Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,133 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
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Romania Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Romania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,133 in Romania.

Italy $1,843
Romania $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,691 in Romania.

Italy $2,816
Romania $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,250 in Romania.

Italy $3,788
Romania $2,250

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $742–$1,423 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 63% more expensive than in Romania on average.

Italy (35% above) and Romania (17% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$10.41 RON 49.74

96.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$41.28 RON 197

92.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$7.27 RON 34.73

53.37%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.72 RON 13.00

-25.00%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$2.02 RON 9.63

53.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.67 RON 7.97

-16.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$2.25 RON 10.75

144.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.21 RON 15.33

78.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.53 RON 7.30

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.15 RON 5.49

106.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.59 RON 7.59

82.39%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$3.23 RON 15.45

26.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$8.03 RON 38.38

117.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$6.39 RON 30.52

96.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$10.22 RON 48.85

97.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.21 RON 5.80

113.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.54 RON 7.34

42.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.54 RON 7.38

74.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$2.10 RON 10.05

55.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.78 RON 3.75

143.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.86 RON 4.13

111.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.84 RON 4.03

86.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.84 RON 4.01

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$6.05 RON 28.91

10.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$6.11 RON 29.22

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.10 RON 5.23

60.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.57 RON 7.50

49.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.72 RON 3.42

165.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$23.15 RON 111

87.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$0.80 RON 3.81

602.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.72 RON 3.46

137.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$7.00 RON 33.46

380.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.78 RON 8.52

14.04%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$28.7K RON 137.3K

22.88%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$25.3K RON 121.1K

44.97%

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

$227 €203

$160 RON 762

42.01%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$7.98 RON 38.12

45.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$8.83 RON 42.22

244.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$40.42 RON 193

28.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$18.47 RON 88.3

28.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$7.35 RON 35.13

44.22%

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

$568 €508

$473 RON 2,262

19.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$8,477 RON 40.5K

35.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$69.5 RON 332

30.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$37.71 RON 180

2.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$79.6 RON 380

29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$84.3 RON 403

55.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$503 RON 2,405

64.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$375 RON 1,794

72.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$776 RON 3,708

80.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$579 RON 2,765

82.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$2,539 RON 12.1K

44.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$1,819 RON 8,691

26.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$1,001 RON 4,782

88.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

6.98

-49.00%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Romania

$375 33.2% 41.9% $271

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Romania

$203 17.9% 41.6% $145

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Romania

$170 15% 39% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Romania

$176 15.6% 34.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Romania

$122 10.8% 25.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Romania

$55 4.9% 24.5% $18

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Romania

$30 2.7% 53.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $387 in Romania. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $711 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $857 in Romania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 88% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 78% more in Italy.

Public transport is 95% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

19,053,815

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Romania 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Romania

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 Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,133 in Romania, Romania comes out about 39% cheaper. 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 cheaper in Romania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $387 in Romania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Romania wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.