Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Cagliari

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,750 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Cagliari

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

A single person spends $1,998 per month in Rome vs $1,750 in Cagliari, rent included.

Rome $1,998
Cagliari $1,750

A couple spends around $3,117 per month in Rome vs $2,736 in Cagliari, rent included.

Rome $3,117
Cagliari $2,736

A family of three spends $4,236 per month in Rome vs $3,723 in Cagliari, rent included.

Rome $4,236
Cagliari $3,723

Rome costs about 14% more than Cagliari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rome and Cagliari sit above the global median – Rome by 48%, Cagliari by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$22.30 €19.84

-25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$84.1 €74.8

-21.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$11.01 €9.79

0.64%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$1.98 €1.76

6.06%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$3.28 €2.92

-11.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.53 €1.36

-3.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.44 €4.83

3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$5.07 €4.51

31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.57 €1.40

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.71 €2.41

-16.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.82 €2.51

6.03%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$3.80 €3.38

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$21.46 €19.09

-32.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$11.84 €10.53

6.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$22.30 €19.83

-10.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.65 €2.36

-0.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.78 €1.59

28.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.25 €2.00

9.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.51 €3.12

-31.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.93 €1.72

-28.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.33 €2.07

-33.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.55 €1.38

-14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.52 €0.46

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$7.37 €6.55

-0.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$8.41 €7.48

-35.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.63 €1.45

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.82 €1.62

43.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.43 €1.27

13.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$38.13 €33.92

2.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$9.26 €8.23

-29.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.49 €1.32

12.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$31.52 €28.04

5.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.06 €1.83

5.34%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.7K €31.7K

-0.88%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.1K €31.2K

0.84%

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

$203 €181

$157 €140

29.10%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$9.07 €8.07

26.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$29.65 €26.38

8.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$51.0 €45.38

29.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$24.59 €21.87

-6.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.31 €10.06

-0.71%

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

$484 €430

$525 €467

-7.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$8,007 €7,122

106.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$94.1 €83.7

-24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$41.94 €37.31

-12.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$90.6 €80.6

-6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$115 €103

5.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$868 €772

40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$613 €545

43.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$1,395 €1,241

81.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$1,006 €895

71.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$3,278 €2,916

152.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$2,315 €2,059

33.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$1,807 €1,607

7.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.27

7.65%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Cagliari

$613 35% 30.5% $269

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Cagliari

$362 20.7% 9.9% $33

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Cagliari

$292 16.7% 16.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Cagliari

$196 11.2% 20.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Cagliari

$154 8.8% 8.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Cagliari

$74 4.2% 16.7% $15

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Cagliari

$61 3.5% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,222 in Rome versus $868 in Cagliari. 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 7% higher in Rome, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Rome versus $84.0 in Cagliari. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $362 – making Rome the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

154,478

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cagliari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rome is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,998 per month in Rome and $2,625 in Cagliari. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cagliari, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Cagliari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $484 per month in Rome and $525 in Cagliari. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cagliari, where all-in costs run around $1,750, than in Rome at $1,998. In Cagliari it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rome it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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