Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olbia and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Olbia: $1,744 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,744

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,744 in Olbia versus $1,998 in Rome.

Olbia $1,744
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,589 in Olbia versus $3,117 in Rome.

Olbia $2,589
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,435 in Olbia versus $4,236 in Rome.

Olbia $3,435
Rome $4,236

Living in Olbia costs roughly 13% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Olbia 29% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €19.98

$16.69 €14.84

34.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 €75.7

$65.8 €58.5

29.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$11.08 €9.85

-10.47%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.73

$2.10 €1.87

-7.14%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$2.91 €2.59

7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.48 €1.32

0.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$5.62 €5.00

-40.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$6.68 €5.94

-48.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.72 €1.53

-11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.27 €2.02

-8.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.99 €2.66

-12.37%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.25

$4.75 €4.23

-23.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 €14.68

$14.53 €12.92

13.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 €10.17

$12.63 €11.24

-9.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.59 €15.64

$19.86 €17.67

-11.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.64 €2.35

-17.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.28 €2.03

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.46 €2.19

-6.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.42 €2.15

17.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.38 €1.22

3.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.55 €1.38

-12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.32 €1.17

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 €0.35

$0.55 €0.49

-29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 €6.00

$7.31 €6.50

-7.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 €7.41

$5.44 €4.84

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.58 €1.40

4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.62 €2.33

-37.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.63 €1.45

-16.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.47 €14.65

$39.26 €34.92

-58.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.69 €8.62

$6.51 €5.79

48.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.68 €1.50

-11.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.53 €28.05

$33.24 €29.57

-5.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.17 €1.93

-8.29%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$35.3K €31.4K

0.85%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.4K €31.5K

-0.44%

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

$155 €138

$203 €181

-23.67%

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

$8.70 €7.74

$11.50 €10.22

-24.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.90 €23.04

$32.03 €28.49

-19.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 €32.66

$65.9 €58.6

-44.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.54 €24.50

$22.89 €20.36

20.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.90

$11.23 €9.99

-0.89%

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

$322 €286

$484 €430

-33.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,121 €7,223

$16.5K €14.7K

-50.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 €84.5

$71.0 €63.1

33.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.41 €37.72

$36.51 €32.47

16.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 €80.8

$84.9 €75.5

6.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$122 €108

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 €804

$1,222 €1,087

-26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 €635

$881 €784

-18.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,216

$2,537 €2,257

-46.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 €833

$1,721 €1,530

-45.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,267 €2,906

$8,274 €7,360

-60.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,628 €2,337

$3,084 €2,743

-14.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,942 €1,728

-1.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.52

-7.10%

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

Last update for Olbia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olbia

$714 41%

Rome

$881 44.1% 23.4% $167

Groceries & Markets

Olbia

$312 17.9%

Rome

$329 16.5% 5.6% $17

Eating Out

Olbia

$275 15.8%

Rome

$251 12.6% 8.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olbia

$190 10.9%

Rome

$246 12.3% 30.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Olbia

$156 8.9%

Rome

$141 7.1% 9.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Olbia

$59 3.4%

Rome

$88 4.4% 49.8% $29

Getting Around

Olbia

$39 2.2%

Rome

$61 3% 55.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Olbia and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 1% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Olbia vs $66.0 in Rome. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $329, with Olbia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Olbia

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

Same time as Olbia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,512

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Olbia vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olbia wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Olbia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Rome. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Olbia versus $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $322 in Olbia versus $484 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,744 in Olbia versus $1,998 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Olbia but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Olbia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Olbia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,744 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Olbia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Olbia 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 Olbia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.