Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living costs are similar in Italy and in Spain: $1,804 and $1,754 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Spain

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $1,754 in Spain.

Italy $1,804
Spain $1,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $2,570 in Spain.

Italy $2,778
Spain $2,570

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $3,386 in Spain.

Italy $3,752
Spain $3,386

Italy ($1,035–$2,560) and Spain ($928–$2,590) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Italy is roughly 3% more expensive than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 34% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$16.56 €14.73

20.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$56.6 €50.4

36.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$11.24 €10.00

-2.14%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$2.32 €2.07

-14.22%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.57 €2.28

15.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.86 €1.66

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$3.34 €2.97

67.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$4.02 €3.58

41.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.21 €1.08

33.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.54 €1.37

49.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.63 €1.45

83.44%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.30 €2.93

23.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$14.35 €12.76

20.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$8.54 €7.60

48.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$16.09 €14.31

26.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.45 €2.18

3.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.02 €1.79

6.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.07 €1.85

23.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$2.44 €2.17

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$1.78 €1.58

7.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.01 €1.78

-8.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.29 €1.15

17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.75 €0.66

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$6.42 €5.71

6.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$5.71 €5.08

40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.30 €1.15

32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.99 €1.77

19.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.70 €1.51

10.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$33.97 €30.22

27.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$4.58 €4.07

21.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.48 €1.32

10.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$24.59 €21.87

37.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.74 €1.55

17.24%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$34.9K €31.0K

2.19%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$29.7K €26.4K

19.22%

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

$222 €198

$147 €131

51.45%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$17.90 €15.92

-36.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$31.21 €27.76

-1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$44.57 €39.65

18.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$15.01 €13.35

58.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$9.24 €8.22

13.74%

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

$541 €481

$529 €470

2.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$10.4K €9,212

13.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$84.8 €75.5

6.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$36.80 €32.73

6.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$89.7 €79.7

13.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$107 €94.8

23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$988 €879

-18.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$791 €703

-21.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$1,580 €1,405

-12.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$1,196 €1,064

-12.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$4,059 €3,610

-10.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$2,615 €2,326

-14.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$1,923 €1,711

-1.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.3

7.88%

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

Spain

$791 45.1% 27.8% $172

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

Spain

$272 15.5% 21.7% $75

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

Spain

$237 13.5% 13.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

Spain

$196 11.2% 25.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

Spain

$143 8.2% 12.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

Spain

$63 3.6% 14.5% $11

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Spain

$53 3% 18.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $908 in Spain. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $1,506 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 28% more in Italy.

Public transport is 41% more expensive in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy Spain 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,754 in Spain, there's a 3% 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 cheaper in Spain: 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.

In Spain, $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: Spain wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.