Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,775 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Besancon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Rome versus $1,775 in Besancon.

Rome $1,990
Besancon $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,095 in Rome versus $2,568 in Besancon.

Rome $3,095
Besancon $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,199 in Rome versus $3,361 in Besancon.

Rome $4,199
Besancon $3,361

Living in Rome is roughly 12% more expensive than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 47% above, Besancon 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.84

$17.10 €15.21

-2.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$57.1 €50.8

17.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$11.00 €9.78

2.82%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$3.07 €2.73

-31.92%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$2.27 €2.02

27.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.61 €1.44

-9.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$6.85 €6.09

-17.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.52 €4.91

25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.34 €1.19

23.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.70 €1.51

34.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.17 €1.93

39.63%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$4.60 €4.09

-1.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$20.47 €18.20

-27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$11.05 €9.83

11.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 €17.35

$18.02 €16.03

8.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.80 €2.49

-5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.16 €1.92

6.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.74 €2.44

-16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.58 €2.30

-6.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.56 €2.27

-46.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.40 €2.13

-35.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.38 €1.23

-0.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.13 €1.01

-51.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.37

$14.15 €12.59

-49.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$9.44 €8.40

-42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$4.84 €4.30

-66.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.30 €2.94

-23.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.77 €1.58

-3.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.95 €34.64

$43.91 €39.06

-11.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.93

$3.08 €2.74

116.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.13 €1.90

-19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.87

$30.79 €27.39

9.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.10 €1.87

0.48%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

2.61%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$38.4K €34.2K

-3.76%

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

$203 €180

$226 €201

-10.26%

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

$11.33 €10.08

$14.43 €12.84

-21.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €28.08

$34.38 €30.58

-8.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 €58.4

$27.07 €24.08

142.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 €20.89

$19.72 €17.55

19.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 €10.16

$11.38 €10.12

0.44%

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

$497 €442

$342 €304

45.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,267 €6,464

128.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$100 €89.0

-27.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.97

$38.55 €34.29

-6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €75.7

$91.1 €81.0

-6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,059

$655 €583

81.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$876 €780

$600 €533

46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 €2,229

$994 €884

152.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$816 €726

106.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,438 €7,505

$2,827 €2,515

198.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 €2,809

$2,282 €2,030

38.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,962 €1,746

$2,133 €1,898

-8.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.62

-2.76%

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

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$876 44%

Besancon

$600 33.8% 31.6% $277

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$325 16.3%

Besancon

$360 20.3% 10.8% $35

Eating Out

Rome

$252 12.7%

Besancon

$267 15.1% 6.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.4%

Besancon

$275 15.5% 11.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$142 7.1%

Besancon

$158 8.9% 11.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.5%

Besancon

$50 2.8% 43.7% $39

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 6.2% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Rome and $655 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Rome vs $57.0 in Besancon. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $360, with Rome cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

119,198

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rome Besancon 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rome
Besancon

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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Besancon. 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: $1,191 in Rome versus $655 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 13% less than in Rome. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $497 in Rome versus $342 in Besancon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,775 in Besancon versus $1,990 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rome and Besancon 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 Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.