Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,594 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,998 in Rome.

Heraklion $1,594
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,499 in Heraklion versus $3,117 in Rome.

Heraklion $2,499
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Heraklion versus $4,236 in Rome.

Heraklion $3,403
Rome $4,236

Living in Heraklion costs roughly 20% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heraklion 18% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.89 €11.47

$16.69 €14.84

-22.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €49.86

$65.8 €58.5

-14.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$11.08 €9.85

-10.47%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$2.10 €1.87

82.38%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$2.91 €2.59

-16.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$1.48 €1.32

-46.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.62 €5.00

-3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 €4.69

$6.68 €5.94

-21.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.72 €1.53

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.27 €2.02

-37.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.99 €2.66

-13.71%

Eggs

$4.46 €3.97

$4.75 €4.23

-6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.15

$14.53 €12.92

9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 €9.38

$12.63 €11.24

-16.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 €13.46

$19.86 €17.67

-23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.64 €2.35

-17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.28 €2.03

-6.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.46 €2.19

-44.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.42 €2.15

-30.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.38 €1.22

-10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.55 €1.38

-20.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.32 €1.17

-29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.55 €0.49

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 €4.39

$7.31 €6.50

-32.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 €6.76

$5.44 €4.84

39.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.58 €1.40

48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.62 €2.33

9.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.63 €1.45

-10.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.6 €60.1

$39.26 €34.92

72.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$6.51 €5.79

-32.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.68 €1.50

-32.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 €9.91

$33.24 €29.57

-66.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.17 €1.93

-0.46%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$35.3K €31.4K

-22.69%

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

$24.0K €21.3K

$35.4K €31.5K

-32.29%

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

$194 €173

$203 €181

-4.26%

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

$30.65 €27.26

$11.50 €10.22

166.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 €34.48

$32.03 €28.49

21.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.10 €43.68

$65.9 €58.6

-25.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.52 €35.15

$22.89 €20.36

72.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.77

$11.23 €9.99

-22.17%

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

$409 €364

$484 €430

-15.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,997 €3,555

$16.5K €14.7K

-75.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.1

$71.0 €63.1

26.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 €37.39

$36.51 €32.47

15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 €75.8

$84.9 €75.5

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$122 €108

11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 €569

$1,222 €1,087

-47.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 €443

$881 €784

-43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €969

$2,537 €2,257

-57.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$1,721 €1,530

-42.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,043 €3,597

$8,274 €7,360

-51.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 €2,442

$3,084 €2,743

-10.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 €1,004

$1,942 €1,728

-41.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

3.52

26.14%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$498 31.2%

Rome

$881 44.1% 76.9% $383

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$294 18.4%

Rome

$329 16.5% 12% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$264 16.5%

Rome

$246 12.3% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Heraklion

$229 14.4%

Rome

$251 12.6% 9.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$159 10%

Rome

$141 7.1% 11% $18

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Rome

$61 3% 27.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$67 4.2%

Rome

$88 4.4% 32.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Heraklion and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 72% 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: $56.0 in Heraklion vs $66.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $329 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h behind Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Heraklion Rome 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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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

Heraklion vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Rome. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $640 in Heraklion versus $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $409 in Heraklion versus $484 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,998 in Rome, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Heraklion is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Heraklion 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 Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.