Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living costs are similar in Spain and in Italy: $1,754 and $1,804 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Spain and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Spain versus $1,804 in Italy.

Spain $1,754
Italy $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,570 in Spain versus $2,778 in Italy.

Spain $2,570
Italy $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,386 in Spain versus $3,752 in Italy.

Spain $3,386
Italy $3,752

Spain ($928–$2,590) and Italy ($1,035–$2,560) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Spain costs about 3% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 30% above, Italy 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$19.89 €17.70

-16.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$77.0 €68.5

-26.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$11.00 €9.78

2.18%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.07

$1.99 €1.77

16.58%

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

$2.57 €2.28

$2.96 €2.63

-13.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.41 €1.25

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$5.60 €4.98

-40.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$5.67 €5.05

-29.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.61 €1.43

-24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.30 €2.05

-33.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.99 €2.66

-45.48%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$4.06 €3.61

-18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 €12.76

$17.23 €15.33

-16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 €7.60

$12.68 €11.28

-32.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 €14.31

$20.36 €18.11

-20.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.54 €2.26

-3.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.15 €1.91

-6.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.56 €2.28

-19.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.22 €2.86

-24.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.92 €1.70

-7.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.78

$1.84 €1.64

9.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.51 €1.34

-14.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$0.55 €0.49

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.71

$6.81 €6.06

-5.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$8.03 €7.15

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.72 €1.53

-24.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.37 €2.11

-16.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.88 €1.67

-9.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.97 €30.22

$43.31 €38.52

-21.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.07

$5.57 €4.95

-17.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.63 €1.45

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.59 €21.87

$33.78 €30.04

-27.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.04 €1.81

-14.71%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$35.6K €31.7K

-2.15%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$35.4K €31.5K

-16.12%

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

$147 €131

$222 €198

-33.97%

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

$17.90 €15.92

$11.43 €10.17

56.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.21 €27.76

$30.65 €27.26

1.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$52.7 €46.89

-15.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.35

$23.82 €21.19

-36.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.22

$10.51 €9.35

-12.08%

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

$529 €470

$541 €481

-2.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,212

$11.7K €10.4K

-11.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.5

$90.0 €80.0

-5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$39.08 €34.76

-5.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €79.7

$101 €90.2

-11.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.8

$132 €117

-19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 €879

$805 €716

22.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €703

$619 €550

27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$1,388 €1,235

13.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 €1,064

$1,050 €934

13.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 €3,610

$3,623 €3,223

12.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 €2,326

$2,229 €1,983

17.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,923 €1,711

$1,889 €1,680

1.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.56

-7.30%

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

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$791 45.1%

Italy

$619 34.3% 21.7% $172

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.5%

Italy

$347 19.2% 27.7% $75

Eating Out

Spain

$237 13.5%

Italy

$273 15.1% 15.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 11.2%

Italy

$265 14.7% 35% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8.2%

Italy

$163 9% 14% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$63 3.6%

Italy

$74 4.1% 17% $11

Getting Around

Spain

$53 3%

Italy

$65 3.6% 22.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $908 in Spain, $721 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,506 in Madrid vs $1,222 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $1,888 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 28% more in Italy.

Public transport is 41% more expensive in Italy.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

Same time as Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Spain Italy 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Italy

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

Spain vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,754 in Spain, there's a 3% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Spain: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

In Spain, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Spain wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.