Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Escondido, CA and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,998 a month against $3,678 in Escondido, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Escondido, CA
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Escondido, CA Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Escondido, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,678

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,678 in Escondido, CA versus $1,998 in Rome.

Escondido, CA $3,678
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Escondido, CA versus $3,117 in Rome.

Escondido, CA $4,497
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,316 in Escondido, CA versus $4,236 in Rome.

Escondido, CA $5,316
Rome $4,236

Living in Escondido, CA is roughly 84% more expensive than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Escondido, CA 172% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$16.69 €14.84

17.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$65.8 €58.5

20.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.20 $15.20

$11.08 €9.85

37.18%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$2.10 €1.87

160.00%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$2.91 €2.59

-13.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.48 €1.32

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$5.62 €5.00

8.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$6.68 €5.94

6.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.72 €1.53

-37.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.27 €2.02

72.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.99 €2.66

44.48%

Eggs

$3.54 $3.54

$4.75 €4.23

-25.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 $8.70

$14.53 €12.92

-40.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 $9.95

$12.63 €11.24

-21.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$19.86 €17.67

-33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.64 €2.35

65.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.28 €2.03

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.46 €2.19

128.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$2.42 €2.15

134.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.38 €1.22

56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.55 €1.38

44.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.32 €1.17

48.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.55 €0.49

174.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$7.31 €6.50

57.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$5.44 €4.84

-9.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.58 €1.40

-6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.62 €2.33

59.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$6.51 €5.79

-5.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.17 €1.93

-38.71%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$35.3K €31.4K

5.04%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K €31.5K

-27.16%

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

$167 $167

$203 €181

-17.59%

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

$66.7 $66.7

$11.50 €10.22

480.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 $56.0

$32.03 €28.49

74.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.82 $34.82

$65.9 €58.6

-47.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$11.23 €9.99

32.95%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$484 €430

297.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$71.0 €63.1

-28.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$36.51 €32.47

9.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$84.9 €75.5

-5.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 $98.6

$122 €108

-19.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,627 $2,627

$1,222 €1,087

114.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 $2,523

$881 €784

186.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,688 $2,688

$1,721 €1,530

56.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,683 $7,683

$8,274 €7,360

-7.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,582 $7,582

$3,084 €2,743

145.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,484 $6,484

$1,942 €1,728

233.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.52

81.53%

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

Last update for Escondido, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Escondido, CA

$2.5K 68.6%

Rome

$881 44.1% 65.1% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Escondido, CA

$343 9.3%

Rome

$329 16.5% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Escondido, CA

$330 9%

Rome

$251 12.6% 24% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Escondido, CA

$290 7.9%

Rome

$246 12.3% 15% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Escondido, CA

$121 3.3%

Rome

$141 7.1% 16.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Escondido, CA

$65 1.8%

Rome

$88 4.4% 36.6% $24

Getting Around

Escondido, CA

$6.1 * 0.2%

Rome

$61 3% 889% $55

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 $2,627 in Escondido, CA and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escondido, CA pays 234% 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: $79.0 in Escondido, CA vs $66.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $329 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Escondido, CA

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

9 h ahead of Escondido, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

151,038

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

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Between locations

Escondido, CA Rome 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Escondido, CA
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

Escondido, CA vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Escondido, CA and Rome differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($3,678 vs $1,998 including rent). Rome is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 234% higher in Escondido, CA, 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: $2,627 in Escondido, CA versus $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Escondido, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,678 per month in Escondido, CA versus $1,998 in Rome – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,998 in Rome versus $3,678 in Escondido, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rome but tight or insufficient in Escondido, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Rome 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, Escondido, CA 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 84% less than in Escondido, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.