Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,056 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,056

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,056 in Germany versus $1,804 in Italy.

Germany $2,056
Italy $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,129 in Germany versus $2,778 in Italy.

Germany $3,129
Italy $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,202 in Germany versus $3,752 in Italy.

Germany $4,202
Italy $3,752

Germany ($1,329–$2,658) and Italy ($1,035–$2,560) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Germany is roughly 14% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 52% above, Italy 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$19.89 €17.70

-16.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.6

$77.0 €68.5

-5.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 €10.89

$11.00 €9.78

11.27%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.63

$1.99 €1.77

105.03%

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

$3.37 €3.00

$2.96 €2.63

13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.67

$1.41 €1.25

113.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 €4.36

$5.60 €4.98

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$5.67 €5.05

-22.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.61 €1.43

-18.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.30 €2.05

-8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$2.99 €2.66

12.71%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$4.06 €3.61

-3.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 €12.66

$17.23 €15.33

-17.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$12.68 €11.28

-7.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.95 €18.64

$20.36 €18.11

2.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.54 €2.26

25.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.15 €1.91

-4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.56 €2.28

-13.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$3.22 €2.86

28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.92 €1.70

-23.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.84 €1.64

-22.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.51 €1.34

5.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.55 €0.49

92.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 €8.61

$6.81 €6.06

42.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 €5.31

$8.03 €7.15

-25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.72 €1.53

-34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.37 €2.11

-31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 €3.47

$1.88 €1.67

107.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.8 €62.9

$43.31 €38.52

63.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 €4.78

$5.57 €4.95

-3.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.63 €1.45

72.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.76 €34.48

$33.78 €30.04

14.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.04 €1.81

3.92%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$35.6K €31.7K

-7.69%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$35.4K €31.5K

6.42%

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

$338 €301

$222 €198

52.10%

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

$25.29 €22.49

$11.43 €10.17

121.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.19 €42.86

$30.65 €27.26

57.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 €36.34

$52.7 €46.89

-22.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 €24.83

$23.82 €21.19

17.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.02

$10.51 €9.35

39.30%

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

$564 €502

$541 €481

4.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K €15.4K

$11.7K €10.4K

48.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €80.5

$90.0 €80.0

0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.21 €38.44

$39.08 €34.76

10.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 €88.3

$101 €90.2

-2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$132 €117

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €816

$805 €716

13.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$619 €550

12.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,476

$1,388 €1,235

19.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 €1,165

$1,050 €934

24.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,987 €5,326

$3,623 €3,223

65.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 €3,601

$2,229 €1,983

81.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,321 €2,954

$1,889 €1,680

75.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.56

11.24%

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

Last update for Germany: October 12, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$696 33.8%

Italy

$619 34.3% 11.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$412 20%

Italy

$265 14.7% 35.8% $147

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$333 16.2%

Italy

$347 19.2% 4.1% $14

Eating Out

Germany

$278 13.5%

Italy

$273 15.1% 1.7% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.9%

Italy

$163 9% 0.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Germany

$106 5.2%

Italy

$65 3.6% 39% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$70 3.4%

Italy

$74 4.1% 5.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $801 in Germany, $721 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,469 in Berlin vs $1,222 in Rome.

National salary averages: $3,101 in Germany, $1,888 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Germany.

Public transport is 61% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 64% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

Same time as Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

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

Germany Italy 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Germany
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

Germany vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,056 per month in Germany and $1,804 in Italy, there's a 14% gap. 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 $801 in Germany and $721 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 Germany 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; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.