Cost of living in Italy, city by city (2026)

Why Italy costs different things from north to south

Italy does not have one cost of living, it has at least three. According to [[https://www.istat.it/comunicato-stampa/spese-per-consumi-delle-famiglie-anno-2025/|ISTAT]], in 2025 a household spent on average 2,782 euros a month: 3,087 in the north-east, 3,052 in the centre, 2,974 in the north-west, 2,338 on the islands and 2,215 in the south. The gap does not come from incomes alone. It comes from what housing costs, which takes 36.0% of spending on the national average, and from how much food weighs: 17.7% of the budget in the north-west, 25.4% in the south. In euros, food costs almost the same (about 530 euros a month in the north-west and about 560 in the south, a calculation on ISTAT data). In the south it weighs more because earnings are lower.

The comparison with Europe says something too. In Eurostat's price level data, with the European Union average set at 100, Italy stands at 98: just under the average, but inside the country moving from Palermo to Milan means rent more than twice as high. That is why an Italian budget is always built starting from the city.

Inflation in 2026

2026 is not a calm year. For October ISTAT estimates inflation at 5.4% year on year (NIC index), against 4.2% in September, with +0.9% in a single month. The push comes from energy: regulated energy prices are up 59.5% in a year and unregulated ones 29.4%. The shopping basket, meaning food, household and personal care, is up 2.5%, and core inflation, which strips out energy and fresh food, is at 2.0%. Carry-over inflation for 2026, what you would get if prices stayed flat until December, is 3.4%.

In practice: the numbers in this guide are a snapshot of November 2026, and energy-related items, bills and fuel, may change in the coming weeks.

Rents, city by city

These are average rents from [[https://www.immobiliare.it/mercato-immobiliare/|Immobiliare.it]] for October 2026, in euros per square metre per month, with an estimate of the monthly rent for a 35 sq m studio and a 55 sq m two-room flat. They are city averages: small units cost more per square metre, and the historic centre costs much more than the outskirts.

Milan: 22.52 euros/sq m. Studio about 790 euros, two-room flat about 1,240 euros.
Florence: 21.64 euros/sq m. Studio about 760 euros, two-room flat about 1,190 euros.
Rome: 19.75 euros/sq m. Studio about 690 euros, two-room flat about 1,090 euros.
Bologna: 16.50 euros/sq m. Studio about 580 euros, two-room flat about 910 euros.
Naples: 15.77 euros/sq m. Studio about 550 euros, two-room flat about 870 euros.
Venice: 15.38 euros/sq m. Studio about 540 euros, two-room flat about 850 euros.
Cagliari: 14.06 euros/sq m. Studio about 490 euros, two-room flat about 770 euros.
Turin: 13.08 euros/sq m. Studio about 460 euros, two-room flat about 720 euros.
Bari: 12.90 euros/sq m. Studio about 450 euros, two-room flat about 710 euros.
Verona: about 12.4 euros/sq m (Immobiliare.it estimate for January 2026). Studio about 430 euros, two-room flat about 680 euros.
Genoa: 11.26 euros/sq m. Studio about 390 euros, two-room flat about 620 euros.
Palermo: 9.66 euros/sq m. Studio about 340 euros, two-room flat about 530 euros.

Two caveats. First: the research office of idealista, in May 2026, measures similar values for Milan (23.2), Rome (19.8) and Florence (21.8) and lower ones for Turin (12.8) and Palermo (10.1), but for Venice it reports 21.7 euros/sq m against Immobiliare.it's 15.38: it depends on how much the island and the mainland weigh in the average. Second: for Venice or Florence the average alone is not a safe guide, because tourist short-term lets push up prices in the centre. Nationally, rents are at record highs, around 15 euros/sq m, and for the third quarter of 2026 idealista reports +1.8% year on year. For students what counts is a single room: in Milan in August 2025 it exceeded 730 euros a month.

Groceries and the typical basket

According to ISTAT, food accounts for 19.8% of average household spending, a little over 550 euros a month, about 125 euros a week. In the typical basket of a couple with one child, the cost has risen 29.5% in five years (from 100 to 129.5 euros in the survey by Il Sole 24 Ore), against inflation of 21% over the same period. Among products, in five years extra virgin olive oil is up 47%, coffee 51%, rice 44%, eggs 43%, bread 28% and pasta 24%.

As a working rule, budget about 45 to 70 euros for a weekly supermarket shop for one person, 80 to 110 for a couple and 110 to 150 for a family of three (editorial estimates, not an official survey). Eating out, an espresso at the counter costs on average about 1.29 euros: in the 19 cities analysed by Altroconsumo on MIMIT data for June 2026 it ranges from 1.08 euros in Catanzaro to 1.51 in Bolzano. A margherita pizza in a pizzeria generally costs 6 to 10 euros and a full meal in a trattoria 25 to 45 euros per person. For travellers, our guide What a trip to Italy costs goes into these items further.

Transport: passes, petrol, tolls and trains

Monthly urban passes (November 2026).

Milan, ATM: 39 euros a month, 330 euros a year, 22 euros a month for under-27s; single ticket 2.20 euros.
Rome, ATAC: 35 euros a month; single ticket 1.50 euros (100 minutes).
Turin, GTT: 38 euros a month for the urban network.
Naples, ANM: 35 euros a month; 42 euros with the integrated UnicoCampania pass.

The annual pass in Milan is worth it: 330 euros against 468 euros for twelve monthly passes, so 138 euros less.

Fuel. According to the [[https://carburanti.mise.gov.it|MIMIT]], on 1 November 2026 the average self-service price was 2.010 euros per litre for petrol and 2.241 euros per litre for diesel, which costs more than petrol this year. A car using 6.5 litres per 100 km spends about 1,960 euros on petrol over 15,000 km a year (a calculation on the 1 November self-service average).

