Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Latvia Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Latvia

Name: Latvia
Address: LV

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,782 in Italy versus $978 in Latvia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,722 in Italy versus $1,504 in Latvia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,662 in Italy versus $2,030 in Latvia.

Living in Italy is roughly 82% more expensive than in Latvia on average.

Italy (30% above) and Latvia (29% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.07 €18.26

$14.09 €12.21

49.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 €70.2

$57.7 €50.0

40.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.50 €9.96

$8.23 €7.13

39.73%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.82

$3.46 €2.99

-39.31%

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

$3.07 €2.66

$1.73 €1.50

77.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.25

$1.23 €1.06

17.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 €5.08

$5.27 €4.57

11.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €4.96

$4.63 €4.01

23.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.38

$1.25 €1.08

27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.09

$1.57 €1.36

53.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.60

$2.62 €2.27

14.12%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.76

$3.70 €3.20

17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.62 €15.27

$10.71 €9.28

64.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.69 €10.99

$8.34 €7.23

52.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.80 €18.02

$15.00 €13.00

38.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.26

$1.96 €1.70

33.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.86

$1.86 €1.61

15.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.42

$2.59 €2.25

7.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.92

$3.15 €2.73

6.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.77

$0.92 €0.80

121.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.70

$1.04 €0.90

88.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.35

$1.90 €1.65

-17.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.46

$1.03 €0.90

-48.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €5.93

$5.87 €5.09

16.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.68

$8.03 €6.96

-3.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.61

$1.92 €1.66

-3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.16

$1.99 €1.72

25.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.66

$1.69 €1.46

13.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.16 €38.27

$34.74 €30.10

27.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 €5.09

$3.39 €2.94

73.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.48

$0.79 €0.69

115.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.16 €30.47

$16.66 €14.44

111.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.83

$1.98 €1.72

6.57%

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

$36.9K €32.0K

$28.7K €24.9K

28.67%

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

$36.5K €31.6K

$32.2K €27.9K

13.34%

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

$229 €199

$336 €291

-31.74%

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

$12.09 €10.48

$18.83 €16.32

-35.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €27.36

$19.99 €17.33

57.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €46.90

$45.45 €39.39

19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 €21.24

$35.47 €30.74

-30.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.34

$10.39 €9.01

3.75%

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

$562 €487

$578 €501

-2.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.6K

$16.8K €14.6K

-27.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.3 €81.7

$79.4 €68.8

18.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 €35.29

$48.79 €42.28

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €90.2

$95.4 €82.6

9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €118

$151 €131

-9.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 €721

$436 €378

90.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €560

$319 €277

102.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 €1,256

$871 €754

66.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €937

$552 €479

95.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,816 €3,307

$2,494 €2,161

52.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,312 €2,003

$1,689 €1,464

36.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,954 €1,693

$1,338 €1,160

46.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

4.37

-18.31%

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

Last update for Italy: September 13, 2026

Last update for Latvia: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $748 in Italy, $207 in Latvia. Capital cities: $1,238 in Rome vs $599 in Riga.

National salary averages: $1,958 in Italy, $1,067 in Latvia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 261% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 50% more in Italy.

Public transport is 180% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 84% higher in Italy.

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 Latvia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,913 per month in Italy and $883 in Latvia, there's a 117% 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 Latvia: 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 Italy is consistently higher than in Latvia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Latvia, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy 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: Latvia wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.