular pace — it's neither a nightlife-driven city nor a notably sleepy one, more of a middle-ground, live-and-let-live kind of place.
Nature & outdoors
Outdoor time is reasonably pleasant, with environment (6/10) and climate (7/10) scores that don't get in the way, without being a specific draw either.
Getting around
Transport (5/10) has real gaps — plan on a mix of public options, walking and rideshares depending on where you end up living.
Culture & leisure
Venice is specifically known for its cultural and historical scene — museums, architecture and a dense calendar of things to do are part of its identity, not an afterthought.
Based on its actual score profile, Venice tends to suit people who prioritize safety and climate over cost of living — see "Who Venice suits" above for the specific profiles that fit best.
How clean is Venice?
Venice scores 6/10 on environment — decent air quality most of the year, without being a specific standout.
Public spaces
Public space quality isn't separately measured in our data; the environment score above is the closest proxy we have, and it points to an unremarkable, workable baseline.
Infrastructure maintenance
General infrastructure maintenance isn't a criterion we score independently, so treat any specific claims about road quality, public bins, or graffiti with caution unless they come from a recent, first-hand source.
The "environment" score behind all of this is CityMatch's single combined measure of air quality and general environmental conditions — 10 meaning consistently clean air, 1 meaning significant pollution. It doesn't separately break out waste management, noise, or visual upkeep, which aren't part of our current dataset.
Who Venice suits
Retiree
Retirees — retirees prioritizing healthcare, climate and a calm environment over nightlife or internet speed (fit score 6.2/10 here).
Safety-first mover
Safety-first movers — people relocating somewhere unfamiliar who weigh personal safety above all (fit score 6.4/10 here).
Expat
Expats — expatriates relocating for work who lean on safety, healthcare and internet to stay settled and connected (fit score 6.4/10 here).
Young family
Young familys — households with kids prioritizing safety, healthcare and clean air (fit score 6.2/10 here).
In depth
Cost of living
Affordability is a real consideration here: Venice scores 4/10 on cost of living, meaning a comfortable lifestyle requires a proper budget.
Safety
Venice scores 7/10 on safety — generally fine, with the usual big-city precautions rather than any particular red flag.
Climate
Venice's climate scores 7/10 — a decent mix of seasons without extremes in either direction.
Quality of life
Venice's overall quality of life (6.1/10) comes from consistency rather than any single standout: every criterion sits within a few points of the others, with safety edging out as the strongest and cost of living the softest spot. The average across all seven criteria is 6.1/10.
Transport
Getting around Venice takes some planning: transport scores 5/10, and a car or rideshare budget is worth factoring in for anything off the main routes.
Internet & remote work
Connectivity in Venice scores 7/10 — solid enough for remote work day-to-day, without being a headline reason to move here.
Why choose Venice?
Venice isn't the right fit for everyone, but for the right profile — someone who values safety and can live with cost of living — it scores well at 6.1/10 overall. Use the comparisons and rankings below to see how it stacks up against the alternatives.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Venice safe?
Venice scores 7/10 on safety — generally fine, with the usual precautions you'd take in any mid-sized city.
What budget do I need to live in Venice?
Venice scores 4/10 on affordability, on the pricier side of our database. Plan a proper budget, particularly for rent.
Is Venice good for families?
Venice is a reasonable family option — safety (7/10) and healthcare (7/10) are solid enough, without being standout strengths.
Is Venice a good city for students?
Venice isn't an obvious student pick: affordability (4/10) and transport (5/10) average out lower than the cities we specifically tag for students.
Is Venice suitable for digital nomads?
Remote work is possible in Venice, but it's not an obvious pick — internet (7/10) and cost of living (4/10) are less favorable than our dedicated digital-nomad cities.
What's the climate like in Venice?
Venice scores 7/10 on climate — a normal seasonal mix without real extremes.
Is Venice pleasant to live in year-round?
Largely yes — with a climate score of 7/10 and an environment (air quality) score of 6/10, Venice holds up well across seasons.
Is Venice a good choice for a first move abroad?
It's a reasonable choice for a first move: safety, healthcare, transport and environment average out to 6.3/10 here, a fairly forgiving combination for someone settling in for the first time.
Is the internet good enough for remote work in Venice?
Venice scores 7/10 on internet — generally fine for remote work, without being a standout choice for it.
Is Venice a good place to retire?
It has real appeal for retirees: healthcare, climate and safety average out to 7.0/10 here — the three criteria that tend to matter most for that stage of life.
What are good alternatives to Venice?
Based on continent, tags and overall score, Dubrovnik and Rome are the closest matches to Venice in our database — worth comparing directly if you're still deciding.
Is Venice worth living in?
Reasonably — Venice scores 6.1/10 overall, a solid if unremarkable all-round profile. Whether it's "worth it" depends more on which specific criteria matter most to you than on the average alone.
Who should move to Venice?
Based on its score profile, Venice suits people who value safety and climate more than the average mover — see the "Who Venice suits" section above for the specific profiles (families, digital nomads, students, etc.) that fit best.
Is Venice walkable, and is public transport good?
Not especially — Venice scores just 5/10 on transport, so expect to lean on a car, bike or rideshares more than public transit alone.
What's the biggest advantage of living in Venice?
Safety is Venice's standout strength, scoring 7/10 — the highest of its seven criteria on CityMatch.
What's the biggest downside of living in Venice?
Cost of living is the clearest trade-off, scoring just 4/10 — the lowest of Venice's seven criteria, and worth weighing against its strengths.