Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, New Zealand and Rome

For one person, living costs are similar in Cambridge and in Rome: $2,066 and $1,997 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Cambridge

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,066

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in Cambridge versus $1,997 in Rome.

Cambridge $2,066
Rome $1,997

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,874 in Cambridge versus $3,132 in Rome.

Cambridge $2,874
Rome $3,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Cambridge versus $4,266 in Rome.

Cambridge $3,682
Rome $4,266

Living in Cambridge is roughly 3% more expensive than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 52% above, Rome 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 NZ$24.70

$16.44 €14.78

-14.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 NZ$119

$68.0 €61.1

-0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 NZ$16.41

$11.14 €10.01

-16.34%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NZ$6.08

$2.02 €1.82

70.79%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.52

$3.00 €2.70

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.46

$1.48 €1.33

33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 NZ$10.73

$5.69 €5.11

7.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 NZ$12.08

$6.77 €6.08

1.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.78

$1.69 €1.51

-6.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NZ$3.83

$2.19 €1.96

-0.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.33

$3.08 €2.77

-38.64%

Eggs

$5.99 NZ$10.55

$4.74 €4.26

26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 NZ$15.09

$14.65 €13.16

-41.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 NZ$17.27

$12.45 €11.19

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 NZ$23.10

$19.48 €17.50

-32.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 NZ$4.55

$2.60 €2.34

-0.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 NZ$3.87

$2.35 €2.11

-6.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.21

$2.33 €2.09

27.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 NZ$10.30

$2.34 €2.10

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.68

$1.36 €1.22

53.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NZ$2.72

$1.61 €1.45

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$4.05

$1.32 €1.18

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$0.51 €0.46

113.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.73 NZ$45.28

$7.03 €6.32

266.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.16 NZ$17.89

$5.61 €5.04

81.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 NZ$5.92

$1.64 €1.48

104.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 NZ$7.05

$2.51 €2.26

59.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 NZ$5.07

$1.64 €1.47

75.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 NZ$3.94

$6.77 €6.08

-66.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 NZ$3.53

$1.65 €1.48

21.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.01 NZ$56.3

$34.02 €30.57

-5.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.04

$2.17 €1.95

-20.28%

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

$27.0K NZ$47.5K

$35.4K €31.8K

-23.65%

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

$22.6K NZ$39.8K

$36.6K €32.9K

-38.27%

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

$102 NZ$179

$210 €188

-51.40%

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

$26.30 NZ$46.29

$11.53 €10.36

128.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.5

$32.32 €29.04

59.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €58.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.53 €21.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 NZ$24.53

$11.32 €10.18

23.14%

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

$666 NZ$1,172

$488 €439

36.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K NZ$34.8K

$16.7K €15.0K

18.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 NZ$109

$71.1 €63.9

-12.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.70 NZ$66.4

$36.84 €33.10

2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 NZ$166

$85.4 €76.8

10.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$188

$128 €115

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 NZ$1,024

$1,297 €1,165

-55.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 NZ$1,989

$875 €786

29.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 NZ$2,138

$2,584 €2,321

-52.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NZ$2,621

$1,739 €1,563

-14.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,539 NZ$7,988

$8,477 €7,616

-46.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 NZ$7,087

$3,239 €2,910

24.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,569 NZ$4,522

$1,948 €1,751

31.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

70.45%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.1K 54.7%

Rome

$875 43.8% 22.5% $255

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 15.8%

Rome

$326 16.3% 0.4% $1.4

Eating Out

Cambridge

$242 11.7%

Rome

$249 12.5% 3% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$180 8.7%

Rome

$254 12.7% 41.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$136 6.6%

Rome

$145 7.2% 6.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$28 * 1.4%

Rome

$88 4.4% 214% $60

Getting Around

Cambridge

$24 * 1.2%

Rome

$61 3.1% 157% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Cambridge and $1,297 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Cambridge vs $68 in Rome. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $326, with Rome cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Cambridge

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

12 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,400

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Rome 18,500 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rome is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Cambridge, 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: $582 in Cambridge versus $1,297 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $666 in Cambridge versus $488 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,066 per month in Cambridge versus $1,997 in Rome – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Rome wins on affordability, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.