Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,843 in Italy.

United Kingdom $2,462
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $2,816 in Italy.

United Kingdom $3,600
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $3,788 in Italy.

United Kingdom $4,738
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $1,038–$2,555 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 34% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United Kingdom 81% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.13

$20.46 €18.35

4.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$79.5 €71.3

7.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.97

$11.15 €10.00

-4.84%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$2.04 €1.83

140.69%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$3.10 €2.78

-14.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.40 €1.25

33.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.97

$5.51 €4.95

20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$5.74 €5.15

19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.57 €1.41

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$2.38 €2.14

-27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.90 €2.60

-25.17%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$4.07 €3.65

-1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.07

$17.44 €15.64

-45.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$12.56 €11.26

-26.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.09

$20.17 €18.09

-26.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$2.58 €2.32

15.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.19 €1.96

-26.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$2.68 €2.40

6.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.27 €2.93

7.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.90 €1.71

-3.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.82 €1.63

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.57 €1.41

-20.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.55 €0.49

201.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.76

$6.69 €6.00

253.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$7.99 €7.16

31.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$1.77 €1.59

68.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$2.35 €2.11

49.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$1.91 €1.71

108.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$43.44 €38.96

147.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$5.62 €5.04

-7.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.71 €1.54

37.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.15

$33.64 €30.17

-20.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.03 €1.82

-1.97%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$35.3K €31.7K

11.73%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$36.7K €33.0K

10.17%

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

$327 £246

$227 €203

44.42%

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

$18.21 £13.67

$11.59 €10.40

57.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.73

$30.38 €27.25

43.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.80

$51.8 €46.44

-18.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.68

$23.70 €21.26

-23.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.40

$10.60 €9.51

30.66%

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

$1,868 £1,402

$568 €509

229.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$11.5K €10.3K

96.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$90.5 €81.2

2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.47

$38.55 €34.58

19.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$103 €92.1

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$131 €118

-21.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,008

$826 €740

62.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £806

$646 €580

66.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,675

$1,400 €1,256

59.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,308

$1,054 €946

65.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,205

$3,662 €3,285

52.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,202

$2,301 €2,064

85.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,515

$1,886 €1,692

77.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.56

49.44%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Italy

$646 35.1% 39.8% $427

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Italy

$269 14.6% 31% $120

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Italy

$279 15.1% 14.9% $49

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Italy

$348 18.9% 13.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Italy

$163 8.9% 5.8% $9

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Italy

$65 3.5% 53.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Italy

$73 4% 4.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 77% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 14% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 135% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 72% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

58,850,717

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Italy 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 34% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom 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: Italy wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.