Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and France

Name: France
Address: FR

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,825 a month against $1,934 in France, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in France
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France Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

🇫🇷 France

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in France

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $1,934 in France.

Italy $1,825
France $1,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $2,970 in France.

Italy $2,790
France $2,970

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $4,006 in France.

Italy $3,756
France $4,006

Italy ($1,044–$2,560) and France ($1,191–$2,706) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Italy costs about 6% less than in France on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, France 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$17.04 €15.16

16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$66.8 €59.4

15.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$13.20 €11.74

-13.56%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$3.76 €3.34

-46.54%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$3.24 €2.89

-3.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$2.07 €1.84

-32.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$6.83 €6.08

-15.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$5.74 €5.11

-0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.36 €1.21

19.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.97 €1.76

20.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.64 €2.35

10.61%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$4.23 €3.76

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$19.95 €17.74

-13.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$13.50 €12.01

-5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$21.59 €19.21

-5.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$3.15 €2.80

-17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.34 €2.08

-9.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.00 €2.67

-12.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.73 €3.32

-10.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.20 €1.96

-8.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.50 €2.22

-24.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.58 €1.40

-1.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.77 €0.68

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$14.09 €12.54

-51.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$7.91 €7.04

-3.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.67 €2.38

-32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$3.19 €2.84

-24.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.11 €1.88

-11.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$56.6 €50.4

-23.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.98 €4.43

13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.15 €1.91

-20.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$37.60 €33.44

-12.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$2.18 €1.94

-3.21%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$34.6K €30.8K

3.27%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$38.1K €33.9K

-1.81%

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

$230 €204

$218 €194

5.50%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$20.37 €18.12

-43.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$34.06 €30.30

-10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$35.62 €31.68

51.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$20.41 €18.16

18.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$13.44 €11.95

-21.28%

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

$545 €485

$878 €781

-37.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$12.2K €10.8K

-5.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$103 €91.4

-13.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$46.41 €41.28

-14.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$105 €93.6

-4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$139 €124

-4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$868 €772

-7.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$677 €602

-7.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$1,552 €1,381

-8.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$1,214 €1,080

-15.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$5,377 €4,783

-33.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$3,585 €3,189

-36.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$2,686 €2,389

-29.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.78

-5.82%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for France: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

France

$677 35% 8.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

France

$376 19.4% 7.5% $26

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

France

$288 14.9% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

France

$272 14.1% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

France

$177 9.2% 8.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

France

$63 3.2% 16.8% $13

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

France

$81 4.2% 24.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $789 in France. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $1,579 in Paris.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $2,717 in France. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 9% higher in France.

Dining out costs 14% more in Italy.

Public transport is 20% more expensive in France.

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

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇫🇷 France

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

68,373,433

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Italy France 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
France

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 France: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,934 per month in France and $1,825 in Italy, there's a 6% 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 $789 in France and $724 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; France may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.