Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Busto Arsizio

For one person, living is cheaper in Busto Arsizio: $1,828 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Busto Arsizio
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Busto Arsizio Living Index

Jump to prices

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Busto Arsizio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Rome versus $1,828 in Busto Arsizio.

Rome $1,990
Busto Arsizio $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,095 in Rome versus $2,845 in Busto Arsizio.

Rome $3,095
Busto Arsizio $2,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,199 in Rome versus $3,863 in Busto Arsizio.

Rome $4,199
Busto Arsizio $3,863

Living in Rome is roughly 9% more expensive than in Busto Arsizio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 47% above, Busto Arsizio 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.84

$22.53 €20.04

-25.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$90.8 €80.7

-25.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$11.20 €9.96

0.98%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$2.24 €1.99

-6.70%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$3.31 €2.94

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.42 €1.26

2.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$6.69 €5.95

-15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.00 €5.33

15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.54 €1.37

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.35 €2.09

-2.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$3.40 €3.02

-10.88%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$4.91 €4.36

-7.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$17.70 €15.74

-16.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$13.86 €12.33

-11.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 €17.35

$22.01 €19.58

-11.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.76 €2.45

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.89 €1.69

21.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.50 €2.22

-8.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.26 €2.90

-26.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.65 €1.46

-17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.04 €1.82

-24.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.16 €1.04

18.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.65 €0.58

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.37

$7.74 €6.89

-7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.03 €4.48

8.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.53 €1.36

4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.60 €1.42

58.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.72 €1.53

-1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.95 €34.64

$42.93 €38.18

-9.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.93

$4.01 €3.56

66.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.26 €2.01

-24.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.87

$39.57 €35.19

-15.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.9K €31.9K

-0.91%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$34.7K €30.9K

6.47%

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

$203 €180

$198 €176

2.40%

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

$11.33 €10.08

$12.01 €10.68

-5.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €28.08

$27.37 €24.35

15.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 €58.4

$31.00 €27.57

111.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 €20.89

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 €10.16

$11.18 €9.94

2.24%

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

$497 €442

$902 €802

-44.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,092 €6,309

133.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$90.1 €80.2

-19.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.97

$28.02 €24.93

28.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €75.7

$108 €96.1

-21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$137 €122

-11.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,059

$1,279 €1,138

-6.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$876 €780

$649 €577

35.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 €2,229

$1,961 €1,744

27.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$1,086 €966

54.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,438 €7,505

$2,535 €2,255

232.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 €2,809

$1,576 €1,402

100.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,962 €1,746

$2,194 €1,952

-10.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.65

-3.56%

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

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Last update for Busto Arsizio: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$876 44%

Busto Arsizio

$649 35.5% 26% $228

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$325 16.3%

Busto Arsizio

$354 19.4% 9% $29

Eating Out

Rome

$252 12.7%

Busto Arsizio

$305 16.7% 21.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.4%

Busto Arsizio

$237 13% 3.4% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$142 7.1%

Busto Arsizio

$163 8.9% 15.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.5%

Busto Arsizio

$53 2.9% 39.7% $35

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Busto Arsizio

$65 3.6% 6.7% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Rome and $1,279 in Busto Arsizio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busto Arsizio pays 12% 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 $91.0 in Busto Arsizio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $354 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇮🇹 Busto Arsizio

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

83,094

💱 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 Busto Arsizio 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Busto Arsizio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rome and Busto Arsizio differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,990 vs $1,828 including rent). Busto Arsizio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Busto Arsizio. 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 $1,279 in Busto Arsizio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Busto Arsizio – a meal for two runs $91.0 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 $1,828 in Busto Arsizio – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,828 in Busto Arsizio versus $1,990 in Rome, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Busto Arsizio but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Busto Arsizio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rome and Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.