Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballarat and in Rome

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,998 in Rome.

Ballarat $1,902
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $3,117 in Rome.

Ballarat $3,035
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $4,236 in Rome.

Ballarat $4,168
Rome $4,236

Living in Ballarat costs roughly 5% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$16.69 €14.84

6.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$65.8 €58.5

6.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$11.08 €9.85

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$2.10 €1.87

80.48%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$2.91 €2.59

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.48 €1.32

27.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$5.62 €5.00

7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$6.68 €5.94

-8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.72 €1.53

-8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$2.27 €2.02

16.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$2.99 €2.66

-22.41%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$4.75 €4.23

-13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$14.53 €12.92

-27.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$12.63 €11.24

-21.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$19.86 €17.67

-24.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$2.64 €2.35

32.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.28 €2.03

32.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.46 €2.19

26.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$2.42 €2.15

93.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$1.38 €1.22

122.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$1.55 €1.38

64.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.32 €1.17

78.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$0.55 €0.49

169.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$7.31 €6.50

370.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$5.44 €4.84

132.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.58 €1.40

46.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.62 €2.33

18.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$1.63 €1.45

69.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$39.26 €34.92

77.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$6.51 €5.79

-61.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$1.68 €1.50

-20.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$33.24 €29.57

-19.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$2.17 €1.93

-45.62%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$35.3K €31.4K

-19.55%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$35.4K €31.5K

-26.62%

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

$206 A$296

$203 €181

1.29%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$11.50 €10.22

141.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$32.03 €28.49

79.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$65.9 €58.6

-52.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$22.89 €20.36

-51.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$11.23 €9.99

36.95%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$484 €430

343.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$16.5K €14.7K

82.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$71.0 €63.1

-3.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$36.51 €32.47

37.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$84.9 €75.5

17.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$122 €108

9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$1,222 €1,087

-24.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$881 €784

-23.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$2,537 €2,257

-49.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,721 €1,530

-15.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$8,274 €7,360

-44.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$3,084 €2,743

11.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$1,942 €1,728

61.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

3.52

57.67%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Rome

$881 44.1% 31.4% $211

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Rome

$329 16.5% 6.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Rome

$246 12.3% 15.2% $44

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Rome

$251 12.6% 10.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Rome

$141 7.1% 10.8% $17

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Rome

$61 3% 32.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Rome

$88 4.4% 42.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $66.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $329 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

17:47 5:47 PM

9 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

2,848,084 Capital

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ballarat Rome 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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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

Ballarat vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Ballarat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $923 in Ballarat versus $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $484 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rome pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,998 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ballarat delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,902 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ballarat hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat and Rome are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.