Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Olbia

For one person, living is cheaper in Olbia: $1,744 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Olbia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,998 in Rome versus $1,744 in Olbia.

Rome $1,998
Olbia $1,744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,117 in Rome versus $2,589 in Olbia.

Rome $3,117
Olbia $2,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Rome versus $3,435 in Olbia.

Rome $4,236
Olbia $3,435

Living in Rome is roughly 15% more expensive than in Olbia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 48% above, Olbia 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$22.46 €19.98

-25.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$85.1 €75.7

-22.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$9.92 €8.82

11.69%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$1.95 €1.73

7.69%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$3.13 €2.78

-7.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.49 €1.32

-0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.32 €2.95

69.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$3.43 €3.05

94.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.53 €1.36

12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.08 €1.85

9.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.62 €2.33

14.12%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$3.65 €3.25

30.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$16.50 €14.68

-11.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$11.44 €10.17

10.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$17.59 €15.64

12.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.18 €1.94

21.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.80 €1.60

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.30 €2.04

6.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.85 €2.54

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.43 €1.27

-3.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.35 €1.20

14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.54 €1.37

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.39 €0.35

41.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$6.74 €6.00

8.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$8.33 €7.41

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.65 €1.47

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.64 €1.46

59.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.36 €1.21

19.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$16.47 €14.65

138.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$9.69 €8.62

-32.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.49 €1.33

12.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$31.53 €28.05

5.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.99 €1.77

9.05%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.6K €31.7K

-0.84%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.3K €31.4K

0.45%

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

$203 €181

$155 €138

31.01%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$8.70 €7.74

32.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$25.90 €23.04

23.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$36.71 €32.66

79.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$27.54 €24.50

-16.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.13 €9.90

0.90%

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

$484 €430

$322 €286

50.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$8,121 €7,223

103.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$95.0 €84.5

-25.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$42.41 €37.72

-13.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$90.8 €80.8

-6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$118 €105

3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$903 €804

35.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$714 €635

23.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$1,367 €1,216

85.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$936 €833

83.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$3,267 €2,906

153.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$2,628 €2,337

17.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$1,922 €1,710

1.06%

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 Olbia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Olbia

$714 41% 19% $167

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Olbia

$312 17.9% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Olbia

$275 15.8% 9.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Olbia

$190 10.9% 23.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Olbia

$156 8.9% 10.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Olbia

$59 3.4% 33.2% $29

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Olbia

$39 2.2% 35.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,222 in Rome and $903 in Olbia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 1% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Rome vs $85.0 in Olbia. Groceries flip the comparison at $329 vs $312, with Olbia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇮🇹 Olbia

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

56,512

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Olbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olbia wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Olbia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Rome, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,222 in Rome versus $903 in Olbia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $484 in Rome versus $322 in Olbia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,744 in Olbia versus $1,998 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Olbia but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Olbia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Olbia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,744 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Olbia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rome and Olbia 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 Olbia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.