Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,542 per month in Australia vs $1,804 in Italy, rent included.

Australia $2,542
Italy $1,804

A couple spends around $3,717 per month in Australia vs $2,778 in Italy, rent included.

Australia $3,717
Italy $2,778

A family of three spends $4,893 per month in Australia vs $3,752 in Italy, rent included.

Australia $4,893
Italy $3,752

Cost ranges are similar: Australia spans $1,646–$3,152, Italy $1,035–$2,560. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Australia is about 41% higher than in Italy on average.

Both Australia and Italy are pricier than the global median – Australia by 88%, Italy by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.69

$19.89 €17.70

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$77.0 €68.5

8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 A$16.12

$11.00 €9.78

1.82%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.99 €1.77

96.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 A$4.07

$2.96 €2.63

-4.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.41 €1.25

63.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$11.06

$5.60 €4.98

37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.87

$5.67 €5.05

45.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.53

$1.61 €1.43

9.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.99

$2.30 €2.05

20.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.16

$2.99 €2.66

-26.76%

Eggs

$4.99 A$7.18

$4.06 €3.61

22.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.31

$17.23 €15.33

-42.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.99

$12.68 €11.28

-28.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 A$21.94

$20.36 €18.11

-25.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.28

$2.54 €2.26

44.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$2.15 €1.91

41.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.56 €2.28

21.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.56

$3.22 €2.86

41.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$1.92 €1.70

46.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$1.84 €1.64

29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.39

$1.51 €1.34

55.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.36

$0.55 €0.49

198.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.42 A$55.3

$6.81 €6.06

464.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$8.03 €7.15

71.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 A$6.75

$1.72 €1.53

172.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 A$7.31

$2.37 €2.11

114.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.91

$1.88 €1.67

44.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 A$138

$43.31 €38.52

121.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.10

$5.57 €4.95

-36.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.63 €1.45

-4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.00 A$57.6

$33.78 €30.04

18.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$2.04 €1.81

-36.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.2K A$40.5K

$35.6K €31.7K

-20.93%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.5K A$40.9K

$35.4K €31.5K

-19.57%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$198 A$285

$222 €198

-10.87%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.75 A$41.37

$11.43 €10.17

151.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.4

$30.65 €27.26

91.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.6

$52.7 €46.89

7.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.08 A$27.46

$23.82 €21.19

-19.90%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 A$21.62

$10.51 €9.35

42.91%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,154 A$3,099

$541 €481

298.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K A$25.8K

$11.7K €10.4K

52.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$90.0 €80.0

-13.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$78.8

$39.08 €34.76

40.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$101 €90.2

10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$179

$132 €117

-5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 A$2,215

$805 €716

91.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 A$1,758

$619 €550

97.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 A$3,566

$1,388 €1,235

78.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 A$2,778

$1,050 €934

83.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,153 A$11.7K

$3,623 €3,223

125.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,053 A$8,711

$2,229 €1,983

171.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,944 A$5,676

$1,889 €1,680

108.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

3.56

66.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48.1%

Italy

$619 34.3% 49.4% $603

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.6%

Italy

$347 19.2% 6.3% $23

Eating Out

Australia

$293 11.5%

Italy

$273 15.1% 7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$286 11.2%

Italy

$265 14.7% 7.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Italy

$163 9% 1.8% $3

Getting Around

Australia

$118 4.6%

Italy

$65 3.6% 45.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Italy

$74 4.1% 15% $13

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,366 in Australia vs $721 in Italy. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in Canberra and $1,222 in Rome.

Average salary: $3,849 in Australia vs $1,888 in Italy. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 89% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 12% more in Australia.

Public transport is 83% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 104% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

03:26 3:26 AM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Italy 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Italy

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Australia vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Italy is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $721 in Italy.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Italy, adding to the overall 41% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Italy, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Italy is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.