Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Rome Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 52.5% more expensive than Rome.
- Restaurants
- pay 28.0% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 31.0% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 7.4% more in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 99.9% more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 2.2 times more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 69.7% more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 8.2% more in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Rome Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Rome, you would:
pay 28.0% more for restaurants
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.52 €15.38 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.68 €10.25 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.50 €2.20 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.34 €1.18 | $2.00 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.0% more for groceries
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.21 €1.94 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $9.54 €8.37 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.12 €6.25 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.62 €4.06 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.53 €4.85 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.21 €1.06 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.04 €0.91 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.08 €0.94 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.44 €1.26 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.85 €0.75 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.98 €0.86 | $1.22 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% more for transportation
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.66 €6.73 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $40.88 €35.89 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $29,199.74 €25,637.43 | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $19.86 €17.43 | $18.01 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 99.9% more for housing
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.12 €28.20 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,436.63 €1,261.36 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $927.65 €814.48 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $171.74 €150.79 | $155.53 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $568.18 €498.86 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,951.36 €9,615.32 | $15,000.00 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 69.7% more for entertainment and sports
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 €5.13 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.01 €1.77 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $7.18 €6.31 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $70.65 €62.03 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.68 €10.25 | $18.00 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.2% more for clothing
Rome | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $81.76 €71.78 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $37.76 €33.16 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $88.68 €77.86 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $116.80 €102.55 | $149.85 | |
Rome vs. Santa Monica - Cost of clothing
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 2026
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