Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Australia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Australia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Italy vs $2,542 in Australia, rent included.

Italy $1,804
Australia $2,542

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Italy vs $3,717 in Australia, rent included.

Italy $2,778
Australia $3,717

A family of three spends $3,752 per month in Italy vs $4,893 in Australia, rent included.

Italy $3,752
Australia $4,893

Cost ranges are similar: Italy spans $1,035–$2,560, Australia $1,646–$3,152. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Italy is roughly 29% lower than in Australia on average.

Both Italy and Australia are pricier than the global median – Italy by 34%, Australia by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$17.16 A$24.69

15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$83.9 A$121

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$11.20 A$16.12

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$3.92 A$5.64

-49.23%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.83 A$4.07

4.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.30 A$3.31

-38.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$7.68 A$11.06

-27.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$8.25 A$11.87

-31.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.76 A$2.53

-8.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.77 A$3.99

-16.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.19 A$3.16

36.53%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.99 A$7.18

-18.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$9.94 A$14.31

73.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$9.03 A$12.99

40.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$15.25 A$21.94

33.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.67 A$5.28

-30.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.05 A$4.39

-29.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.12 A$4.50

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$4.56 A$6.56

-29.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$2.81 A$4.04

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.39 A$3.44

-23.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.35 A$3.39

-35.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.64 A$2.36

-66.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$38.42 A$55.3

-82.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$13.77 A$19.82

-41.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.69 A$6.75

-63.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$5.08 A$7.31

-53.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.72 A$3.91

-30.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$95.8 A$138

-54.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$3.54 A$5.10

57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.55 A$2.23

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$40.00 A$57.6

-15.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.30 A$1.87

56.92%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$28.2K A$40.5K

26.47%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$28.5K A$40.9K

24.33%

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

$222 €198

$198 A$285

12.19%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$28.75 A$41.37

-60.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$58.6 A$84.4

-47.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$56.7 A$81.6

-7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$19.08 A$27.46

24.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$15.02 A$21.62

-30.03%

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

$541 €481

$2,154 A$3,099

-74.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$17.9K A$25.8K

-34.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$78.0 A$112

15.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$54.8 A$78.8

-28.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$112 A$161

-9.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$124 A$179

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$1,540 A$2,215

-47.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$1,222 A$1,758

-49.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$2,478 A$3,566

-43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$1,930 A$2,778

-45.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$8,153 A$11.7K

-55.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$6,053 A$8,711

-63.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$3,944 A$5,676

-52.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.93

-39.97%

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

Australia

$1.2K 48.1% 97.4% $603

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

Australia

$370 14.6% 6.7% $23

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

Australia

$293 11.5% 7.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

Australia

$286 11.2% 8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

Australia

$166 6.5% 1.8% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

Australia

$87 3.4% 17.7% $13

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Australia

$118 4.6% 82.8% $53

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $721 in Italy vs $1,366 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,222 in Rome and $1,716 in Canberra.

Average salary: $1,888 in Italy vs $3,849 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 89% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 12% more in Australia.

Public transport is 83% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 104% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

13:07 1:07 PM

9 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Australia 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Australia

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

Italy vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Italy is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $721 in Italy.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Italy, adding to the overall 41% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Italy, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Italy is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.