American couple leaves New York, buys house in Italy for $13,000
Cassandra Tresl and Alex Ninman, who previously worked in New York City, relocated to Italy's Abruzzo region in 2022 and purchased a two-bedroom house for approximately thirteen thousand dollars in cash. The couple, who initially moved to the Czech Republic in 2019, decided against returning to the United States after their daughter was born in 2020, citing high housing and childcare costs. Instead, they found a small Italian town where the couple paid eleven thousand five hundred euros, spent another seventeen thousand renovating, and now spend roughly twelve hundred dollars monthly on all living expenses including utilities. The story highlights a broader trend: forty-one percent of Americans exploring relocation cite cost savings as motivation, and approximately one in five Americans report wanting to leave the country permanently. The move represents both lifestyle and financial considerations, as the couple shifted from tech and butcher jobs to remote work and local employment opportunities. Their experience illustrates contrasts between housing affordability in rural Europe versus major American urban centers.
Key facts
- Cassandra Tresl and Alex Ninman purchased their home in Abruzzo, Italy for 11,500 euros (approximately 13,100 dollars) in February 2022
- The couple spent approximately 15,000-17,000 euros on renovations to make the house habitable
- They now spend approximately 1,246 dollars per month on total living expenses including utilities and food
- They acquired a second property in 2024 for rental income, generating 9,000-12,000 dollars annually
- 41 percent of Americans exploring relocation cited cost savings as a primary motivator in 2024 survey
- Approximately 5.5 million Americans currently live abroad according to Association of American Residents
- Cost of living in Italy is 9.5 percent lower than in the United States per Numbeo data
- Median American home price is 357,445 dollars as of January 2026
How different outlets framed it
Left-leaning coverage: Left-leaning commentary frames Americans leaving as a response to deteriorating political and social conditions under Republican leadership. Sources highlight concerns about democratic backsliding, civil liberties, LGBTQ rights, and immigration policy as motivators for seeking European alternatives. Progressive outlets contextualize the exodus within broader anxieties about American democracy and present relocation as necessary for families protecting their values and safety.
Right-leaning coverage: Conservative outlets cite the move as symptomatic of Americans fleeing poor governance in blue cities and states, attributing housing crises to excessive regulation, high taxes, and failed progressive policies. Right-leaning commentary suggests that supply-side housing reforms, deregulation, and stricter law enforcement would address the root causes, positioning the exodus as evidence of policy failure rather than legitimate lifestyle choice.
Limits of this briefing
Most coverage is from centrist business media (CNBC, Yahoo Finance) which emphasizes economic narratives. Left-leaning political analysis emerges primarily from opinion pieces and commentary rather than original reporting on this specific couple. Right-leaning outlets focus on policy critique rather than the couple's story directly. The broader migration trend carries significant political interpretations that may not apply uniformly to individual cases.
Sources
- CNBC: American couple left New York City and bought a house in Italy for $13,000: 'We found a different way of life' Centre
- Yahoo Finance: An NYC family bought a home in Italy for $13K instead of returning Stateside. What to know before moving abroad Centre
- The Fulcrum (Centre-Left Opinion): Jimmy Kimmel's Italian Citizenship Sparks Broader Conversation on Americans Leaving the U.S. Left
- American Thinker (Right-leaning Opinion): New York's Housing Crisis – A Nationwide Issue Right
- CNN Business: These Americans are done with Trump. So they're leaving America Centre