Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Pavia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pavia: $1,774 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Pavia
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Pavia Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Pavia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Pavia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Rome versus $1,774 in Pavia.

Rome $1,990
Pavia $1,774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,095 in Rome versus $2,773 in Pavia.

Rome $3,095
Pavia $2,773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,199 in Rome versus $3,772 in Pavia.

Rome $4,199
Pavia $3,772

Living in Rome is roughly 12% more expensive than in Pavia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 47% above, Pavia 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.84

$25.02 €22.25

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$77.7 €69.2

-13.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$10.12 €9.00

11.76%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$1.75 €1.56

19.43%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$3.50 €3.12

-17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.55 €1.38

-5.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$5.55 €4.93

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.76 €5.13

20.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.46 €1.30

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.38 €2.12

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.97 €2.64

2.02%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$3.31 €2.94

36.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$17.13 €15.24

-13.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$11.13 €9.90

10.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 €17.35

$24.16 €21.49

-19.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.47 €2.20

6.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.86 €1.66

23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.84 €2.53

-19.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.27 €2.91

-26.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.02 €1.80

-32.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.97 €2.64

-47.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.51 €1.35

-9.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.53 €0.47

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.37

$6.75 €6.01

6.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.49 €4.88

-0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.88 €1.67

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.29 €2.03

10.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.75 €1.56

-2.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.95 €34.64

$59.1 €52.6

-34.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.93

$4.37 €3.89

52.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.21 €1.07

41.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.87

$34.65 €30.82

-3.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.99 €1.77

6.03%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$36.0K €32.0K

-1.18%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$35.7K €31.8K

3.50%

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

$203 €180

$221 €197

-8.37%

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

$11.33 €10.08

$10.30 €9.16

10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €28.08

$29.77 €26.48

6.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 €58.4

$51.1 €45.44

28.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 €20.89

$28.26 €25.13

-16.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 €10.16

$12.92 €11.50

-11.53%

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

$497 €442

$572 €508

-13.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$10.1K €9,001

63.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$114 €102

-36.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.97

$39.92 €35.51

-9.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €75.7

$86.6 €77.0

-1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$142 €126

-14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,059

$788 €701

51.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$876 €780

$532 €473

64.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 €2,229

$1,161 €1,032

115.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$929 €827

81.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,438 €7,505

$3,366 €2,994

150.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 €2,809

$2,069 €1,840

52.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,962 €1,746

$2,135 €1,899

-8.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

2.92

20.55%

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

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Last update for Pavia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$876 44%

Pavia

$532 30% 39.3% $344

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$325 16.3%

Pavia

$344 19.4% 5.7% $18

Eating Out

Rome

$252 12.7%

Pavia

$311 17.5% 23.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.4%

Pavia

$261 14.7% 6.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$142 7.1%

Pavia

$172 9.7% 21.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.5%

Pavia

$77 4.3% 13.1% $12

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Pavia

$77 4.3% 25.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Rome and $788 in Pavia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pavia pays 9% 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 $78.0 in Pavia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $344 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇮🇹 Pavia

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

71,214

💱 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 Pavia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pavia is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Pavia. 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 $788 in Pavia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $497 in Rome versus $572 in Pavia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rome pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,774 in Pavia versus $1,990 in Rome, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pavia but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Pavia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pavia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rome and Pavia 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 Pavia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.