Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $2,701 in the United States.

Italy $1,804
United States $2,701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $3,980 in the United States.

Italy $2,778
United States $3,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $5,258 in the United States.

Italy $3,752
United States $5,258

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $980 to $5,162, compared to $1,035–$2,560 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in Italy costs about 33% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 34% above, the United States 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$19.92 $19.92

-0.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$81.0 $81.0

-4.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$12.07 $12.07

-8.86%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$5.55 $5.55

-64.14%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.67 $2.67

10.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.09 $2.09

-32.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$5.96 $5.96

-6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$7.76 $7.76

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.05 $1.05

53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$3.55 $3.55

-35.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$4.64 $4.64

-35.56%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.18 $4.18

-2.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$12.76 $12.76

35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$12.63 $12.63

0.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$17.22 $17.22

18.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$5.15 $5.15

-50.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.64 $1.64

31.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$4.46 $4.46

-42.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$4.98 $4.98

-35.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$2.84 $2.84

-32.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.09 $3.09

-40.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.19 $2.19

-31.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.27 $2.27

-75.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$10.61 $10.61

-35.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$14.71 $14.71

-45.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.10 $2.10

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.82 $3.82

-37.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.35 $2.35

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$64.1 $64.1

-32.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$3.57 $3.57

56.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.85 $1.85

-11.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$30.19 $30.19

11.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.07 $1.07

90.65%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$35.3K $35.3K

0.96%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$25.9K $25.9K

36.61%

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

$222 €198

$217 $217

2.70%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$61.4 $61.4

-81.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$74.4 $74.4

-58.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$45.08 $45.08

16.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$23.07 $23.07

3.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$14.79 $14.79

-28.94%

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

$541 €481

$1,480 $1,480

-63.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$25.5K $25.5K

-53.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$53.0 $53.0

69.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$42.75 $42.75

-8.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$94.3 $94.3

7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$115 $115

14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$1,678 $1,678

-52.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$1,313 $1,313

-52.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$2,649 $2,649

-47.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$2,183 $2,183

-51.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$3,374 $3,374

7.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$2,661 $2,661

-16.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$4,404 $4,404

-57.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

6.55

-45.65%

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 States: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

United States

$1.3K 48.6% 112% $695

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

United States

$411 15.2% 18.5% $64

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

United States

$327 12.1% 19.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

United States

$352 13% 33.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

United States

$137 5.1% 15.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

United States

$75 2.8% 1.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

United States

$86 3.2% 33.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $1,609 in the United States. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $2,730 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $4,533 in the United States. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 123% higher in the United States.

Public transport is 52% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 140% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

6 h behind Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Italy United States 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
United States

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 States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $2,701 in the United States, there's a 50% 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 $1,609 in the United States 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 States 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 States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.