Vatican City
Profiled in Vatican City · Western and Southern Europe
The smallest sovereign state on earth, forty-four hectares inside Rome, holding one of the greatest art collections in existence and a population of a few hundred.
Cost of living
What a month costs
There is no housing market and no residents in the ordinary sense. Costs are effectively those of Rome, immediately outside the walls.
The scores
How it rates for a moving family
See and do
Top 10 in Vatican City
- St Peter's BasilicaRenaissance basilica over the apostle's tomb, with Michelangelo's dome.
- Sistine ChapelMichelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgment.
- Vatican MuseumsTwenty-plus museums along seven kilometres of galleries.
- St Peter's SquareBernini's colonnade enclosing an elliptical piazza.
- Raphael RoomsFrescoed papal apartments including the School of Athens.
- Vatican GardensTwenty-three hectares of formal gardens behind the basilica.
- Vatican NecropolisExcavated Roman cemetery beneath the basilica.
- Vatican Apostolic LibraryOne of the oldest libraries in the world.
Where to go
Weekend escapes
- RomeThe city entirely surrounding the state, a step outside St Peter's Square.
- Castel GandolfoPapal summer residence in the Alban Hills.
- Ostia AnticaRome's excavated ancient port, forty minutes away.
- TivoliHadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este fountains.
- TrastevereThe Roman quarter across the river from the Vatican.
Residency
Residence is restricted to clergy, members of the Swiss Guard and a small number of officials, and citizenship is granted on the basis of office rather than birth or investment. There is no route for investors.
Tax
There is no personal income tax and no corporate income tax. The Vatican has no general tax system, funding itself through donations, museum revenue and investment income. It uses the euro under agreement with the EU but is not an EU member.
Curious what you would actually pay? See the Vatican City tax profile: income, corporate, VAT and exit rules →
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