Housing

Apartments for Rent in Florence: Prices, Areas and How to Rent (2026)

By Linda MurphyFacts checked October 24, 2026

Average asking rent

€21.7 per m² a month (Idealista, August 2026)

60 m² at that average

About €1,300 a month, before condominium fees and utilities

Single room

€627 a month on average (Immobiliare.it Insights, summer 2026)

Cheapest zones listed

Leopoldo-Vieusseux €15.6 per m², Rifredi-Careggi €15.9 per m²

Security deposit

Up to 3 months' rent (national law)

Short-term rental freeze

Historic center since May 31, 2025; 9 nearby zones since June 19, 2026

What renting in Florence costs in 2026

By Idealista's asking-rent figures, as reported by La Nazione, Florence is the second most expensive Italian city to rent in, behind Milan. In August 2026, Idealista put the average asking rent at €21.7 per square meter (m²) a month.

That figure was 13.8% lower than a year earlier. In 2026 Idealista also changed its method to strip out more seasonal and holiday rentals, and recalculated its past data the same way.

The quarterly view is steadier. Idealista's third-quarter 2026 report has Florence at €21.7, up 1.1% on the previous quarter. Milan stood at €22.4, Venice at €20.5 and Rome at €19.2.

At the city average, a 60 m² apartment asks about €1,300 a month. Condominium fees and utilities come on top.

These are asking prices in listings. Signed leases run lower: a report by SUNIA (a tenants' union) found 4+4 leases in Florence averaged €13.34 per m² in 2024. New listings are what the Idealista figure measures, so budget from it.

Rents by area

Idealista divides Florence into 7 macro-areas. The historic center averaged €24.6 per m² in August 2026, and Santa Maria Novella reached a record €27.8. The cheapest macro-areas were Rifredi (€16.3) and Isolotto-Legnaia (€16.5).

Santa Croce and San Niccolò also asked more than €25. The estimates multiply each zone's average by 60 m², so a specific flat can land well above or below.

Other Tuscan cities ask far less: €12.2 in Prato, €13.6 in Pisa and €12.4 in Siena in August 2026. For what each Florence neighborhood is like day to day, see Living in Florence. For a full monthly budget, see the cost of living in Florence.

What it costs to move in

The deposit earns legal interest, which the landlord must pay you at the end of each year. How deposits work and how to get yours back: rental deposits in Italy.

Why long-term apartments are hard to find

Three forces compete with residents for the same buildings.

Tourist rentals. Florence counted 16,906 tourist rentals in 2025, providing 56% of all tourist beds in a city of more than 360,000 people. Inside Airbnb figures show listings rising from 10,867 in 2023 to 12,211 in 2026, about 85% of them in the historic center.

Students. About 18,000 students on North American study-abroad programs were in Florence in 2023-2024. That is a preliminary figure from IRPET (Tuscany's economic research institute) and AACUPI.

Landlords' contract choices. Between 2018 and 2024, the number of 4+4 leases barely moved, from 5,687 to 5,689, according to SUNIA. Transitorio (temporary, up to 18 months) leases rose 19%, and their average rent jumped 53% to €20.03 per m².

Landlords also weigh the risk of unpaid rent. In 2024, Florence saw 627 eviction orders, more than 70% of them for rent tenants could no longer afford, and 454 evictions carried out.

There are signs of easing. Idealista counted 17.5% more homes for rent over the two quarters to August 2026. Immobiliare.it found the number of rooms listed had almost doubled in a year, while contacts per listing fell 46.8%. Room prices still rose 3.3%.

What Florence's short-term rental rules change

Florence's city council adopted its short-term rental regulation on May 5, 2025, under Tuscany's Regional Law 61/2024. It covers tourist stays of 30 days or less.

• Historic center (the UNESCO area, zone A1 in the regulation): only units already used as tourist rentals in 2024 may continue. The freeze has applied since May 31, 2025.
• 9 surrounding zones (A3 and A4): new tourist rentals have been frozen since June 19, 2026; units already operating on that date may continue. The zones include Campo di Marte, San Jacopino, Gavinana, Statuto-Rifredi and Libertà-Oberdan-Savonarola, with about 67,780 homes.
• Everywhere in the city: each tourist rental needs a 5-year city authorization and at least 28 m² of space. It must display its national ID code (CIN). Breaking these standards carries fines of €1,000 to €10,000 per unit.

