Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $2,453 in the United Kingdom.

Italy $1,804
United Kingdom $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $3,548 in the United Kingdom.

Italy $2,778
United Kingdom $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $4,643 in the United Kingdom.

Italy $3,752
United Kingdom $4,643

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,131 to $3,986, compared to $1,035–$2,560 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Italy costs about 26% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 34% above, the United Kingdom 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$20.82 £15.62

-4.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$86.3 £64.7

-10.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$10.76 £8.07

2.23%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$4.87 £3.65

-59.14%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.55 £1.91

16.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.85 £1.39

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$6.75 £5.06

-17.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$6.49 £4.87

-12.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.64 £1.23

-1.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.66 £1.24

38.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.17 £1.63

37.79%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.02 £3.01

1.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$9.40 £7.05

83.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$8.99 £6.74

41.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$14.55 £10.92

39.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.90 £2.17

-12.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.60 £1.20

34.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.78 £2.08

-7.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$3.39 £2.54

-5.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$1.78 £1.34

7.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.62 £1.21

13.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.23 £0.92

22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.66 £1.24

-66.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$23.67 £17.76

-71.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$10.67 £8.00

-24.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.06 £2.30

-43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.33 £2.50

-28.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$3.34 £2.51

-43.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$103 £77.1

-57.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$5.44 £4.08

2.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.36 £1.77

-30.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$26.17 £19.63

29.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.95 £1.46

4.62%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$38.0K £28.5K

-6.15%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$40.6K £30.5K

-12.92%

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

$222 €198

$315 £236

-29.31%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$17.88 £13.41

-36.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$42.77 £32.09

-28.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$44.93 £33.71

17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$17.98 £13.49

32.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$13.06 £9.80

-19.53%

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

$541 €481

$1,753 £1,315

-69.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$22.5K £16.9K

-47.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$90.4 £67.8

-0.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$45.49 £34.13

-14.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$101 £75.9

0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$102 £76.4

29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$1,339 £1,005

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$1,096 £822

-43.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$2,152 £1,615

-35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$1,699 £1,275

-38.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$5,551 £4,165

-34.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$4,374 £3,282

-49.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$3,324 £2,494

-43.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.32

-33.08%

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 77.2% $478

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

United Kingdom

$303 12.4% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

United Kingdom

$322 13.1% 17.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

United Kingdom

$375 15.3% 41.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

United Kingdom

$153 6.2% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

United Kingdom

$71 2.9% 3.6% $2.7

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

United Kingdom

$133 5.4% 107% $69

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $1,252 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $2,869 in London.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $3,228 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 74% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 14% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 112% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 71% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

1 h behind Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Italy United Kingdom 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $2,453 in the United Kingdom, there's a 36% 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 $1,252 in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom 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; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.