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.
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Cost of Living Index in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.90CDF 33.7K
$20.46€18.35
-27.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.4CDF 191.2K
$79.5€71.3
6.21%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$9.82CDF 22.2K
$11.15€10.00
-11.93%
Cappuccino
$5.40CDF 12.2K
$2.04€1.83
164.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82CDF 4,127
$3.10€2.78
-41.29%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53CDF 3,466
$1.40€1.25
9.29%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.95CDF 4,415
$5.51€4.95
-64.61%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.63CDF 10.5K
$5.74€5.15
-19.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.03CDF 4,602
$1.57€1.41
29.30%
White Bread(500g)
$1.70CDF 3,846
$2.38€2.14
-28.57%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.54CDF 5,761
$2.90€2.60
-12.41%
Eggs
$3.28CDF 7,417
$4.07€3.65
-19.41%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$8.08CDF 18.3K
$17.44€15.64
-53.67%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$8.50CDF 19.3K
$12.56€11.26
-32.32%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$10.52CDF 23.8K
$20.17€18.09
-47.84%
Apples(1kg)
$3.61CDF 8,180
$2.58€2.32
39.92%
Banana(1kg)
$2.50CDF 5,655
$2.19€1.96
14.16%
Oranges(1kg)
$3.18CDF 7,189
$2.68€2.40
18.66%
Tomato(1kg)
$2.79CDF 6,314
$3.27€2.93
-14.68%
Potato(1kg)
$2.43CDF 5,508
$1.90€1.71
27.89%
Onion(1kg)
$2.73CDF 6,176
$1.82€1.63
50.00%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.06CDF 4,672
$1.57€1.41
31.21%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25CDF 2,838
$0.55€0.49
127.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52CDF 10.2K
$6.69€6.00
-32.44%
Wine(Bottle)
$15.18CDF 34.4K
$7.99€7.16
89.99%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84CDF 4,163
$1.77€1.59
3.95%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25CDF 7,358
$2.35€2.11
38.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.48CDF 1,081
$1.91€1.71
-74.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$18.61CDF 42.1K
$43.44€38.96
-57.16%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$5.13CDF 11.6K
$5.62€5.04
-8.72%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.31CDF 2,961
$1.71€1.54
-23.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$9.88CDF 22.4K
$33.64€30.17
-70.63%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.73CDF 3,914
$2.03€1.82
-14.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.2KCDF 45.8M
$35.3K€31.7K
-42.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3KCDF 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)
$91.5CDF 207.2K
$227€203
-59.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.56CDF 46.5K
$11.59€10.40
77.39%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.4CDF 159.3K
$30.38€27.25
131.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$57.0CDF 129.1K
$51.8€46.44
10.14%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.55CDF 48.8K
$23.70€21.26
-9.07%
Cinema Ticket
$15.27CDF 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)
$250CDF 565.9K
$568€509
-55.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$5,105CDF 11.6M
$11.5K€10.3K
-55.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.34CDF 73.2K
$90.5€81.2
-64.28%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.91CDF 88.1K
$38.55€34.58
0.93%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$70.3CDF 159.1K
$103€92.1
-31.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.3CDF 224.8K
$131€118
-24.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,574CDF 3.6M
$826€740
90.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$353CDF 800.0K
$646€580
-45.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$3,547CDF 8.0M
$1,400€1,256
153.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,493CDF 3.4M
$1,054€946
41.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,668CDF 8.3M
$3,662€3,285
0.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,003CDF 2.3M
$2,301€2,064
-56.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$629CDF 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.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$353 27%
Italy
$646 35.1% ↑ 82.9%$293
🛒Groceries & Markets
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$301 23%
Italy
$348 18.9% ↑ 15.7%$47
🍽Eating Out
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$246 18.8%
Italy
$279 15.1% ↑ 13.3%$33
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$182 13.9%
Italy
$269 14.6% ↑ 47.2%$86
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$108 8.3%
Italy
$163 8.9% ↑ 50.6%$55
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$88 6.7%
Italy
$73 4% ↓ 16.6%$15
🚌Getting Around
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$32 2.5%
Italy
$65 3.5% ↑ 103%$33
🏠Accommodation & Living
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$1.5K 39.2%
Italy
$1.1K 27.8% ↓ 29.4%$438
🛒Groceries & Markets
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$688 18.1%
Italy
$823 21.7% ↑ 19.6%$135
🍽Eating Out
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$923 24.2%
Italy
$964 25.5% ↑ 4.5%$41
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$203 5.3%
Italy
$280 7.4% ↑ 38%$77
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$241 6.3%
Italy
$363 9.6% ↑ 50.6%$122
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$197 5.2%
Italy
$170 4.5% ↓ 13.7%$27
🚌Getting Around
Democratic Republic of the Congo
$65 1.7%
Italy
$134 3.6% ↑ 106%$69
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.
Democratic Republic of the Congo→Italy5,150 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