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: $1,838 a month against $2,785 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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

$1,838

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,785

/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: $1,838 in Italy versus $2,784 in the United States.

Italy $1,838
United States $2,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,793 in Italy versus $3,982 in the United States.

Italy $2,793
United States $3,982

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,748 in Italy versus $5,179 in the United States.

Italy $3,748
United States $5,179

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,174, compared to $1,028–$2,531 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in Italy costs about 34% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 37% above, the United States 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.52 €18.29

$20.22 $20.22

1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 €71.1

$81.1 $81.1

-1.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.07

$12.12 $12.12

-6.77%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$5.36 $5.36

-61.94%

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

$2.98 €2.66

$2.77 $2.77

7.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.09 $2.09

-35.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.96

$5.84 $5.84

-4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 €4.90

$7.92 $7.92

-30.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.04 $1.04

57.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 €2.06

$3.56 $3.56

-35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$4.69 $4.69

-37.53%

Eggs

$4.10 €3.66

$4.43 $4.43

-7.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.49 €15.60

$12.91 $12.91

35.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.66 €11.28

$12.20 $12.20

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.70 €18.46

$17.00 $17.00

21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$5.31 $5.31

-52.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.67 $1.67

29.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$4.49 $4.49

-41.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 €2.93

$5.05 $5.05

-35.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.83 $2.83

-31.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.00 $3.00

-38.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.28 $2.28

-31.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.45

$2.27 $2.27

-77.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$10.33 $10.33

-33.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.95 €7.09

$14.72 $14.72

-45.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.05 $2.05

-14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.18

$3.66 $3.66

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.33 $2.33

-19.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.69 €38.06

$65.1 $65.1

-34.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 €5.14

$3.60 $3.60

60.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.90 $1.90

-9.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.10 €30.40

$29.81 $29.81

14.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.03 $1.03

104.85%

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

$37.1K €33.1K

$35.1K $35.1K

5.72%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$26.3K $26.3K

36.89%

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

$223 €198

$216 $216

2.98%

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

$11.53 €10.28

$62.3 $62.3

-81.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.07 €27.70

$74.6 $74.6

-58.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 €48.14

$44.70 $44.70

20.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.13

$22.55 $22.55

5.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 €9.64

$15.19 $15.19

-28.83%

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

$551 €491

$1,440 $1,440

-61.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$25.2K $25.2K

-53.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €81.4

$53.7 $53.7

70.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 €34.32

$42.44 $42.44

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$93.4 $93.4

11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$115 $115

12.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 €710

$1,622 $1,622

-50.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €556

$1,357 $1,357

-54.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,254

$2,681 $2,681

-47.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 €939

$2,170 $2,170

-51.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,680 €3,281

$3,294 $3,294

11.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,261 €2,016

$2,674 $2,674

-15.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,925 €1,717

$4,242 $4,242

-54.61%

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 6, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.3%

United States

$1.4K 49.4% 118% $733

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$349 19.2%

United States

$411 15% 17.6% $61

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.3%

United States

$327 11.9% 17.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.6%

United States

$353 12.9% 33.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$164 9%

United States

$137 5% 16.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$76 4.2%

United States

$75 2.7% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

United States

$87 3.2% 35.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $730 in Italy, $1,605 in the United States. Capital cities: $1,205 in Rome vs $2,726 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $1,908 in Italy, $4,534 in the United States. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 120% higher in the United States.

Public transport is 56% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 138% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

22:51 10:51 PM

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 = 0.892 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 $1,838 per month in Italy and $2,784 in the United States, there's a 52% 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 $1,605 in the United States and $730 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.