Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,825 a month against $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇻🇺 Vanuatu
$3,216
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,825
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,216 in Vanuatu versus $1,825 in Italy.

  • Vanuatu $3,216
  • Italy $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,324 in Vanuatu versus $2,790 in Italy.

  • Vanuatu $4,324
  • Italy $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,432 in Vanuatu versus $3,756 in Italy.

  • Vanuatu $5,432
  • Italy $3,756

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $3,155–$3,454 in Vanuatu. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Vanuatu is roughly 76% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Vanuatu 137% above, Italy 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.42 VUV 1,457
$19.90 €17.70
-37.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.9 VUV 6,553
$77.1 €68.6
-27.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.15 VUV 1,660
$11.41 €10.15
24.01%
Cappuccino
$3.97 VUV 466
$2.01 €1.78
97.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 VUV 270
$3.13 €2.78
-26.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 VUV 274
$1.40 €1.24
66.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.03 VUV 590
$5.76 €5.12
-12.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.35 VUV 863
$5.73 €5.10
28.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.13 VUV 367
$1.62 €1.44
93.21%
White Bread (500g)
$2.50 VUV 293
$2.38 €2.12
5.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.86 VUV 452
$2.92 €2.60
32.19%
Eggs
$6.21 VUV 728
$4.17 €3.70
48.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.29 VUV 1,911
$17.28 €15.37
-5.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.00 VUV 1,876
$12.73 €11.32
25.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.25 VUV 1,554
$20.39 €18.13
-35.02%
Apples (1kg)
$6.57 VUV 771
$2.61 €2.32
151.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 VUV 243
$2.12 €1.88
-2.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.91 VUV 459
$2.63 €2.34
48.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$10.09 VUV 1,184
$3.34 €2.97
202.10%
Potato (1kg)
$8.96 VUV 1,052
$2.02 €1.79
343.56%
Onion (1kg)
$4.34 VUV 510
$1.89 €1.69
129.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 VUV 305
$1.56 €1.39
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 VUV 137
$0.55 €0.49
110.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.57 VUV 1,122
$6.84 €6.08
39.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.45 VUV 1,460
$7.64 €6.80
62.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.94 VUV 344
$1.80 €1.61
63.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 VUV 351
$2.40 €2.14
24.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 VUV 151
$1.86 €1.65
-30.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.7 VUV 7,943
$43.27 €38.49
56.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.51 VUV 295
$5.64 €5.01
-55.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.81 VUV 95.4
$1.71 €1.52
-52.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.00 VUV 587
$33.04 €29.39
-84.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 VUV 216
$2.11 €1.87
-12.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.0K VUV 2.7M
$35.8K €31.8K
-35.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.3K VUV 4.4M
$37.4K €33.3K
-0.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$624 VUV 73.2K
$230 €204
171.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.95 VUV 2,692
$11.60 €10.32
97.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$360 VUV 42.2K
$30.40 €27.04
1083.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.9 VUV 7,963
$53.9 €47.96
25.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 VUV 1,971
$24.24 €21.56
-30.69%
Cinema Ticket
-
$10.58 €9.41
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$632 VUV 74.1K
$545 €485
15.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,850 VUV 803.5K
$11.5K €10.3K
-40.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.81 VUV 4,787
$88.4 €78.7
-53.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.5 VUV 7,797
$39.60 €35.22
67.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.2 VUV 9,991
$101 €89.8
-15.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 VUV 12.1K
$133 €118
-22.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,566 VUV 183.7K
$799 €711
96.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 VUV 140.6K
$624 €555
91.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,359 VUV 394.0K
$1,423 €1,266
135.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,897 VUV 222.5K
$1,030 €916
84.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,080 VUV 713.1K
$3,601 €3,203
68.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,184 VUV 256.2K
$2,270 €2,019
-3.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vanuatu
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$345 VUV 40.4K
$1,893 €1,684
-81.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.18
3.56
73.60%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vanuatu
$1.2K
Italy
$624 47.9% $574
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vanuatu
$1K
Italy
$272 73% $736
Groceries & Markets
Vanuatu
$482
Italy
$350 27.5% $132
Eating Out
Vanuatu
$248
Italy
$276 11.3% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Vanuatu
$133
Italy
$163 22.5% $30
Getting Around
Vanuatu
$79
Italy
$65 18.3% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Vanuatu
$68 *
Italy
$75 10.6% $7.2

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $794 in Vanuatu, $724 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,587 in Port Vila vs $1,191 in Rome.

National salary averages: $488 in Vanuatu, $1,892 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 161% more in Italy.

Public transport is 24% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 288% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
01:10 1:10 AM
16:10 4:10 PM
9 h behind Vanuatu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
300,019
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vanuatu Italy 16,480 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vanuatu
  • 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
Vanuatu vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Vanuatu?
At $1,825 per month in Italy and $3,216 in Vanuatu, there's a 76% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $794 in Vanuatu and $724 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget in Italy or in Vanuatu?
In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Vanuatu it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Italy or to Vanuatu?
It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; Vanuatu may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Vanuatu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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