Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Macquarie and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,998 a month against $2,450 in Port Macquarie, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
Learn more

Port Macquarie Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
Learn more

Rome Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,450 per month in Port Macquarie vs $1,998 in Rome, rent included.

Port Macquarie $2,450
Rome $1,998

A couple spends around $3,487 per month in Port Macquarie vs $3,117 in Rome, rent included.

Port Macquarie $3,487
Rome $3,117

A family of three spends $4,525 per month in Port Macquarie vs $4,236 in Rome, rent included.

Port Macquarie $4,525
Rome $4,236

Port Macquarie costs about 23% more than Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Macquarie and Rome sit above the global median – Port Macquarie by 81%, Rome by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 A$25.51

$16.69 €14.84

6.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 A$126

$65.8 €58.5

32.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 A$14.88

$11.08 €9.85

-6.68%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.61

$2.10 €1.87

85.71%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$2.91 €2.59

-14.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.48 €1.32

12.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 A$8.91

$5.62 €5.00

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 A$9.17

$6.68 €5.94

-4.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 A$2.92

$1.72 €1.53

18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 A$4.22

$2.27 €2.02

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.94

$2.99 €2.66

-8.36%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.62

$4.75 €4.23

11.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.12 A$7.37

$14.53 €12.92

-64.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 A$15.22

$12.63 €11.24

-16.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 A$17.20

$19.86 €17.67

-39.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.52

$2.64 €2.35

18.94%

Banana (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$2.28 €2.03

89.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.45

$2.46 €2.19

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.12

$2.42 €2.15

104.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.43

$1.38 €1.22

73.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$1.55 €1.38

54.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 A$2.30

$1.32 €1.17

21.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.16

$0.55 €0.49

172.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$61.1

$7.31 €6.50

481.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 A$14.98

$5.44 €4.84

91.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 A$5.95

$1.58 €1.40

161.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.42

$2.62 €2.33

96.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.16

$1.63 €1.45

77.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 A$116

$39.26 €34.92

105.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.26

$6.51 €5.79

-43.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.29

$1.68 €1.50

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.84 A$61.7

$33.24 €29.57

28.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.88

$2.17 €1.93

-40.09%

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

$26.2K A$37.6K

$35.3K €31.4K

-25.99%

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

$22.0K A$31.6K

$35.4K €31.5K

-37.98%

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

$198 A$285

$203 €181

-2.42%

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

$30.80 A$44.33

$11.50 €10.22

167.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.3

$32.03 €28.49

91.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 A$74.1

$65.9 €58.6

-21.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 A$13.73

$22.89 €20.36

-58.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 A$15.71

$11.23 €9.99

-2.76%

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

$1,823 A$2,624

$484 €430

277.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K A$26.7K

$16.5K €14.7K

12.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$102

$71.0 €63.1

-0.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$79.0

$36.51 €32.47

50.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$84.9 €75.5

22.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$154

$122 €108

-12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 A$2,026

$1,222 €1,087

15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,729

$881 €784

36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 A$3,069

$2,537 €2,257

-15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 A$2,437

$1,721 €1,530

-1.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,785 A$8,324

$8,274 €7,359

-30.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,938 A$7,106

$3,084 €2,743

60.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,769 A$3,984

$1,942 €1,728

42.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.52

51.42%

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

Last update for Port Macquarie: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Macquarie

$1.2K 49%

Rome

$881 44.1% 26.6% $320

Groceries & Markets

Port Macquarie

$350 14.3%

Rome

$329 16.5% 5.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Macquarie

$290 11.9%

Rome

$246 12.3% 15.1% $44

Eating Out

Port Macquarie

$280 11.4%

Rome

$251 12.6% 10.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Port Macquarie

$151 6.2%

Rome

$141 7.1% 6.5% $9.9

Getting Around

Port Macquarie

$104 4.2%

Rome

$61 3% 41.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Port Macquarie

$73 3%

Rome

$88 4.4% 20.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,408 in Port Macquarie versus $1,222 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 43% higher in Port Macquarie, 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 $87.0 in Port Macquarie versus $66.0 in Rome. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $329 – making Rome the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

19:28 7:28 PM

9 h behind Port Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,793

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Macquarie Rome 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Macquarie
Rome

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

Port Macquarie vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,450 in Port Macquarie, $1,998 in Rome – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,675 per month in Port Macquarie and $2,998 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Port Macquarie and $66.0 in Rome. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,450 in Port Macquarie and $1,998 in Rome. That's a gap of about 23%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rome, where all-in costs run around $1,998, than in Port Macquarie at $2,450. In Rome it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Macquarie it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rome has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,998 in Rome to $2,450 in Port Macquarie. 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, Port Macquarie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.