Cost of living in Rome: An expat overview (2025)

Is Rome expensive? Plan your budget better by finding out the cost of rent, transport, groceries, and more.

Bas Teunissen

3 minute read

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Updated on 14 Jan 2026

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Living

How much does it cost to live in Rome? That’s probably the question that led you here. To give you a quick answer, you can expect the living cost in Rome to be €2,230-€2,500 per month for a single person.

We’ve broken down the cost of living in the Italian capital into 4 primary categories:

• Housing: average rental prices
• Food: groceries and other daily necessities
• Entertainment: going out for lunch, dinner and activities
• Transportation: getting around in Rome

Here’s an overview of what you should be expecting to spend while living in Rome!

While Rome is the capital city of Italy, it's notably cheaper than some European cities like Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin. It's even cheaper than Milan! To live comfortably in Rome you need an average salary of about €2,200 a month. To live comfortably, you'll have to earn more than €2,500 a month in Rome. As a student in Rome, your cost of living is lower, at around €1,200 per month if you're renting a shared accommodation.

Cost of living overview for one person in Rome

^This is the average rental price for all rental types across Rome.

No matter where you choose to live, your rent is most likely going to be your largest monthly expenditure. Here’s your overview of the average rental prices in Rome:

These prices are just the average rental prices across Rome. Depending on which Roman neighborhood you live in, prices will vary. If you're looking for lower monthly costs, we recommend exploring houses for rent near Rome's outer centre or closer to the residential areas.

While buying groceries at a Roman supermarket isn’t cheap compared to the rest of Italy, it’s around 14% cheaper than Milan and 10% cheaper than Florence.

Let’s take a look at the average supermarket prices in Rome:

So depending on your lifestyle, you’re looking at around €250 a month in groceries for one person. A couple can expect to spend between €300-€500 per month on groceries in Rome.

A huge benefit of living in Rome is savouring the Italian cuisine. Here's what you can expect when going out for meals or drinks in the city.

The closer you're to the tourist sites, the more expensive it gets. So this is your sign to get out and exlore the restautants and bars in smaller neighbourhoods for a more authentic Roman experience.

There’s also plenty to see and to do in the city, so you need to budget for nights and weekends out on the town. Like any major city, a nightlife in Rome can get expensive. Let’s take a look at what you’ll be up against when making the most of Rome’s leisure and entertainment.

As the nation’s capital and tourist hotspot, Rome has quite a robust public transport system! This means getting around Rome doesn’t necessarily require you to invest in your own vehicle.

Be wary, though, as public transport around popular tourist transactions can also be a hotspot for petty crime, such as pickpocketing. Overall, public transport is relatively affordable.

So, there you have it, all of the costs associated with living in Italy's capital.

Do you live in Rome and would you like to share your average expenses? Get in touch with us so we can help others budget better.