Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Brest

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,397 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Brest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Rome versus $1,397 in Brest.

Rome $1,990
Brest $1,397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,095 in Rome versus $2,166 in Brest.

Rome $3,095
Brest $2,166

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,199 in Rome versus $2,935 in Brest.

Rome $4,199
Brest $2,935

Living in Rome is roughly 42% more expensive than in Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 47% above, Brest 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.84

$15.59 €13.87

6.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$44.43 €39.52

51.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$11.42 €10.16

-0.96%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$2.97 €2.64

-29.63%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$2.88 €2.56

0.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.04 €1.82

-28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$6.63 €5.90

-15.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.26 €4.68

31.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.16 €1.03

43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.55 €1.38

47.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.60 €2.31

16.54%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$3.64 €3.24

24.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$18.85 €16.77

-21.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$10.07 €8.95

22.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 €17.35

$14.38 €12.79

35.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.93 €2.60

-9.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.97 €1.76

16.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.59 €2.30

-11.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.93 €2.60

-17.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.65 €1.47

-17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.04 €1.81

-24.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.40 €1.25

-2.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.32 €0.28

71.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.37

$13.23 €11.76

-45.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.81 €6.06

-19.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.66 €2.36

-39.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.72 €2.42

-6.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.96 €1.74

-13.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.95 €34.64

$39.92 €35.51

-2.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.93

$8.39 €7.46

-20.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$3.10 €2.75

-44.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.87

$30.99 €27.57

8.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.12 €1.88

-0.47%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$36.9K €32.9K

-3.82%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$34.8K €30.9K

6.27%

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

$203 €180

$143 €127

42.19%

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

$11.33 €10.08

$28.03 €24.94

-59.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €28.08

$30.24 €26.90

4.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 €58.4

$36.17 €32.17

81.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 €20.89

$15.00 €13.34

56.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 €10.16

$13.63 €12.12

-16.14%

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

$497 €442

$220 €196

125.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.3K €10.0K

46.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$68.8 €61.2

5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.97

$30.40 €27.04

18.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €75.7

$79.9 €71.1

6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$71.9 €64.0

68.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,059

$507 €451

134.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$876 €780

$386 €343

127.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 €2,229

$895 €796

179.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$718 €639

134.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,438 €7,505

$2,782 €2,475

203.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 €2,809

$2,515 €2,237

25.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,962 €1,746

$2,657 €2,363

-26.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.82

-7.85%

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

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$876 44%

Brest

$386 27.6% 56% $491

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$325 16.3%

Brest

$304 21.8% 6.4% $21

Eating Out

Rome

$252 12.7%

Brest

$258 18.5% 2.5% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.4%

Brest

$201 14.4% 18.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$142 7.1%

Brest

$113 8.1% 20.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.5%

Brest

$63 4.5% 28.3% $25

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Brest

$72 5.1% 17.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Rome and $507 in Brest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 35% 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 $44.00 in Brest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $304 per month, with Brest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇫🇷 Brest

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

139,619

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rome Brest 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rome
Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Brest. 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 $507 in Brest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $67.0 in Rome. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,990 per month in Rome versus $1,397 in Brest – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,397 in Brest versus $1,990 in Rome, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brest but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Brest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,397 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rome and Brest 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 Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.