Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caen and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,671 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
Learn more

Caen Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
Learn more

Rome Living Index

Jump to prices

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,671

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,671 in Caen versus $1,990 in Rome.

Caen $1,671
Rome $1,990

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

Caen $2,568
Rome $3,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,466 in Caen versus $4,199 in Rome.

Caen $3,466
Rome $4,199

Living in Caen costs roughly 16% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Caen 23% above, Rome 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$16.68 €14.84

-0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.11

$67.4 €59.9

-18.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.01

$11.31 €10.06

19.36%

Cappuccino

$2.84 €2.53

$2.09 €1.86

35.89%

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

$3.05 €2.71

$2.89 €2.57

5.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.46 €1.30

40.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.38 €7.46

$5.63 €5.01

48.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$6.93 €6.16

-20.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.66 €1.48

-18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.28 €2.03

-21.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.03 €2.70

-34.65%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$4.53 €4.03

-15.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.86

$14.76 €13.13

-32.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 €10.44

$12.31 €10.95

-4.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 €14.48

$19.50 €17.35

-16.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.64 €2.35

17.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.29 €2.04

31.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.28 €2.03

-33.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.41 €2.14

73.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.36 €1.21

32.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.55 €1.38

27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.37 €1.22

20.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.15 €0.13

$0.55 €0.49

-72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.15 €11.70

$7.16 €6.37

83.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$5.45 €4.85

2.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.60 €1.43

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.53 €2.25

-34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.70 €1.51

4.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.59 €44.11

$38.95 €34.64

27.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 €2.00

$6.67 €5.93

-66.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.71 €1.53

-34.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.41 €28.83

$33.59 €29.87

-3.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.11 €1.88

-0.47%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$35.5K €31.6K

-3.51%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$37.0K €32.9K

-1.62%

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

$138 €123

$203 €180

-31.92%

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

$32.70 €29.08

$11.33 €10.08

188.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.85 €28.33

$31.57 €28.08

0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.94 €28.41

$65.6 €58.4

-51.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 €20.00

$23.49 €20.89

-4.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 €9.01

$11.43 €10.16

-11.37%

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

$879 €782

$497 €442

77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.3

$72.5 €64.5

49.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.80 €34.52

$35.94 €31.97

7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$85.1 €75.7

18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$121 €108

24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 €676

$1,191 €1,059

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €534

$876 €780

-31.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$2,506 €2,229

-37.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,683 €1,497

-38.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,496 €3,999

$8,438 €7,505

-46.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,553 €2,270

$3,157 €2,809

-19.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,379 €2,116

$1,962 €1,746

21.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.52

7.67%

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

Last update for Caen: 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

Caen

$600 35.9%

Rome

$876 44% 46.1% $277

Groceries & Markets

Caen

$292 17.5%

Rome

$325 16.3% 11.4% $33

Eating Out

Caen

$280 16.8%

Rome

$252 12.7% 10.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caen

$203 12.1%

Rome

$246 12.4% 21.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Caen

$180 10.8%

Rome

$142 7.1% 21.1% $38

Getting Around

Caen

$65 3.9%

Rome

$61 3.1% 5.5% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Caen

$52 3.1%

Rome

$88 4.5% 69.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $760 in Caen and $1,191 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Caen vs $67.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $325 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Caen

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

Same time as Caen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,200

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caen Rome 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Caen
Rome

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

Caen vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caen and Rome differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,671 vs $1,990 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Caen, 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: $760 in Caen 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 Caen runs roughly 27% less than in Rome. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $879 in Caen versus $497 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,671 in Caen versus $1,990 in Rome, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Caen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.