Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbus, GA and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,998 a month against $2,335 in Columbus, GA, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, GA
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Columbus, GA Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbus, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,335

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,335 in Columbus, GA versus $1,998 in Rome.

Columbus, GA $2,335
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Columbus, GA versus $3,117 in Rome.

Columbus, GA $3,064
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,794 in Columbus, GA versus $4,236 in Rome.

Columbus, GA $3,794
Rome $4,236

Living in Columbus, GA is roughly 17% more expensive than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbus, GA 73% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 $22.06

$16.69 €14.84

32.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$65.8 €58.5

22.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$11.08 €9.85

-11.10%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$2.10 €1.87

134.29%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$2.91 €2.59

-8.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.48 €1.32

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$5.62 €5.00

-13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$6.68 €5.94

3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.72 €1.53

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.27 €2.02

34.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.99 €2.66

-34.45%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$4.75 €4.23

-37.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$14.53 €12.92

-59.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$12.63 €11.24

-18.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.99 $8.99

$19.86 €17.67

-54.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.64 €2.35

37.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.28 €2.03

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.46 €2.19

13.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.42 €2.15

46.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.38 €1.22

23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.55 €1.38

17.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.32 €1.17

31.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.55 €0.49

214.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 $6.83

$7.31 €6.50

-6.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$5.44 €4.84

172.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.58 €1.40

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.62 €2.33

-53.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.63 €1.45

-20.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 $52.5

$39.26 €34.92

33.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$6.51 €5.79

-70.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.68 €1.50

-24.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.76 $20.76

$33.24 €29.57

-37.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.17 €1.93

-52.53%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$35.3K €31.4K

5.93%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K €31.5K

-27.18%

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

$170 $170

$203 €181

-16.00%

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

$46.40 $46.40

$11.50 €10.22

303.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$32.03 €28.49

100.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.42 $25.42

$65.9 €58.6

-61.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.55 $7.55

$22.89 €20.36

-67.02%

Cinema Ticket

$12.63 $12.63

$11.23 €9.99

12.47%

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

$996 $996

$484 €430

106.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K $13.9K

$16.5K €14.7K

-16.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.27 $45.27

$71.0 €63.1

-36.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.22 $30.22

$36.51 €32.47

-17.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 $91.4

$84.9 €75.5

7.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$122 €108

-13.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 $1,399

$1,222 €1,087

14.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 $1,205

$881 €784

36.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 $1,240

$1,721 €1,530

-27.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,059 $6,059

$8,274 €7,360

-26.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,122 $6,122

$3,084 €2,743

98.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,653 $3,653

$1,942 €1,728

88.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

3.52

82.39%

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

Last update for Columbus, GA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbus, GA

$1.2K 51.6%

Rome

$881 44.1% 26.9% $324

Eating Out

Columbus, GA

$322 13.8%

Rome

$251 12.6% 22% $71

Groceries & Markets

Columbus, GA

$288 12.3%

Rome

$329 16.5% 14.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbus, GA

$281 12%

Rome

$246 12.3% 12.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Columbus, GA

$123 5.3%

Rome

$141 7.1% 15.4% $19

Getting Around

Columbus, GA

$66 2.8%

Rome

$61 3% 7.9% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Columbus, GA

$51 2.2%

Rome

$88 4.4% 74.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,399 in Columbus, GA and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbus, GA pays 88% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Columbus, GA vs $66.0 in Rome. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $329, with Columbus, GA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbus, GA

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

6 h ahead of Columbus, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

905,748

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbus, GA Rome 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbus, GA
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

Columbus, GA vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rome wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Columbus, GA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Columbus, GA, 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: $1,399 in Columbus, GA versus $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,335 per month in Columbus, GA versus $1,998 in Rome – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rome runs roughly 34% less than in Columbus, GA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,998 in Rome versus $2,335 in Columbus, GA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rome but tight or insufficient in Columbus, GA. The gap between the two cities makes Rome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rome delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,998 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rome hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Columbus, GA 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 Rome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Columbus, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.