Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Italy Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,688 in Spain versus $1,792 in Italy.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,494 in Spain versus $2,735 in Italy.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,299 in Spain versus $3,678 in Italy.

Living in Spain costs about 6% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 23% above, Italy 30% above.

Spain ($980–$2,739) and Italy ($1,168–$2,645) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 €14.84

$21.31 €18.39

-19.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 €49.43

$81.6 €70.4

-29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 €9.96

$11.64 €10.04

-0.77%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.10

$2.02 €1.75

20.30%

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

$2.61 €2.25

$3.15 €2.72

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.61

$1.45 €1.25

28.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 €3.00

$5.69 €4.91

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 €3.43

$5.94 €5.13

-33.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.09

$1.69 €1.46

-25.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.31

$2.48 €2.14

-38.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.44

$2.97 €2.56

-44.11%

Eggs

$3.43 €2.96

$4.32 €3.73

-20.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €12.74

$17.42 €15.04

-15.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 €7.58

$12.79 €11.04

-31.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 €14.47

$21.28 €18.36

-21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.25

$2.64 €2.28

-1.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$2.21 €1.91

-4.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.84

$2.79 €2.41

-23.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.31

$3.37 €2.91

-20.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.65

$2.10 €1.81

-9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.74

$1.97 €1.70

2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.16

$1.60 €1.38

-15.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.69

$0.57 €0.49

40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.70

$7.13 €6.15

-7.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €4.88

$7.59 €6.55

-25.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.13

$1.85 €1.59

-29.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.85

$2.50 €2.15

-14.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.47

$2.00 €1.72

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.28 €30.44

$45.09 €38.91

-21.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €3.96

$5.80 €5.00

-21.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.32

$1.79 €1.54

-14.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.69 €22.16

$34.95 €30.16

-26.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.54

$2.13 €1.83

-15.96%

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

$37.2K €32.1K

$37.4K €32.2K

-0.45%

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

$30.9K €26.7K

$36.3K €31.3K

-14.84%

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

$151 €130

$239 €206

-36.72%

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

$17.98 €15.51

$12.14 €10.48

48.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.12 €28.58

$31.42 €27.11

5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.74 €40.33

$54.9 €47.40

-14.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 €13.76

$24.84 €21.44

-35.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 €8.71

$10.92 €9.43

-7.51%

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

$561 €484

$568 €490

-1.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,566

$12.2K €10.6K

-9.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €74.9

$93.7 €80.8

-7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 €32.42

$40.71 €35.13

-7.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 €78.9

$105 €90.5

-12.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €94.2

$139 €120

-21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 €902

$857 €740

21.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €712

$657 €567

25.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 €1,412

$1,476 €1,274

10.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 €1,093

$1,093 €943

15.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,290 €3,702

$3,786 €3,267

13.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,675 €2,308

$2,332 €2,012

14.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,046 €1,766

$1,928 €1,664

6.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.57

-7.84%

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

Last update for Spain: August 29, 2026

Last update for Italy: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $927 in Spain, $758 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,583 in Madrid vs $1,244 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,039 in Spain, $1,967 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 22% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 29% more in Italy.

Public transport is 43% more expensive in Italy.

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 $1,907 per month in Italy and $1,860 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 simply cheaper in Spain: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Spain across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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.