Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and France Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and France

Name: France
Address: FR

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $1,851 in France.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,624 in Italy versus $2,832 in France.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,530 in Italy versus $3,813 in France.

Living in Italy costs about 7% less than in France on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 29% above, France 39% above.

Italy ($1,187–$2,451) and France ($1,500–$2,865) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 €15.02

$17.56 €15.32

-1.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 €69.8

$70.3 €61.3

13.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 €10.29

$12.48 €10.89

-5.45%

Cappuccino

$1.90 €1.65

$3.77 €3.29

-49.60%

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

$3.02 €2.63

$3.20 €2.79

-5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.16

$2.18 €1.90

-38.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 €5.14

$6.99 €6.10

-15.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.67

$5.95 €5.19

-9.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.41

$1.35 €1.18

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.08

$2.01 €1.75

18.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.55

$2.60 €2.27

12.31%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.52

$4.38 €3.82

-7.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.85 €14.70

$20.50 €17.88

-17.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.61 €11.00

$14.23 €12.41

-11.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.66 €18.03

$21.24 €18.53

-2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.19

$3.27 €2.86

-23.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.85

$2.30 €2.01

-7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.35

$3.17 €2.76

-14.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €2.93

$3.68 €3.21

-8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 €1.77

$2.34 €2.04

-13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.58

$2.50 €2.18

-27.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.30

$1.61 €1.41

-7.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.44

$0.82 €0.71

-39.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.11 €6.21

$14.13 €12.33

-49.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 €6.40

$8.02 €7.00

-8.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.59

$2.63 €2.29

-30.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.14

$3.21 €2.80

-23.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.74

$2.19 €1.91

-8.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.36 €36.96

$70.5 €61.5

-39.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 €5.10

$5.31 €4.64

9.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 €1.38

$1.95 €1.70

-18.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.13 €30.65

$37.79 €32.97

-7.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

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

$32.5K €28.4K

$37.4K €32.6K

-12.96%

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

$33.2K €29.0K

$36.7K €32.0K

-9.49%

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

$223 €195

$208 €181

7.29%

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

$13.33 €11.63

$25.84 €22.54

-48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.68 €27.64

$34.23 €29.87

-7.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €49.64

$37.18 €32.44

53.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.50 €22.25

$18.72 €16.34

36.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.55 €9.21

$13.73 €11.98

-23.16%

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

$584 €510

$820 €716

-28.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,214

$11.5K €10.0K

-8.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €79.0

$104 €90.9

-13.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 €35.02

$44.75 €39.05

-10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.7

$106 €92.9

-4.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €116

$142 €124

-6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 €748

$891 €777

-3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 €580

$681 €594

-2.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 €1,297

$1,617 €1,411

-8.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 €946

$1,273 €1,110

-14.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,757 €3,278

$5,632 €4,914

-33.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,396 €2,091

$3,739 €3,262

-35.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,945 €1,697

$2,842 €2,480

-31.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

3.66

20.49%

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

Last update for Italy: June 14, 2026

Last update for France: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $791 in France. Capital cities: $1,346 in Rome vs $1,601 in Paris.

National salary averages: $1,939 in Italy, $2,813 in France. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 7% higher in France.

Dining out costs 21% more in Italy.

Salaries are 45% higher in France, and purchasing power comes out stronger in France.

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 $2,183 per month in France and $1,819 in Italy, there's a 20% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Italy: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in France is consistently higher than in Italy across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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.