Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Ballarat Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Ballarat

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,027 in Rome versus $1,663 in Ballarat.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,143 in Rome versus $2,699 in Ballarat.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,260 in Rome versus $3,734 in Ballarat.

Living in Rome is roughly 22% more expensive than Ballarat, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 51% above, Ballarat 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.23 €14.82

$13.78 A$19.20

25.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 €63.6

$66.0 A$91.9

11.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 €10.10

$9.60 A$13.38

22.29%

Cappuccino

$1.83 €1.58

$3.48 A$4.84

-47.41%

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

$2.51 €2.16

$2.61 A$3.64

-3.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.09

$2.09 A$2.91

-39.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 €5.04

$6.15 A$8.57

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 €4.50

$6.79 A$9.47

-22.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.44 A$2.01

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 €1.84

$2.49 A$3.47

-14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 €2.54

$1.57 A$2.19

87.90%

Eggs

$4.51 €3.88

$4.03 A$5.62

11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.42 €14.99

$9.10 A$12.68

91.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.32

$9.04 A$12.60

32.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.19 €17.37

$14.67 A$20.44

37.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$3.22 A$4.49

-23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.92

$2.81 A$3.91

-20.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.68

$2.84 A$3.96

-31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.22

$3.87 A$5.40

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.53

$2.69 A$3.74

-34.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.60

$2.26 A$3.15

-17.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.09

$2.14 A$2.98

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.48

$1.00 A$1.40

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.13

$31.17 A$43.43

-77.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.63 €3.98

$14.07 A$19.61

-67.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.67

$2.15 A$3.00

-9.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.35

$3.01 A$4.20

-9.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 €1.54

$1.66 A$2.31

7.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.00 €35.27

$65.3 A$91.0

-37.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 €4.41

$2.36 A$3.28

117.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.38

$1.21 A$1.69

32.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.08 €30.18

$25.03 A$34.88

40.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.68

$1.11 A$1.55

75.68%

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

$29.3K €25.2K

$27.6K A$38.5K

6.11%

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

$30.2K €26.0K

$22.8K A$31.8K

32.25%

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

$219 €189

$153 A$213

43.41%

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

$11.01 €9.47

$21.26 A$29.63

-48.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.31 €26.93

$50.5 A$70.3

-37.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 €55.1

$32.00 A$44.59

100.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.81 €20.48

$15.80 A$22.02

50.70%

Cinema Ticket

$11.73 €10.09

$10.86 A$15.13

8.01%

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

$528 €454

$329 A$458

60.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €8,966

$19.5K A$27.1K

-46.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 €63.0

$65.1 A$90.7

12.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 €29.74

$52.9 A$73.8

-34.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 €74.8

$87.3 A$122

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €102

$93.8 A$131

26.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,139

$861 A$1,199

53.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 €761

$638 A$888

38.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 €2,289

$2,015 A$2,808

32.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,636 €1,407

$1,350 A$1,881

21.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,730 €7,510

$4,884 A$6,806

78.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €2,970

$3,585 A$4,995

-3.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,058 €1,770

$3,249 A$4,527

-36.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

6.07

-34.93%

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

Last update for Rome: May 31, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,325 in Rome and $861 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Rome vs $66.0 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $320 per month, with Ballarat cheaper across the board.

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

Rome vs Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Ballarat earns 58% less. 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: $1,325 in Rome versus $861 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $528 in Rome versus $329 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,663 in Ballarat versus $2,027 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ballarat delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,663 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ballarat hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rome and Ballarat 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 Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.