Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Escondido, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,997 a month against $3,644 in Escondido, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 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
176

Cost of Living Index in Escondido, CA
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Escondido, CA Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,997

/mo nomad

Escondido, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Escondido, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,997 in Rome versus $3,644 in Escondido, CA.

Rome $1,997
Escondido, CA $3,644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,132 in Rome versus $4,461 in Escondido, CA.

Rome $3,132
Escondido, CA $4,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,266 in Rome versus $5,278 in Escondido, CA.

Rome $4,266
Escondido, CA $5,278

Living in Rome costs roughly 45% less than in Escondido, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 47% above, Escondido, CA 168% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.67

$19.96 $19.96

-17.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.6

$79.9 $79.9

-14.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.94

$14.84 $14.84

-24.93%

Cappuccino

$2.02 €1.80

$5.27 $5.27

-61.67%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$2.45 $2.45

22.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.79 $1.79

-17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.08

$6.02 $6.02

-5.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 €6.04

$6.87 $6.87

-1.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.08 $1.08

56.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.76 $3.76

-41.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$4.28 $4.28

-28.04%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.23

$3.47 $3.47

36.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.07

$8.98 $8.98

63.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 €11.11

$9.65 $9.65

29.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 €17.38

$13.30 $13.30

46.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$4.37 $4.37

-40.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.71 $1.71

37.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$5.40 $5.40

-56.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.09

$5.71 $5.71

-59.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.21 $2.21

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.14 $2.14

-24.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.98 $1.98

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.45

$1.52 $1.52

-66.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.03 €6.27

$11.59 $11.59

-39.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$4.92 $4.92

14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.45 $1.45

13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$4.24 $4.24

-40.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.32

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.77 €6.04

$6.22 $6.22

8.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 €30.35

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.37 $1.37

58.39%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$28.8K $28.8K

22.98%

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

$36.6K €32.7K

$25.6K $25.6K

43.04%

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

$210 €187

$170 $170

23.68%

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

$11.53 €10.29

$68.4 $68.4

-83.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.32 €28.84

$55.4 $55.4

-41.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €58.0

$35.15 $35.15

84.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.53 €20.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$15.09 $15.09

-24.98%

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

$488 €435

$1,903 $1,903

-74.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €63.5

$50.5 $50.5

40.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.84 €32.87

$39.86 $39.86

-7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 €76.2

$78.7 $78.7

8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$100 $100

27.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 €1,157

$2,645 $2,645

-50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 €781

$2,490 $2,490

-64.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,305

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 €1,552

$2,652 $2,652

-34.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,477 €7,563

$7,491 $7,491

13.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,239 €2,890

$7,461 $7,461

-56.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 €1,738

$5,362 $5,362

-63.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

6.39

-44.91%

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

Last update for Rome: October 25, 2026

Last update for Escondido, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$875 43.8%

Escondido, CA

$2.5K 68.3% 185% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$326 16.3%

Escondido, CA

$339 9.3% 4.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$254 12.7%

Escondido, CA

$293 8.1% 15.7% $40

Eating Out

Rome

$249 12.5%

Escondido, CA

$328 9% 31.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$145 7.2%

Escondido, CA

$121 3.3% 16.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Escondido, CA

$65 1.8% 25.5% $22

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Escondido, CA

$6.2 * 0.2% 89.8% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,297 in Rome and $2,645 in Escondido, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escondido, CA pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Rome vs $80 in Escondido, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $339 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇺🇸 Escondido, CA

🕒 Local time

20:45 8:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

9 h behind Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

151,038

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rome Escondido, CA 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
Escondido, CA

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 Escondido, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,997 in Rome and $3,644 in Escondido, CA, so Rome is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Rome. 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: $1,297 in Rome versus $2,645 in Escondido, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Escondido, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,997 per month in Rome versus $3,644 in Escondido, CA – Rome is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Escondido, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rome wins on affordability, Escondido, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.