Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Germany

Name: Germany
Address: DE

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,056 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,056

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Germany

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $2,056 in Germany.

Italy $1,804
Germany $2,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $3,129 in Germany.

Italy $2,778
Germany $3,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $4,202 in Germany.

Italy $3,752
Germany $4,202

Italy ($1,035–$2,560) and Germany ($1,329–$2,658) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Italy costs about 12% less than in Germany on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 34% above, Germany 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$16.62 €14.79

19.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$72.6 €64.6

6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$12.24 €10.89

-10.13%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$4.08 €3.63

-51.23%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$3.37 €3.00

-12.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.01 €2.67

-53.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$4.90 €4.36

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$4.38 €3.90

29.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.32 €1.17

21.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.11 €1.88

9.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.37 €3.00

-11.28%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.91 €3.48

3.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$14.23 €12.66

21.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$11.79 €10.49

7.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$20.95 €18.64

-2.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.18 €2.83

-20.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.06 €1.83

4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.22 €1.98

15.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$4.14 €3.68

-22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$1.46 €1.30

31.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.43 €1.27

28.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.60 €1.42

-5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.06 €0.95

-48.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$9.67 €8.61

-29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$5.97 €5.31

34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.13 €1.01

52.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.62 €1.44

46.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$3.90 €3.47

-51.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$70.8 €62.9

-38.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$5.38 €4.78

3.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.81 €2.50

-41.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$38.76 €34.48

-12.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.12 €1.88

-3.77%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$32.9K €29.3K

8.33%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$37.7K €33.5K

-6.03%

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

$222 €198

$338 €301

-34.25%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$25.29 €22.49

-54.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$48.19 €42.86

-36.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$40.85 €36.34

29.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$27.91 €24.83

-14.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$14.64 €13.02

-28.21%

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

$541 €481

$564 €502

-4.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$17.4K €15.4K

-32.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$90.5 €80.5

-0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$43.21 €38.44

-9.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$99.3 €88.3

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$127 €113

3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$917 €816

-12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$696 €619

-11.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$1,660 €1,476

-16.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$1,310 €1,165

-19.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$5,987 €5,326

-39.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$4,049 €3,601

-44.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$3,321 €2,954

-43.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.96

-10.10%

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

Germany

$696 33.8% 12.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

Germany

$333 16.2% 4% $14

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

Germany

$278 13.5% 1.7% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

Germany

$412 20% 55.7% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

Germany

$162 7.9% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

Germany

$70 3.4% 4.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Germany

$106 5.2% 63.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $801 in Germany. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $1,469 in Berlin.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $3,101 in Germany. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Germany.

Public transport is 61% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 64% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇩🇪 Germany

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

84,358,845

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy Germany 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Germany

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 Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,056 per month in Germany and $1,804 in Italy, there's a 14% 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 $801 in Germany and $721 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 Germany 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; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.