Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rome vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Rome is 10.1% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.1% less in Rome
- Groceries
-
pay 6.0% less in Rome
- Transportation
-
pay 22.4% more in Rome
- Housing
-
pay 21.8% less in Rome
- Childcare
-
pay 55.9% less in Rome
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.0% less in Rome
- Clothing
-
pay 14.0% more in Rome
The cost of transportation and clothing in Rome are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Rome.
Rome vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rome instead of United States, you would:
pay 10.1% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$17.52
€15.11
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$11.68
€10.07
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.50
€2.16
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.34
€1.15
|
|
United States vs. Rome - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.0% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$2.21
€1.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$9.54
€8.23
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$7.12
€6.14
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.62
€3.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.53
€4.77
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.21
€1.04
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.04
€0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.08
€0.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.44
€1.24
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.85
€0.73
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.98
€0.84
|
|
United States vs. Rome - Cost of groceries
pay 22.4% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$7.66
€6.61
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$40.88
€35.25
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$29,199.74
€25,179.72
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$19.86
€17.12
|
|
United States vs. Rome - Cost of transportation
pay 21.8% less for housing
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$32.12
€27.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,436.63
€1,238.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$927.65
€799.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$171.74
€148.10
|
|
United States vs. Rome - Cost of housing
pay 55.9% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$568.18
€489.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$10,951.36
€9,443.66
|
|
United States vs. Rome - Cost of childcare
pay 13.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.84
€5.04
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$2.01
€1.74
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$7.18
€6.19
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$70.65
€60.92
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$11.68
€10.07
|
|
United States vs. Rome - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.0% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$81.76
€70.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$37.76
€32.57
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$88.68
€76.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$116.80
€100.72
|
|
United States vs. Rome - 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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Italy.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Italy.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Rome or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.