Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Russia

Name: Russia
Address: RU

For one person, living is cheaper in Russia: $1,267 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Russia
Learn more

Russia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Russia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,267 in Russia.

Italy $1,843
Russia $1,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,985 in Russia.

Italy $2,816
Russia $1,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,703 in Russia.

Italy $3,788
Russia $2,703

Italy ($1,038–$2,555) and Russia ($82–$1,922) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Italy is roughly 45% more expensive than in Russia on average.

Italy (35% above) and Russia (7% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$11.95 ₽962

71.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$42.75 ₽3,443

85.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$6.65 ₽536

67.67%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.18 ₽256

-35.85%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$1.31 ₽106

136.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.62 ₽49.95

125.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$2.40 ₽193

129.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.04 ₽245

88.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.25 ₽101

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$0.85 ₽68.7

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.49 ₽120

94.63%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$1.68 ₽135

142.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$12.17 ₽980

43.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$6.03 ₽485

108.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$12.18 ₽981

65.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.94 ₽157

32.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.89 ₽152

15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.84 ₽148

45.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$3.30 ₽265

-0.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.79 ₽63.3

140.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.65 ₽52.0

180.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.49 ₽120

5.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.77 ₽61.8

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$3.14 ₽253

113.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$8.68 ₽699

-7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.11 ₽89.2

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.20 ₽177

6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.55 ₽44.11

247.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$36.54 ₽2,943

18.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$2.53 ₽204

122.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.48 ₽38.27

256.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$6.79 ₽547

395.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$0.85 ₽68.1

138.82%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$54.1K ₽4.4M

-34.71%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$40.9K ₽3.3M

-10.12%

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

$227 €203

$144 ₽11.6K

57.53%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$7.28 ₽586

59.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$8.96 ₽722

239.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$38.71 ₽3,117

33.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$32.62 ₽2,627

-27.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$7.53 ₽606

40.77%

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

$568 €508

$489 ₽39.4K

15.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$16.5K ₽1.3M

-30.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$91.7 ₽7,384

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$55.2 ₽4,445

-30.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$136 ₽10.9K

-24.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$127 ₽10.2K

3.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$618 ₽49.8K

33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$418 ₽33.6K

54.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$1,186 ₽95.5K

18.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$788 ₽63.5K

33.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$3,068 ₽247.1K

19.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$2,132 ₽171.7K

7.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$977 ₽78.7K

92.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

21.25

-83.25%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Russia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Russia

$418 33% 35.4% $229

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Russia

$228 18% 34.5% $120

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Russia

$180 14.2% 35.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Russia

$160 12.6% 40.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Russia

$184 14.6% 12.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Russia

$54 4.2% 26.3% $19

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Russia

$44 3.5% 33.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $490 in Russia. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,533 in Moscow.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $817 in Russia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 49% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 78% more in Italy.

Public transport is 54% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇷🇺 Russia

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

2 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

145,975,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Russia 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Russia

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 Russia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,267 in Russia, Russia comes out about 31% 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 Russia: 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 $490 in Russia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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