Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: $1,310 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
$1,310
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo versus $1,843 in Italy.

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo $1,310
  • Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,560 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo versus $2,816 in Italy.

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo $2,560
  • Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,810 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo versus $3,788 in Italy.

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo $3,810
  • Italy $3,788

The Democratic Republic of the Congo ($400–$1,736) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo costs about 29% less than in Italy on average.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (4% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.90 CDF 33.7K
$20.46 €18.35
-27.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.4 CDF 191.2K
$79.5 €71.3
6.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.82 CDF 22.2K
$11.15 €10.00
-11.93%
Cappuccino
$5.40 CDF 12.2K
$2.04 €1.83
164.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 CDF 4,127
$3.10 €2.78
-41.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 CDF 3,466
$1.40 €1.25
9.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 CDF 4,415
$5.51 €4.95
-64.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.63 CDF 10.5K
$5.74 €5.15
-19.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 CDF 4,602
$1.57 €1.41
29.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 CDF 3,846
$2.38 €2.14
-28.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.54 CDF 5,761
$2.90 €2.60
-12.41%
Eggs
$3.28 CDF 7,417
$4.07 €3.65
-19.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.08 CDF 18.3K
$17.44 €15.64
-53.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.50 CDF 19.3K
$12.56 €11.26
-32.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.52 CDF 23.8K
$20.17 €18.09
-47.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 CDF 8,180
$2.58 €2.32
39.92%
Banana (1kg)
$2.50 CDF 5,655
$2.19 €1.96
14.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.18 CDF 7,189
$2.68 €2.40
18.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.79 CDF 6,314
$3.27 €2.93
-14.68%
Potato (1kg)
$2.43 CDF 5,508
$1.90 €1.71
27.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.73 CDF 6,176
$1.82 €1.63
50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.06 CDF 4,672
$1.57 €1.41
31.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CDF 2,838
$0.55 €0.49
127.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52 CDF 10.2K
$6.69 €6.00
-32.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.18 CDF 34.4K
$7.99 €7.16
89.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 CDF 4,163
$1.77 €1.59
3.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 CDF 7,358
$2.35 €2.11
38.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.48 CDF 1,081
$1.91 €1.71
-74.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.61 CDF 42.1K
$43.44 €38.96
-57.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.13 CDF 11.6K
$5.62 €5.04
-8.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 CDF 2,961
$1.71 €1.54
-23.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.88 CDF 22.4K
$33.64 €30.17
-70.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 CDF 3,914
$2.03 €1.82
-14.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.2K CDF 45.8M
$35.3K €31.7K
-42.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K CDF 52.8M
$36.7K €33.0K
-36.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.5 CDF 207.2K
$227 €203
-59.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.56 CDF 46.5K
$11.59 €10.40
77.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.4 CDF 159.3K
$30.38 €27.25
131.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.0 CDF 129.1K
$51.8 €46.44
10.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.55 CDF 48.8K
$23.70 €21.26
-9.07%
Cinema Ticket
$15.27 CDF 34.6K
$10.60 €9.51
44.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$250 CDF 565.9K
$568 €509
-55.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,105 CDF 11.6M
$11.5K €10.3K
-55.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.34 CDF 73.2K
$90.5 €81.2
-64.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.91 CDF 88.1K
$38.55 €34.58
0.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.3 CDF 159.1K
$103 €92.1
-31.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.3 CDF 224.8K
$131 €118
-24.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,574 CDF 3.6M
$826 €740
90.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$353 CDF 800.0K
$646 €580
-45.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,547 CDF 8.0M
$1,400 €1,256
153.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,493 CDF 3.4M
$1,054 €946
41.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,668 CDF 8.3M
$3,662 €3,285
0.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,003 CDF 2.3M
$2,301 €2,064
-56.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$629 CDF 1.4M
$1,886 €1,692
-66.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.33
3.56
274.44%

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

Last update for the Democratic Republic of the Congo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$353
Italy
$646 82.9% $293
Groceries & Markets
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$301
Italy
$348 15.7% $47
Eating Out
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$246
Italy
$279 13.3% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$182
Italy
$269 47.2% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$108
Italy
$163 50.6% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$88
Italy
$73 16.6% $15
Getting Around
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$32
Italy
$65 103% $33

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,280 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,698 in Kinshasa vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $633 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dining out costs 20% more in Italy.

Public transport is 139% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
10:41 10:41 AM
10:41 10:41 AM
Same time as the Democratic Republic of the Congo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
105,789,731
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2,264 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.42 USD). 1 EUR = 2,520 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.97 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo Italy 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Italy

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
Democratic Republic of the Congo vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Italy?
At $1,310 per month in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and $1,843 in Italy, there’s a 41% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Italy?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
How do I choose between living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Italy?
It depends on what you’re after: the Democratic Republic of the Congo wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Democratic Republic of the Congo vs other spots: cost of living compared

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