Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Benin

Name: Benin
Address: BJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $814 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Benin
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Benin Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇧🇯 Benin

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Benin

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 Benin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,843 per month in Italy vs $814 in Benin, rent included.

Italy $1,843
Benin $814

A couple spends around $2,816 per month in Italy vs $1,313 in Benin, rent included.

Italy $2,816
Benin $1,313

A family of three spends $3,788 per month in Italy vs $1,812 in Benin, rent included.

Italy $3,788
Benin $1,812

The regional cost range is wider in Italy ($1,038–$2,555) than in Benin ($712–$897), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Italy is about 126% higher than in Benin on average.

Italy sits 35% above the global median, while Benin is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.25

$5.09 F CFA 2,975

301.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.9

$35.52 F CFA 20.8K

123.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.95

$9.34 F CFA 5,465

19.38%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$5.26 F CFA 3,076

-61.22%

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

$3.10 €2.77

$1.22 F CFA 712

154.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.33 F CFA 780

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.92

$0.81 F CFA 474

580.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$3.89 F CFA 2,278

47.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.26 F CFA 1,321

-30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.82 F CFA 481

190.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$1.84 F CFA 1,073

57.61%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.63

$2.15 F CFA 1,257

89.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.56

$7.52 F CFA 4,401

131.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.20

$4.51 F CFA 2,639

178.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €17.99

$5.39 F CFA 3,151

274.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.94 F CFA 1,721

-12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.20 F CFA 702

82.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.21 F CFA 705

121.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.46 F CFA 1,436

32.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.31 F CFA 764

45.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.18 F CFA 691

54.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.46 F CFA 269

241.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.86 F CFA 501

-36.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.97

$1.95 F CFA 1,141

243.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.13

$4.16 F CFA 2,433

92.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.21 F CFA 705

46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

34.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.27 F CFA 742

50.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.75

$7.59 F CFA 4,440

472.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.01

$1.55 F CFA 908

262.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.54 F CFA 901

11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.24 F CFA 723

63.71%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

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

$36.7K €32.8K

$23.9K F CFA 14.0M

53.99%

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

$227 €202

$147 F CFA 86.2K

53.79%

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

$11.59 €10.34

$31.46 F CFA 18.4K

-63.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.11

$54.1 F CFA 31.7K

-43.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.19

$38.80 F CFA 22.7K

33.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.14

$4.13 F CFA 2,418

473.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.46

$8.57 F CFA 5,011

23.69%

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

$568 €506

$131 F CFA 76.7K

333.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$5,539 F CFA 3.2M

108.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €80.8

$21.47 F CFA 12.6K

321.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.40

$8.30 F CFA 4,856

364.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.6

$29.84 F CFA 17.5K

244.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$47.68 F CFA 27.9K

174.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €737

$118 F CFA 69.0K

600.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €577

$117 F CFA 68.7K

450.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,249

$406 F CFA 237.6K

244.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$370 F CFA 216.7K

184.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,267

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,053

$2,595 F CFA 1.5M

-11.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,683

$280 F CFA 164.0K

572.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

-11.00%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Benin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Benin

$117 14.4% 81.8% $529

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Benin

$183 22.5% 47.3% $165

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Benin

$154 18.9% 44.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Benin

$233 28.6% 13.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Benin

$48 5.9% 70.4% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Benin

$56 6.9% 23.4% $17

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Benin

$22 2.7% 66.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

Average salary: $1,890 in Italy vs $168 in Benin. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 436% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 135% more in Italy.

Public transport is 438% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇧🇯 Benin

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

14,111,034

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Benin 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Benin

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 Benin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benin is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 56% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Italy: a central one-bedroom averages $729 versus $136 in Benin.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Benin – part of why living there is about 56% cheaper overall.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Benin, but in Italy it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Benin is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.