Cost of living comparison

compared to
Italy vs. Massachusetts Cost of Living Summary

Italy is 26.0% cheaper than Massachusetts.

Restaurants
pay 18.1% less in Italy
Groceries
pay 28.4% less in Italy
Transportation
pay 13.4% more in Italy
Housing
pay 48.0% less in Italy
Childcare
pay 69.2% less in Italy
Entertainment and Sports
pay 41.9% less in Italy
Clothing
pay 9.9% more in Italy

The cost of transportation and clothing in Italy are more expensive than in Massachusetts. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Italy.

Italy vs. Massachusetts Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Italy instead of Massachusetts, you would:

pay 18.1% less for restaurants

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $21.19
 
$16.15
€14.23
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.79
 
$10.06
€8.87
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.62
 
$2.55
€2.25

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pay 28.4% less for groceries

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Bread
1 loaf
$3.71
 
$2.04
€1.80
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.31
 
$6.83
€6.02
Milk (1 gallon) $4.52
 
$5.53
€4.88

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pay 13.4% more for transportation

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.51
 
$7.22
€6.37
Monthly public transit pass $71.71
 
$38.81
€34.20
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,785.54
 
$28,223.13
€24,871.35

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pay 48.0% less for housing

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.08
 
$28.87
€25.44
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,074.76
 
$656.19
€578.26
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,940.55
 
$511.91
€451.12

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pay 69.2% less for childcare

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,960.62
 
$508.72
€448.31
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $26,428.57
 
$9,465.55
€8,341.42

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pay 41.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.63
 
$5.01
€4.42
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.00
 
$1.69
€1.49
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.10
 
$6.20
€5.46

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pay 9.9% more for clothing

 
Massachusetts
Italy
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.62
 
$78.41
€69.10
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.05
 
$33.87
€29.84
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$83.58
 
$86.07
€75.85

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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