Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Vanuatu

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,825 a month against $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇮🇹 Italy
$1,825
/mo nomad
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
$3,216
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Vanuatu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $3,216 in Vanuatu.

  • Italy $1,825
  • Vanuatu $3,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $4,324 in Vanuatu.

  • Italy $2,790
  • Vanuatu $4,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $5,432 in Vanuatu.

  • Italy $3,756
  • Vanuatu $5,432

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $3,155–$3,454 in Vanuatu. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy costs about 43% less than in Vanuatu on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, Vanuatu 137% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.90 €17.70
$12.42 VUV 1,457
60.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 €68.6
$55.9 VUV 6,553
38.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.41 €10.15
$14.15 VUV 1,660
-19.36%
Cappuccino
$2.01 €1.78
$3.97 VUV 466
-49.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 €2.78
$2.30 VUV 270
36.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.24
$2.33 VUV 274
-39.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.76 €5.12
$5.03 VUV 590
14.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.73 €5.10
$7.35 VUV 863
-22.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 €1.44
$3.13 VUV 367
-48.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 €2.12
$2.50 VUV 293
-4.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.92 €2.60
$3.86 VUV 452
-24.35%
Eggs
$4.17 €3.70
$6.21 VUV 728
-32.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.28 €15.37
$16.29 VUV 1,911
6.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.73 €11.32
$16.00 VUV 1,876
-20.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.39 €18.13
$13.25 VUV 1,554
53.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.32
$6.57 VUV 771
-60.27%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 €1.88
$2.07 VUV 243
2.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.63 €2.34
$3.91 VUV 459
-32.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 €2.97
$10.09 VUV 1,184
-66.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 €1.79
$8.96 VUV 1,052
-77.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 €1.69
$4.34 VUV 510
-56.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 €1.39
$2.60 VUV 305
-40.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$1.16 VUV 137
-52.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.84 €6.08
$9.57 VUV 1,122
-28.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.64 €6.80
$12.45 VUV 1,460
-38.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 €1.61
$2.94 VUV 344
-38.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 €2.14
$2.99 VUV 351
-19.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.29 VUV 151
44.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.27 €38.49
$67.7 VUV 7,943
-36.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 €5.01
$2.51 VUV 295
124.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 €1.52
$0.81 VUV 95.4
111.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.04 €29.39
$5.00 VUV 587
560.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 €1.87
$1.84 VUV 216
14.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.8K €31.8K
$23.0K VUV 2.7M
55.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.4K €33.3K
$37.3K VUV 4.4M
0.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 €204
$624 VUV 73.2K
-63.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 €10.32
$22.95 VUV 2,692
-49.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.40 €27.04
$360 VUV 42.2K
-91.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.9 €47.96
$67.9 VUV 7,963
-20.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.24 €21.56
$16.80 VUV 1,971
44.29%
Cinema Ticket
$10.58 €9.41
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 €485
$632 VUV 74.1K
-13.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K €10.3K
$6,850 VUV 803.5K
68.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.4 €78.7
$40.81 VUV 4,787
116.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.60 €35.22
$66.5 VUV 7,797
-40.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €89.8
$85.2 VUV 9,991
18.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €118
$103 VUV 12.1K
29.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$799 €711
$1,566 VUV 183.7K
-48.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 €555
$1,198 VUV 140.6K
-47.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,423 €1,266
$3,359 VUV 394.0K
-57.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 €916
$1,897 VUV 222.5K
-45.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,601 €3,203
$6,080 VUV 713.1K
-40.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,270 €2,019
$2,184 VUV 256.2K
3.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Vanuatu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,893 €1,684
$345 VUV 40.4K
448.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
6.18
-42.39%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Italy
$624
Vanuatu
$1.2K 91.9% $574
Groceries & Markets
Italy
$350
Vanuatu
$482 37.8% $132
Eating Out
Italy
$276
Vanuatu
$248 10.1% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$272
Vanuatu
$1K 271% $736
Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163
Vanuatu
$133 18.4% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$75
Vanuatu
$68 * 9.6% $7.2
Getting Around
Italy
$65
Vanuatu
$79 22.4% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $794 in Vanuatu. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $1,587 in Port Vila.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $488 in Vanuatu. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 161% more in Italy.

Public transport is 24% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 288% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Italy
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
🕒 Local time
16:48 4:48 PM
01:48 1:48 AM
9 h ahead of Italy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,850,717
300,019
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Italy Vanuatu 16,480 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Italy
  • Vanuatu

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 Vanuatu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Vanuatu?
At $1,825 per month in Italy and $3,216 in Vanuatu, there's a 76% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $794 in Vanuatu and $724 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget in Italy or in Vanuatu?
In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Vanuatu it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Italy or to Vanuatu?
It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; Vanuatu may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Italy vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?