Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Novara

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,483 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Novara
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Novara Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Novara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Rome versus $1,483 in Novara.

Rome $1,990
Novara $1,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,095 in Rome versus $2,293 in Novara.

Rome $3,095
Novara $2,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,199 in Rome versus $3,103 in Novara.

Rome $4,199
Novara $3,103

Living in Rome is roughly 34% more expensive than in Novara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 47% above, Novara 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.84

$16.78 €14.92

-0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$56.6 €50.3

19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$10.25 €9.12

10.34%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$1.74 €1.55

20.11%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$3.46 €3.08

-16.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.72 €1.53

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$5.57 €4.96

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.09 €4.52

36.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.39 €1.24

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.95 €1.74

16.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.88 €2.56

5.21%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$3.33 €2.96

36.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$11.40 €10.14

29.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$8.76 €7.79

40.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 €17.35

$13.22 €11.76

47.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.53 €2.25

4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.65 €1.46

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.41 €3.04

-33.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.16 €1.92

11.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.94 €1.73

-29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.14 €1.02

35.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.03 €0.91

33.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.75 €0.67

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.37

$6.23 €5.55

14.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.58 €4.96

-2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.84 €1.63

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.28 €2.03

10.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.69 €1.51

0.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.95 €34.64

$38.24 €34.01

1.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.93

$4.36 €3.87

52.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.20 €1.06

42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.87

$34.82 €30.97

-3.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.05 €1.82

2.93%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$26.9K €23.9K

32.17%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$33.4K €29.7K

10.67%

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

$203 €180

$176 €157

14.98%

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

$11.33 €10.08

$10.41 €9.26

8.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €28.08

$30.24 €26.90

4.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 €58.4

$78.3 €69.6

-16.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 €20.89

$18.96 €16.86

23.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 €10.16

$11.39 €10.13

0.35%

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

$497 €442

$517 €460

-3.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$9,907 €8,813

67.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$124 €110

-41.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.97

$34.03 €30.27

5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €75.7

$55.5 €49.40

53.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$139 €123

-12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,059

$644 €573

84.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$876 €780

$438 €389

100.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 €2,229

$1,048 €932

139.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$784 €698

114.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,438 €7,505

$2,850 €2,535

196.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 €2,809

$1,873 €1,666

68.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,962 €1,746

$2,082 €1,852

-5.72%

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 Novara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$876 44%

Novara

$438 29.5% 50.1% $439

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$325 16.3%

Novara

$269 18.1% 17.3% $56

Eating Out

Rome

$252 12.7%

Novara

$245 16.5% 2.9% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.4%

Novara

$217 14.6% 11.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$142 7.1%

Novara

$158 10.7% 11.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.5%

Novara

$101 6.8% 14.2% $13

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Novara

$55 3.7% 9.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Rome and $644 in Novara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novara pays 6% 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 Novara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $269 per month, with Novara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇮🇹 Novara

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

100,910

💱 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 Novara 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rome
Novara

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 Novara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rome and Novara differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,990 vs $1,483 including rent). Novara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Novara. 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 $644 in Novara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $497 in Rome versus $517 in Novara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,483 in Novara versus $1,990 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novara but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Novara 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 Novara 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 Novara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.