Your guide to the cost of living in Italy

Find out how much it costs to live in Italy compared to other countries and how the prices there compare to Italian salaries.

Angelina

6 minute read

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Updated on 25 Mar 2026

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Moving

If you’re considering moving to Italy, it’s helpful to manage your expectations beforehand. For example, you might be wondering if you can live a good life in this country with your budget. But worry no more, we'll break down the cost of living in Italy and put your mind to rest!

In this article we’ll talk about:

• average salaries in Italy,
• average cost of living in Italy per month,
• rental prices in Italy compared to other countries,
• cheapest cities in Italy,
• food prices in Italy,
• transportation costs in Italy,
• monthly living expenses in Italy compared to other countries.

After reading this, you'll be able to figure out how much you’d need to earn to live comfortably here, and which city fits best to your living standard.

To understand the quality of life a bit better, it’s good to understand the relation of what people typically earn in Italy to the cost of living.

The average net salary in Italy is €1,729 (US$2,002) per month. We consider a net salary here as that’s what you take home (after taxes etc.) and that’s the amount you’ll spend on your rent, food and so on.

Italy is one of the cheapest countries to live in. In fact, Italy is the 19th most expensive country in Europe.

So how much does it cost to live in Italy?

To answer this question, let’s take a quick look at the average basic living expenses in Italy per month.

Based on this, we can say that the average cost of living in Italy per month is around €1,729.77 (US$2,003). Sadly, that’s pretty high compared to the average salaries, and leaves little room for error especially in the bigger cities!

However each city is different. The smaller towns in the South of Italy are generally cheaper than international cities like Milan, Rome and Bologna because the rent there is also high.

For example, the cost of living in Lombardy is 1.23 times higher than the average in Italy. In contrast, the cost of living in Sicily is 1.12 times lower than the average.

The best way to compare the cost of living in Italian cities is by looking at the average rent prices. They often serve as a good reflection of the price tag of a city. Plus, rent usually takes the largest chunk of your monthly expenses.

So, to have a nice overview, let’s compare the rent across the top Italian cities.

Average rent prices in popular Italian cities:

Interesting, huh?

As you can see, Milan and Rome are among the most expensive Italian cities, especially in terms of rent. As a matter of fact, Milan’s residents spend over 42% of their income on rental expenses.

Students planning to rent in Italy often find that room types and pricing work differently to what they'd expect. So make sure you check out student accommodation in Italy to get an insight into how much you should expect to pay for rent in each city.

• Turin, Palermo, and Naples are the cheapest cities to live in Italy.
• The cost of living in Milan is 24% higher than the living costs in Rome.
• The cost of living in Florence is 6% higher than the cost of living in Rome.
• The cost of living in Turin is 18% lower than in Florence.

Choosing a city based on cost alone doesn't always make sense because where you study or work influence the decision too. The best universities in Italy are spread across several cities, each with a different cost.

Now, let's compare some popular Italian cities based on different categories of expenses.

Buying food and groceries in Italy is generally not cheap. But, your spending amount will depend on your living standards.

Do you want the best price & quality ratio? Then you’re better off buying fresh produce at a market or a greengrocer.

Want to save a few bucks? Italy has plenty of discount supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi.

If you prefer doing groceries in a bio supermarket, that will of course be more expensive.

But here we’ll just consider the averages. So, add or deduct some costs based on your own lifestyle.

Let’s break it down:

Comparison of the average grocery prices in Italy:

Can’t choose between Rome and Milan? We’ve made a detailed comparison between these popular destinations.

Comparison of the average prices to eat out in Italy:

The price differences between the cities aren’t very significant and reflect the situation with the average rent.

Milan and Rome are the most expensive Italian cities to live in, but that’s also where you’ll generally get paid more.

While most of the living costs in Italy aren’t that much different from other countries, you can certainly get a pretty cheap cappuccino here!

As you can see, the transportation costs in Italy don’t differ that much from city to city. And they’re pretty low compared to other countries!

Overview of living expenses: Italy vs world

Now let’s compare some of the averages of the costs above to other countries.

Generalisation like this isn’t very accurate, but we’re here for the bigger picture, right?

Here’re the monthly living expenses in Italy vs Germany vs the Netherlands vs Spain vs the USA vs the UK vs Canada (excl. rent):

In this comparison, you can see that the cost of living in Italy is almost the same as in Germany. Food in Germany is cheaper, but the high transportation, bills and leisure costs make up for that.

Out of all these countries, Spain is the cheapest place to live. The cost of living in Spain excluding rent is 16% lower than the cost of living in Italy.

At the same time, comparing the cost of living, we see that living expenses in the USA are 13% higher. In fact, Italy is also cheaper than the Canada, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Add the cheaper rental prices to the equation and it becomes clear that Italy is a very affordable destination for expats!

Ready to take the next step?

If you're moving to Italy to study, a student visa for Italy is one of the first things to sort alongside your housing budget. Coming for work? Find out typical expat jobs in Italy to give you a solid starting point for understanding what's available and what you can realistically expect to earn. Either way, it’s better to start looking for your dream home early. Then you’ll surely find something that fits your budget!