Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Ballarat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,998 in Rome versus $1,902 in Ballarat.

Rome $1,998
Ballarat $1,902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,117 in Rome versus $3,035 in Ballarat.

Rome $3,117
Ballarat $3,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Rome versus $4,168 in Ballarat.

Rome $4,236
Ballarat $4,168

Living in Rome is roughly 5% more expensive than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 48% above, Ballarat 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$17.70 A$25.47

-5.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$69.9 A$101

-5.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$10.27 A$14.78

7.89%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$3.79 A$5.45

-44.59%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$2.95 A$4.24

-1.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.89 A$2.72

-21.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.06 A$8.72

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$6.09 A$8.77

9.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.57 A$2.27

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.65 A$3.82

-14.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.32 A$3.35

28.88%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$4.09 A$5.88

16.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$10.56 A$15.20

37.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$9.96 A$14.33

26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$14.97 A$21.55

32.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$3.51 A$5.04

-24.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.02 A$4.34

-24.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.11 A$4.48

-20.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$4.68 A$6.73

-48.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$3.07 A$4.42

-55.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.55 A$3.67

-39.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.35 A$3.38

-43.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.48 A$2.14

-62.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$34.39 A$49.49

-78.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$12.66 A$18.21

-57.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.31 A$3.33

-31.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$3.11 A$4.48

-15.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.76 A$3.97

-40.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$69.9 A$101

-43.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$2.53 A$3.65

157.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.34 A$1.93

25.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$26.64 A$38.33

24.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.18 A$1.70

83.90%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$28.4K A$40.9K

24.31%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$26.0K A$37.4K

36.27%

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

$203 €181

$206 A$296

-1.27%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$27.76 A$39.95

-58.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$57.4 A$82.6

-44.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$31.36 A$45.13

110.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$11.18 A$16.09

104.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.38 A$22.14

-26.98%

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

$484 €430

$2,144 A$3,085

-77.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$30.2K A$43.4K

-45.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$68.7 A$98.8

3.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$50.1 A$72.2

-27.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$99.6 A$143

-14.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$134 A$193

-8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$923 A$1,329

32.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$671 A$965

31.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$1,288 A$1,854

96.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$1,454 A$2,092

18.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$4,622 A$6,651

79.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$3,449 A$4,963

-10.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$3,136 A$4,512

-38.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

5.55

-36.58%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Ballarat

$671 35.3% 23.9% $211

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Ballarat

$350 18.4% 6.4% $21

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Ballarat

$280 14.7% 11.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Ballarat

$291 15.3% 18% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Ballarat

$158 8.3% 12.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 29.7% $26

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Ballarat

$90 4.7% 48.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,222 in Rome and $923 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Rome vs $70.0 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $350 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

03:40 3:40 AM

9 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

105,348

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rome Ballarat 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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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

Rome vs Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 5% 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, salaries run 61% lower in Ballarat. 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: $1,222 in Rome versus $923 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $484 in Rome versus $2,144 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rome pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,998 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 $1,902 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 5% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.