Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,982 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Rome

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Rome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,982 in Rome, rent included.

London $4,086
Rome $1,982

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,148 in Rome, rent included.

London $5,816
Rome $3,148

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $4,314 in Rome, rent included.

London $7,546
Rome $4,314

London costs about 106% more than Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Rome sit above the global median – London by 205%, Rome by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$16.88 €15.05

57.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$67.5 €60.2

59.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$11.04 €9.84

-5.89%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$2.05 €1.83

182.44%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.05 €2.72

-1.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.52 €1.36

41.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$5.73 €5.11

63.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$6.86 €6.12

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.71 €1.52

4.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.25 €2.00

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.10 €2.77

-25.48%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$4.81 €4.29

4.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$15.09 €13.45

-16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$12.53 €11.18

-14.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$19.82 €17.67

-13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.66 €2.37

13.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.32 €2.07

-39.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.45 €2.19

24.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.32 €2.07

45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.43 €1.28

16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.53 €1.37

13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.35 €1.20

4.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.52 €0.47

244.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$7.40 €6.60

213.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$5.45 €4.86

138.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$1.64 €1.46

93.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$2.63 €2.34

67.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.73 €1.54

123.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$39.99 €35.66

525.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$6.91 €6.16

-17.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.63 €1.45

104.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$34.18 €30.48

69.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.14 €1.91

-4.67%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$35.1K €31.3K

6.88%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$34.4K €30.7K

18.86%

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

$376 £284

$209 €186

80.33%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$11.57 €10.31

54.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$31.88 €28.42

25.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$65.7 €58.6

-6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$23.73 €21.15

-11.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$11.20 €9.98

60.27%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$483 €431

493.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$17.0K €15.1K

108.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$70.7 €63.0

64.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$35.68 €31.81

51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$82.2 €73.3

54.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$123 €110

29.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$1,205 €1,074

136.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$892 €795

157.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$2,527 €2,253

105.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$1,687 €1,504

120.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$8,407 €7,495

126.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$3,096 €2,760

154.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$1,980 €1,766

143.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.52

32.10%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Rome

$892 44.2% 61.2% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Rome

$252 12.5% 41.9% $182

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Rome

$253 12.6% 36.1% $143

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Rome

$331 16.4% 5.4% $19

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Rome

$62 3.1% 78.5% $226

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Rome

$140 7% 31.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Rome

$88 4.4% 9.2% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,205 in Rome. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 143% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $68.0 in Rome. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $331 – making Rome the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Rome 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

London vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,982 in Rome – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,974 in Rome. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rome, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $68.0 in Rome. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rome, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in London at $4,086. In Rome it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,982 in Rome to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rome. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.