Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,939 a month against $1,997 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. The total is higher in Rome despite lower rent and utilities.

96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,997

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Balzan

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 Balzan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,997 per month in Rome vs $1,939 in Balzan, rent included.

Rome $1,997
Balzan $1,939

A couple spends around $3,132 per month in Rome vs $2,927 in Balzan, rent included.

Rome $3,132
Balzan $2,927

A family of three spends $4,266 per month in Rome vs $3,915 in Balzan, rent included.

Rome $4,266
Balzan $3,915

Rome costs about 3% more than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rome and Balzan sit above the global median – Rome by 47%, Balzan by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.73

$18.68 €16.73

-11.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.9

$91.1 €81.6

-25.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.98

$12.10 €10.84

-7.93%

Cappuccino

$2.02 €1.81

$3.09 €2.76

-34.63%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$1.93 €1.73

55.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.03 €0.92

43.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$3.26 €2.92

74.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 €6.06

$2.45 €2.19

176.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.25 €1.12

35.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.97 €0.87

125.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$3.52 €3.16

-12.50%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.24

$4.30 €3.85

10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.12

$10.30 €9.23

42.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 €11.15

$9.10 €8.15

36.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 €17.45

$12.40 €11.10

57.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.64 €2.37

-1.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.04 €1.83

15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.68 €1.51

38.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.15 €1.03

103.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.86 €0.77

58.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$0.91 €0.81

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.85 €0.76

55.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.45

$0.99 €0.89

-48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.03 €6.30

$6.09 €5.46

15.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.02 €5.39

-6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.07 €0.96

53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.25

$1.49 €1.34

68.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.01 €2.70

-45.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.45

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.77 €6.06

$2.23 €2.00

203.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.76 €1.58

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 €30.47

$32.03 €28.69

6.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.52 €1.36

42.76%

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

$35.4K €31.7K

$27.5K €24.6K

28.72%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$32.2K €28.9K

13.62%

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

$210 €188

$154 €138

36.02%

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

$11.53 €10.33

$19.90 €17.82

-42.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.32 €28.95

$28.97 €25.95

11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €58.2

$73.6 €65.9

-11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.53 €21.07

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.14

$11.40 €10.21

-0.70%

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

$488 €437

$280 €250

74.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

$12.1K €10.9K

37.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €63.7

$58.0 €52.0

22.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.84 €32.99

$69.1 €61.9

-46.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 €76.5

$110 €98.5

-22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$130 €117

-1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 €1,161

$1,132 €1,014

14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 €784

$950 €851

-7.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,314

$1,804 €1,615

43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 €1,558

$1,522 €1,364

14.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,477 €7,592

$4,057 €3,633

108.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,239 €2,901

$2,876 €2,575

12.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 €1,745

$1,000 €896

94.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

4.05

-13.09%

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

Last update for Rome: October 25, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$875 43.8%

Balzan

$950 49% 8.5% $75

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$326 16.3%

Balzan

$245 12.6% 24.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$254 12.7%

Balzan

$203 10.5% 19.9% $51

Eating Out

Rome

$249 12.5%

Balzan

$256 13.2% 2.7% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$145 7.2%

Balzan

$165 8.5% 14.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Balzan

$96 5% 9.9% $8.7

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Balzan

$23 * 1.2% 62.3% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,297 in Rome versus $1,132 in Balzan. 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 95% higher in Rome. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Rome versus $91 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $326 in Rome vs $245 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

4,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rome Balzan 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rome
Balzan

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 Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,997 in Rome, $1,939 in Balzan – Balzan comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,996 per month in Rome and $2,908 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,132 there versus $1,297 in Rome.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Rome and $91 in Balzan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Rome, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,997 in Rome and $1,939 in Balzan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Balzan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rome makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.