Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timor-Leste and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Timor-Leste: $1,598 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Italy despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Timor-Leste
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Timor-Leste Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,598

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timor-Leste 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 Timor-Leste and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Timor-Leste versus $1,825 in Italy.

Timor-Leste $1,598
Italy $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Timor-Leste versus $2,790 in Italy.

Timor-Leste $2,482
Italy $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,366 in Timor-Leste versus $3,756 in Italy.

Timor-Leste $3,366
Italy $3,756

Internal cost variation is higher in Timor-Leste: monthly costs span $1,619 to $1,619, compared to $1,044–$2,560 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in Timor-Leste.

Living in Timor-Leste costs about 12% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Timor-Leste 18% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 $5.11

$19.90 €17.70

-74.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.38 $35.38

$77.1 €68.6

-54.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 $6.57

$11.41 €10.15

-42.42%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$2.01 €1.78

96.52%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$3.13 €2.78

-42.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.40 €1.24

105.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$5.76 €5.12

-48.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$5.73 €5.10

-32.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.62 €1.44

40.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.38 €2.12

1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.92 €2.60

-66.78%

Eggs

$2.64 $2.64

$4.17 €3.70

-36.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$17.28 €15.37

-88.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$12.73 €11.32

-24.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$20.39 €18.13

-22.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.61 €2.32

25.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.12 €1.88

-12.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.63 €2.34

-5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.34 €2.97

-30.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.02 €1.79

-40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.89 €1.69

-36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.56 €1.39

-44.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.55 €0.49

85.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$6.84 €6.08

-55.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$7.64 €6.80

55.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.80 €1.61

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.40 €2.14

17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.86 €1.65

-87.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 $42.44

$43.27 €38.49

-1.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$5.64 €5.01

-36.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.71 €1.52

112.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$33.04 €29.39

-40.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.11 €1.87

-32.70%

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

$20.1K $20.1K

$35.8K €31.8K

-43.78%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$37.4K €33.3K

-51.97%

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

$147 $147

$230 €204

-35.80%

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

$26.97 $26.97

$11.60 €10.32

132.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.1 $74.1

$53.9 €47.96

37.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 $6.06

$10.58 €9.41

-42.72%

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

$1,527 $1,527

$545 €485

180.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$11.5K €10.3K

38.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$88.4 €78.7

-30.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.83 $29.83

$39.60 €35.22

-24.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$101 €89.8

-21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 $59.1

$133 €118

-55.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 $830

$799 €711

3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$624 €555

19.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 $2,689

$1,423 €1,266

88.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$1,030 €916

48.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,866 $4,866

$1,893 €1,684

157.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.56

50.84%

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

Last update for Timor-Leste: October 18, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timor-Leste

$745 46.6%

Italy

$624 34.2% 16.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Timor-Leste

$274 17.2%

Italy

$350 19.2% 27.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timor-Leste

$174 * 10.9%

Italy

$272 14.9% 55.8% $97

Eating Out

Timor-Leste

$149 9.3%

Italy

$276 15.1% 84.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Timor-Leste

$103 6.5%

Italy

$163 8.9% 57.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Timor-Leste

$86 5.4%

Italy

$75 4.1% 12.9% $11

Getting Around

Timor-Leste

$65 4.1%

Italy

$65 3.6% 0.4% $0.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $815 in Timor-Leste, $724 in Italy. Capital cities: $815 in Dili vs $1,191 in Rome.

National salary averages: $3,531 in Timor-Leste, $1,892 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 13% higher in Timor-Leste.

Dining out costs 46% more in Italy.

Public transport is 32% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 87% higher in Timor-Leste, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Timor-Leste.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

8 h behind Timor-Leste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,243,235

58,850,717

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Timor-Leste Italy 12,550 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Timor-Leste
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

Timor-Leste vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $1,598 in Timor-Leste, there's a 14% 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 Timor-Leste: 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 Timor-Leste, $2,500 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: Timor-Leste wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.