In May 2026, Tuscany's regional administrative court (TAR) rejected 19 appeals against the rules. It accepted the city's aim of protecting the supply of affordable housing for long-term rental.

For you, the effect is limited. The rules stop new tourist rentals; they do not convert existing ones. Units operating in 2024 can carry on, and most of the new requirements reach them only on May 31, 2028.

How to search in Florence

1. Start on the portals. Use Idealista and Immobiliare.it, and filter by zone with the table above rather than by price alone.
2. Prepare your file first. Have your passport, proof of income and references ready to send, plus a codice fiscale (Italian tax code) if you have one.
3. Write short and specific. Give your move-in date, length of stay, who will live there and your budget. Follow up agencies by phone.
4. See it before you pay. The Polizia di Stato (state police) advises checking listings in person or using authorized agencies. It also warns against paying in advance without guarantees.
5. Sign, then register. A lease longer than 30 days must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency) within 30 days of signing. Ask the landlord for the registration receipt.

Contract types, durations and what each lets you do are covered in Italian rental contracts. The national rules are in renting in Italy.

Agency fees in Florence

Italian law lets only registered agents claim a fee (Law 39/1989, article 6). Ask for the amount in writing before the first viewing.

Newcomers in Florence report agency fees larger than they expected. Ask three things up front: the amount, whether VAT is added, and whether it is per person or per apartment.

Canone concordato in Florence

A canone concordato (agreed-rent) lease caps the rent between a minimum and a maximum set by a local agreement. That agreement is signed by tenant unions and owners' associations.

Florence and its neighboring comuni (municipalities) use local agreements of this kind, each an accordo territoriale. In 2020 the city's agreements were backed by 4 tenant unions (SUNIA, SICET, UNIAT and Unione Inquilini). Owners' groups backing them included Confedilizia, ASPPI, APPC, Confabitare and UPPI.

It is much cheaper when you find one. SUNIA's figures put concordato leases at €8.27 per m² on average in 2024, against €13.34 for 4+4 leases. The catch is supply: the number of concordato leases in Florence fell 31% between 2018 and 2024.

If a landlord offers one, ask which zone band of the agreement sets the rent. A rental guide published on the Agenzia delle Entrate's website advises checking the agreement in force, published by the comune or the signatory associations.

What landlords ask foreign tenants

Landlords weigh the risk of unpaid rent, as the eviction figures above show. In Tuscan local forums, Italian residents seeking flats report offering an employment contract, references and guarantees, sometimes a bank guarantee (fideiussione). Expect to compete with applicants like these.

• Identity: your passport and visa or permesso di soggiorno (residence permit).
• Codice fiscale (tax code): a landlord may ask for one before you have it. A non-resident's lease can be registered without it, using form 69 (Agenzia delle Entrate Resolution 5/E of 2023). See how to get a codice fiscale.
• Income: an Italian employment contract, a foreign employer's letter, pension statements or bank statements.
• References: bring a letter from a previous landlord, even a US one.

The difficulty depends on what you want. Rooms are easier to find in 2026, with almost twice as many listed as a year earlier. Long 4+4 leases are harder to get: their number stayed flat from 2018 to 2024 while their average rent rose 25%.

Choosing your route

Common problems and fixes

A listing asks for money before you have seen it. The Polizia di Stato describes an "owner abroad" who negotiates remotely, sends draft contracts, pushes to close within 24 hours and asks for an international transfer. Pay only against a signed lease for a place you or someone you trust has seen. More in rental scams in Italy.

Your messages go unanswered. Newcomers searching from abroad report that many owners and agents never reply. Send a short message with your dates and documents, call agencies, and plan to keep searching once you arrive.

The agency fee is a surprise. Ask for it in writing before the viewing, including VAT and whether it is per tenant.

Only transitorio leases are offered. In 2024 they averaged €20.03 per m², against €13.34 for 4+4 leases. A transitorio lease must state the temporary need behind it. If you plan to stay, ask for a 4+4 or a concordato lease.

The flat has no air conditioning. Newcomers regularly ask about Florence apartments without it. Ask before you sign, and budget for a portable unit if you will be there in summer.

Do you need help with this?

Most people can find a room in Florence on their own, especially once they are in the city to view places. It gets harder when you need a whole apartment on a long lease, from abroad, by a fixed date such as a school term.