Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novara and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,483 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Novara
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Novara Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,483

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novara 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 Novara and in Rome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Novara versus $1,990 in Rome.

Novara $1,483
Rome $1,990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,293 in Novara versus $3,095 in Rome.

Novara $2,293
Rome $3,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,103 in Novara versus $4,199 in Rome.

Novara $3,103
Rome $4,199

Living in Novara costs roughly 25% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novara 9% above, Rome 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 €14.92

$16.68 €14.84

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.3

$67.4 €59.9

-16.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.12

$11.31 €10.06

-9.37%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.55

$2.09 €1.86

-16.75%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$2.89 €2.57

19.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.46 €1.30

17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.96

$5.63 €5.01

-1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.52

$6.93 €6.16

-26.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.66 €1.48

-16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.28 €2.03

-14.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.03 €2.70

-4.95%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$4.53 €4.03

-26.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 €10.14

$14.76 €13.13

-22.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 €7.79

$12.31 €10.95

-28.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 €11.76

$19.50 €17.35

-32.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.64 €2.35

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.46

$2.29 €2.04

-27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.28 €2.03

49.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.41 €2.14

-10.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.36 €1.21

42.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.55 €1.38

-26.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.37 €1.22

-24.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.55 €0.49

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.55

$7.16 €6.37

-12.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$5.45 €4.85

2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.60 €1.43

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.53 €2.25

-9.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.70 €1.51

-0.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 €34.01

$38.95 €34.64

-1.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.87

$6.67 €5.93

-34.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.71 €1.53

-29.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.82 €30.97

$33.59 €29.87

3.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.11 €1.88

-2.84%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$35.5K €31.6K

-24.34%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$37.0K €32.9K

-9.64%

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

$176 €157

$203 €180

-13.03%

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

$10.41 €9.26

$11.33 €10.08

-8.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.24 €26.90

$31.57 €28.08

-4.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.3 €69.6

$65.6 €58.4

19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 €16.86

$23.49 €20.89

-19.28%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$11.43 €10.16

-0.35%

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

$517 €460

$497 €442

4.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,907 €8,813

$16.6K €14.8K

-40.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 €110

$72.5 €64.5

70.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 €30.27

$35.94 €31.97

-5.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 €49.40

$85.1 €75.7

-34.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €123

$121 €108

14.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$1,191 €1,059

-45.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €389

$876 €780

-50.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$2,506 €2,229

-58.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €698

$1,683 €1,497

-53.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,850 €2,535

$8,438 €7,505

-66.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 €1,666

$3,157 €2,809

-40.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,082 €1,852

$1,962 €1,746

6.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

3.52

2.84%

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

Last update for Novara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novara

$438 29.5%

Rome

$876 44% 100% $439

Groceries & Markets

Novara

$269 18.1%

Rome

$325 16.3% 20.9% $56

Eating Out

Novara

$245 16.5%

Rome

$252 12.7% 2.9% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novara

$217 14.6%

Rome

$246 12.4% 13.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Novara

$158 10.7%

Rome

$142 7.1% 10.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Novara

$101 6.8%

Rome

$88 4.5% 12.4% $13

Getting Around

Novara

$55 3.7%

Rome

$61 3.1% 10.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Novara and $1,191 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novara pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Novara vs $67.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $325 per month, with Novara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Novara

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

Same time as Novara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,910

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Novara Rome 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Novara
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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

Novara vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novara and Rome differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,483 vs $1,990 including rent). Novara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Novara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $644 in Novara versus $1,191 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $517 in Novara versus $497 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,483 in Novara versus $1,990 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novara but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Novara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Novara and Rome are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Novara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.