Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Port Macquarie

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,997 a month against $2,530 in Port Macquarie, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
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Port Macquarie Living Index

Jump to prices

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,997

/mo nomad

Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Port Macquarie

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

A single person spends $1,997 per month in Rome vs $2,530 in Port Macquarie, rent included.

Rome $1,997
Port Macquarie $2,530

A couple spends around $3,132 per month in Rome vs $3,581 in Port Macquarie, rent included.

Rome $3,132
Port Macquarie $3,581

A family of three spends $4,266 per month in Rome vs $4,633 in Port Macquarie, rent included.

Rome $4,266
Port Macquarie $4,633

Rome is about 21% cheaper than Port Macquarie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rome and Port Macquarie sit above the global median – Rome by 47%, Port Macquarie by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.74

$17.41 A$24.77

-5.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.9

$87.9 A$125

-22.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.98

$10.45 A$14.87

6.60%

Cappuccino

$2.02 €1.81

$3.96 A$5.64

-48.99%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$2.48 A$3.53

20.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.62 A$2.31

-8.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$6.16 A$8.76

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 €6.06

$6.22 A$8.85

8.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.16 A$3.07

-21.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.96

$3.12 A$4.44

-29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.76

$2.87 A$4.09

7.32%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$5.24 A$7.45

-9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.12

$5.33 A$7.57

174.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 €11.16

$10.33 A$14.69

20.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 €17.46

$12.17 A$17.31

60.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$3.15 A$4.48

-17.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$4.21 A$5.99

-44.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.41 A$3.43

-3.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.10

$4.86 A$6.92

-51.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.43 A$3.46

-44.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.38 A$3.39

-32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.60 A$2.27

-17.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.45

$1.53 A$2.18

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.03 €6.30

$42.83 A$60.9

-83.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$10.32 A$14.68

-45.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$4.34 A$6.17

-62.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.25

$5.38 A$7.65

-53.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.82 A$4.01

-41.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.47

$92.2 A$131

-57.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.77 €6.06

$3.37 A$4.80

100.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.71 A$2.43

-3.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 €30.49

$36.86 A$52.4

-7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.26 A$1.79

72.22%

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

$35.4K €31.7K

$26.4K A$37.5K

33.98%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$22.1K A$31.4K

65.86%

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

$210 €188

$210 A$299

-0.12%

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

$11.53 €10.33

$30.48 A$43.35

-62.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.32 €28.96

$59.8 A$85.1

-45.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €58.3

$51.9 A$73.9

25.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.53 €21.08

$9.97 A$14.18

136.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.15

$10.79 A$15.34

4.91%

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

$488 €437

$2,172 A$3,089

-77.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €15.0K

$21.6K A$30.7K

-22.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €63.7

$86.7 A$123

-17.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.84 €33.01

$54.9 A$78.1

-32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 €76.5

$104 A$149

-18.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$111 A$158

15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 €1,162

$1,379 A$1,962

-5.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 €784

$1,248 A$1,776

-29.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,315

$2,153 A$3,062

20.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 €1,559

$1,740 A$2,475

-0.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,477 €7,596

$5,822 A$8,280

45.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,239 €2,902

$4,964 A$7,060

-34.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 €1,746

$2,785 A$3,961

-30.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

5.33

-33.96%

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

Last update for Rome: October 25, 2026

Last update for Port Macquarie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$875 43.8%

Port Macquarie

$1.2K 49.3% 42.6% $373

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$326 16.3%

Port Macquarie

$354 14% 8.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$254 12.7%

Port Macquarie

$300 11.9% 18.4% $47

Eating Out

Rome

$249 12.5%

Port Macquarie

$278 11% 11.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$145 7.2%

Port Macquarie

$161 6.4% 11.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Port Macquarie

$73 2.9% 16.2% $14

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3.1%

Port Macquarie

$115 4.6% 88.8% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,297 in Rome versus $1,379 in Port Macquarie. 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 43% higher in Port Macquarie. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Rome versus $88 in Port Macquarie. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $354 – making Rome the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

10 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

47,793

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rome Port Macquarie 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
Port Macquarie

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 Port Macquarie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,997 in Rome, $2,530 in Port Macquarie – Rome comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,996 per month in Rome and $3,795 in Port Macquarie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,297 in Rome and $1,379 in Port Macquarie. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Rome and $88 in Port Macquarie. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,997 in Rome and $2,530 in Port Macquarie. That makes Rome about 21% cheaper.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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