Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,775 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,775

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Besancon 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 Besancon and in Rome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Besancon versus $1,990 in Rome.

Besancon $1,775
Rome $1,990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Besancon versus $3,095 in Rome.

Besancon $2,568
Rome $3,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Besancon versus $4,199 in Rome.

Besancon $3,361
Rome $4,199

Living in Besancon costs roughly 11% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 31% above, Rome 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 €15.21

$16.68 €14.84

2.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 €50.8

$67.4 €59.9

-15.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$11.31 €10.06

-2.74%

Cappuccino

$3.07 €2.73

$2.09 €1.86

46.89%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.89 €2.57

-21.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.46 €1.30

10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.09

$5.63 €5.01

21.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$6.93 €6.16

-20.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.66 €1.48

-19.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.28 €2.03

-25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.03 €2.70

-28.38%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.09

$4.53 €4.03

1.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.47 €18.20

$14.76 €13.13

38.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$12.31 €10.95

-10.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 €16.03

$19.50 €17.35

-7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.64 €2.35

6.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.29 €2.04

-5.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.28 €2.03

20.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.41 €2.14

7.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.36 €1.21

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.55 €1.38

54.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.37 €1.22

0.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.55 €0.49

105.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.15 €12.59

$7.16 €6.37

97.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.44 €8.40

$5.45 €4.85

73.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.84 €4.30

$1.60 €1.43

202.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.53 €2.25

30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.70 €1.51

4.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.91 €39.06

$38.95 €34.64

12.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$6.67 €5.93

-53.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.71 €1.53

24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.79 €27.39

$33.59 €29.87

-8.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.11 €1.88

-0.47%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.5K €31.6K

-2.54%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$37.0K €32.9K

3.90%

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

$226 €201

$203 €180

11.43%

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

$14.43 €12.84

$11.33 €10.08

27.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.38 €30.58

$31.57 €28.08

8.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 €24.08

$65.6 €58.4

-58.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 €17.55

$23.49 €20.89

-16.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.12

$11.43 €10.16

-0.44%

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

$342 €304

$497 €442

-31.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,267 €6,464

$16.6K €14.8K

-56.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.0

$72.5 €64.5

37.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.29

$35.94 €31.97

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.0

$85.1 €75.7

6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

-0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 €583

$1,191 €1,059

-44.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €533

$876 €780

-31.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 €884

$2,506 €2,229

-60.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 €726

$1,683 €1,497

-51.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,827 €2,515

$8,438 €7,505

-66.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 €2,030

$3,157 €2,809

-27.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,133 €1,898

$1,962 €1,746

8.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

3.52

2.84%

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

Last update for Besancon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$600 33.8%

Rome

$876 44% 46.1% $277

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$360 20.3%

Rome

$325 16.3% 9.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$275 15.5%

Rome

$246 12.4% 10.6% $29

Eating Out

Besancon

$267 15.1%

Rome

$252 12.7% 5.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$158 8.9%

Rome

$142 7.1% 10.2% $16

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Rome

$61 3.1% 5.8% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$50 2.8%

Rome

$88 4.5% 77.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $655 in Besancon and $1,191 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Besancon vs $67.0 in Rome. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $325, with Rome cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

Same time as Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Besancon Rome 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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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

Besancon vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Besancon, 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: $655 in Besancon versus $1,191 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 13% less than in Rome. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $342 in Besancon versus $497 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,775 in Besancon versus $1,990 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon 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 Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.