Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Trieste

For one person, living is cheaper in Trieste: $1,896 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rome and in Trieste

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,998 in Rome versus $1,896 in Trieste.

Rome $1,998
Trieste $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,117 in Rome versus $2,854 in Trieste.

Rome $3,117
Trieste $2,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Rome versus $3,812 in Trieste.

Rome $4,236
Trieste $3,812

Living in Rome is roughly 5% more expensive than in Trieste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 48% above, Trieste 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$21.88 €19.46

-23.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$73.7 €65.6

-10.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$13.25 €11.79

-16.38%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$2.16 €1.92

-2.78%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$3.62 €3.22

-19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.28 €2.02

-35.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.70 €5.07

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$5.71 €5.08

16.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.17 €1.93

-20.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.10 €2.76

-26.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.69 €3.28

-18.97%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$4.20 €3.73

13.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$14.99 €13.34

-3.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$11.45 €10.18

10.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$17.55 €15.61

13.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.63 €2.34

0.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.18 €1.94

4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.15 €2.80

-21.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$4.29 €3.82

-43.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$2.35 €2.09

-41.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.42 €2.15

-35.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.24 €1.99

-41.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.78 €0.69

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$6.55 €5.83

11.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$7.78 €6.92

-30.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.81 €1.61

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.49 €2.22

5.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.65 €1.47

-1.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$42.35 €37.67

-7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$8.74 €7.78

-25.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.88 €1.67

-10.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$32.93 €29.29

0.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.12 €1.88

2.36%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.9K €31.9K

-1.53%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.5K €31.6K

-0.15%

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

$203 €181

$220 €196

-7.67%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$9.80 €8.72

17.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$30.59 €27.21

4.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$51.5 €45.81

27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$41.56 €36.97

-44.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$8.70 €7.74

29.08%

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

$484 €430

$790 €703

-38.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.5K €10.2K

43.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$109 €97.2

-35.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$34.27 €30.49

6.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$113 €101

-25.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$132 €117

-7.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$824 €733

48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$661 €588

33.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$1,349 €1,200

88.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$1,008 €897

70.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$3,597 €3,200

130.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$2,146 €1,909

43.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$1,874 €1,667

3.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.26

7.98%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Trieste: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Trieste

$661 34.9% 25% $220

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Trieste

$359 19% 9.1% $30

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Trieste

$304 16% 21.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Trieste

$260 13.7% 5.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Trieste

$175 9.2% 23.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Trieste

$69 3.6% 22% $19

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Trieste

$67 3.5% 10.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,222 in Rome and $824 in Trieste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 4% 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 $74.0 in Trieste for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $359 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇮🇹 Trieste

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

200,609

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rome Trieste 430 km

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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 Trieste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trieste wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Rome. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Trieste the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% 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 $824 in Trieste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,998 per month in Rome versus $1,896 in Trieste – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Trieste runs roughly 8% less than in Rome. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,896 in Trieste versus $1,998 in Rome, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Trieste but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Trieste the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Trieste delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,896 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Trieste hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rome and Trieste 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 Trieste gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.