A Gen Zer ditched NYC for Milan. She loves that Italian bosses don't care how much vacation you take — and that a glass of wine costs $4

05.03.2024 - 18:25 / insider.com

Madalyn Monto grew up outside New York City and knew she'd live there one day.

After college in San Diego, she did just that — getting a job in marketing.But she wasn't prepared for how rigorous her work schedule would be. And, like a growing number of Gen-Zers and millennials, the absence of a work-life balance didn't sit right with her. She and her boyfriend ended up moving to Italy in October 2023, drawn by the slower pace, healthier approach to work, and cheaper prices.

"I had always imagined New York was like, 'Work hard, Play hard,'" Monto, now 25, said. "I know people there tend to be workaholics, but I thought there had to be a limit somewhere."

There was no limit, not in her experience. Joining the workforce after COVID-19 meant that Monto was working a hybrid schedule, which included working from home.

"I could access my computer all hours of the day, and I also could be accessed all hours of the day," she said.

Eventually, Monto and her boyfriend Alessandro, who is from Italy and works in strategy consulting, decided to pick up their lives and move to Milan. It wasn't a decision they made lightly.

"It was a long discussion we had, weighing the pros and cons of each location," she said. "The decision came from the difference in quality of life and cost of living."

According to Numbeo, a website that uses crowd-sourced data to compare the cost of living across different cities, the average monthly salary in Milan is around $1,837. Meanwhile, in New York, the average monthly salary is $6,324.

However, rent, restaurant, and grocery prices are much lower in Milan than in New York, meaning you need far less money to achieve the same quality of life.

Monto, who was able to stay in Italy thanks in part to a program that caters to international partners of Italian citizens, quickly noticed a stark difference between how Italians and Americans approach work and life outside it.

Peoplein the US generally have a "competitive" mentality, like they have to "prove themselves in the workplace to feel secure in their job," she said.

Meanwhile, in Italy, most people have the "expectation of still living their life outside of work," she said.

The difference in values became clear to Monto after getting her work authorization approved and interviewing for jobs.

In one recent interview, she was asked about potential start dates.

Because she had a few upcoming trips, including one to France for her part-time master's in the business of global luxury and a vacation back to the US to see family, Monto was nervous to answer.

"I was really hesitant to the point where I was like, 'I don't have to go if you don't want me to go. I'll just tell them I couldn't make it," she said, adding that the interviewers "were like,