Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between France and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $1,962 in France, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in France
Learn more

France Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇫🇷 France

$1,962

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,962 in France versus $1,843 in Italy.

France $1,962
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,999 in France versus $2,816 in Italy.

France $2,999
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,037 in France versus $3,788 in Italy.

France $4,037
Italy $3,788

France ($1,181–$2,732) 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 France is roughly 6% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: France 44% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.74 €14.99

$20.46 €18.32

-18.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.5

$79.5 €71.2

-16.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.20

$11.15 €9.99

22.15%

Cappuccino

$3.95 €3.54

$2.04 €1.83

93.63%

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

$3.42 €3.06

$3.10 €2.78

10.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.40 €1.25

47.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.16

$5.51 €4.94

24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.89

$5.74 €5.14

-4.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.57 €1.41

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.38 €2.13

-14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.90 €2.60

-11.03%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.89

$4.07 €3.65

6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.75 €17.69

$17.44 €15.62

13.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 €12.05

$12.56 €11.25

7.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.73 €19.46

$20.17 €18.06

7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.72

$2.58 €2.31

17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.19 €1.96

4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.68 €2.40

8.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 €3.18

$3.27 €2.93

8.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.90 €1.70

15.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.82 €1.63

31.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.57 €1.40

0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.55 €0.49

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.70 €12.27

$6.69 €5.99

104.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 €7.21

$7.99 €7.15

0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.77 €1.59

50.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.73

$2.35 €2.11

29.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.91 €1.71

8.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 €53.3

$43.44 €38.90

37.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.52

$5.62 €5.03

-10.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.71 €1.54

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.96 €33.10

$33.64 €30.12

9.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.03 €1.82

3.94%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$35.3K €31.6K

-0.38%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$36.7K €32.9K

1.58%

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

$220 €197

$227 €203

-3.03%

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

$19.75 €17.69

$11.59 €10.38

70.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.36 €30.77

$30.38 €27.21

13.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.58 €31.86

$51.8 €46.37

-31.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.37 €18.24

$23.70 €21.22

-14.05%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 €12.07

$10.60 €9.50

27.08%

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

$898 €804

$568 €508

58.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$11.5K €10.3K

6.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.8

$90.5 €81.1

11.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 €40.76

$38.55 €34.53

18.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$103 €91.9

2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$131 €117

5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 €786

$826 €739

6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 €629

$646 €579

8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,394

$1,400 €1,254

11.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 €1,117

$1,054 €944

18.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,494 €4,921

$3,662 €3,280

50.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 €3,384

$2,301 €2,061

64.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,716 €2,432

$1,886 €1,689

43.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

3.56

6.18%

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

Last update for France: October 27, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

France

$703 35.8%

Italy

$646 35.1% 8% $56

Groceries & Markets

France

$374 19.1%

Italy

$348 18.9% 7% $26

Eating Out

France

$289 14.8%

Italy

$279 15.1% 3.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

France

$274 14%

Italy

$269 14.6% 1.9% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

France

$176 9%

Italy

$163 8.9% 7.2% $13

Getting Around

France

$83 4.3%

Italy

$65 3.5% 21.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

France

$63 3.2%

Italy

$73 4% 16.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $810 in France, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,622 in Paris vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,718 in France, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in France.

Dining out costs 14% more in Italy.

Public transport is 19% more expensive in France.

Salaries are 44% higher in France, and purchasing power comes out stronger in France.

Good to know

🇫🇷 France

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

Same time as France

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,373,433

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

France Italy 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

France
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

France vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,962 per month in France and $1,843 in Italy, Italy comes out about 6% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $810 in France and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in France it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.