Tolls. In 2026 tolls rose by an average of 1.5% according to the Ministry of Transport, and by 1.1% on a sample of 38 routes according to Altroconsumo. To give an idea: from Firenze Sud to Roma Nord on the A1, 254 km, you pay 20 euros in class A.

Trains. Regional trains have fixed fares tied to distance. Trenitalia's Frecce have dynamic prices like airlines: booking early costs much less than buying on the day. To choose trains read getting around Italy.

Utilities and phone

Electricity. For vulnerable customers on the protected service, [[https://www.arera.it|ARERA]] set from 1 July 2026 a price of 31.63 cents per kWh including taxes (+4.6%), about 633 euros a year for the typical household. On the free market the most competitive fixed-price offers are around 34.50 cents, variable-price ones around 32.10, with an average fixed charge of 144 euros a year (up to 180). With regulated energy up 59.5% in October, the next updates are unlikely to go down: if your fixed-price contract has expired, compare offers.

Mobile. Mobile is the cheapest item in Italy. In October 2026 the lowest offers are ho. at 5.95 euros a month with 100 GB, Lyca Mobile at 5.99 euros with 150 GB and Iliad at 9.99 euros with 230 GB. If you arrive from outside the European Union, an eSIM or an Italian SIM spares you roaming. For home fibre, allow 25 to 35 euros a month (unverified estimate).

On top of utilities come the waste tax (TARI), which varies from town to town, and building charges, which in blocks with a lift and central heating can weigh as much as 100 to 200 euros a month (estimate).

Healthcare and schools if you move

Healthcare. If you live in Italy you register with the national health service at the local ASL, choose a free family doctor and pay only the ticket for tests and specialist visits, which varies by region and income. If you come from a European Union country and work in Italy you are entitled to register; if you do not work you can use the European card for temporary stays. For non-EU citizens with a residence permit for work or family, registration is compulsory, while students and other categories can register voluntarily by paying an annual contribution: check the current amount with your ASL.

Schools. State schools, from primary to secondary, charge no fees; you pay for materials, sometimes books, canteen and transport. Nursery is the item that weighs most. According to a UIL study reported by Sky TG24 on 4 October 2026, for an ISEE of up to 15,000 euros the fee including meals averages about 296 euros a month, for an ISEE of up to 25,000 euros about 416 euros. Differences between towns are huge: for an ISEE of 25,000 euros the range runs from 100 euros in Catanzaro to 645 euros in Udine, with Turin at 618 euros. In Mantua, nursery is free for the first bracket.

Average wages and purchasing power

The [[https://www.inps.it|INPS 2026 annual report]] gives an average gross pay for private employees of 27,649 euros a year; for net pay, a current estimate is 1,500 to 1,600 euros a month. Geographic differences are strong: in Lombardy average gross pay exceeds 35,000 euros and in Basilicata it stays around 27,000; by province, Milan is at about 34,400 euros and Lecce at about 23,000 (Truenumbers).

The comparison with rents is the number to keep in mind. With 1,500 euros net a month, an average studio in Milan (about 790 euros) takes more than half of your pay, in Rome (about 690) almost half, in Bologna 39% and in Palermo (about 340) 23%. That is why a lower salary in the south often leaves more in your pocket than a higher salary in the north: it is not always true, but it is worth doing the sum.

Comparison with Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom

Price levels (EU average = 100, Eurostat as reported by Euronews on 25 June 2026): Germany 109.1, France 106.4, Italy 98, Spain 91.1. Italy therefore costs less than Germany and France and more than Spain.

The real difference is in wages. According to the OECD (*Taxing Wages 2026*, 2025 data, full-time workers in some mostly private sectors) the average gross annual wage is 66,700 euros in Germany, 45,964 in France, 36,594 in Italy and 32,678 in Spain. Your purchasing power depends on what you earn, not on where you live: a German moving to Italy on a German salary lives better; someone working on an Italian salary pays lower prices than in France but earns much less than a French worker.

In the United Kingdom the median full-time income is 39,039 pounds (ONS, April 2025) and inflation was 2.8% in the twelve months to April 2026, a figure from a different period from the Italian one, so it cannot be compared month on month. For people arriving from London, the difference lies mostly in rent, which outside Milan and Rome is much lower.

Three profiles with monthly budgets

The budgets below are editorial estimates built on the data in this guide.

Student in a university city (Bologna, Turin, Padua). Single room 400 to 600 euros, groceries and meals 220 to 280, transport pass 22 to 30 (in Milan 22 euros for under-27s), phone 6 to 10, utilities included in the rent or 40 to 60, leisure 100. Total: 900 to 1,100 euros a month; in Milan 1,200 to 1,400.

Family of three in a mid-sized northern city (Turin, Verona). Rent for a three-room flat 800 to 1,000, groceries 600 to 700, utilities and waste 180 to 250, transport and car 250 to 350, nursery or canteen 300 to 420, phone and internet 40 to 50, healthcare 60, leisure and other 300. Total: 2,600 to 3,100 euros a month, in line with the ISTAT average for the north-west (2,974 euros).

Retiree in the south or Sardinia (Cagliari, Bari, Palermo). Rent for a two-room flat 530 to 770, groceries 280 to 350, utilities 100 to 150, transport 40 to 80, phone 10, healthcare 60 to 100, leisure 150. Total: 1,200 to 1,600 euros a month, less if you own your home. Those who move their tax residence to a small southern town, with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, may in some cases opt for a 7% flat tax on foreign pension income: check the current conditions with an accountant before deciding.

Tips to spend less

Choose the city starting from the ratio of rent to salary, not from its fame.
Look for a home outside the historic centre, where you save 20 to 30% (estimate) with a well-connected metro or tram.
Take the annual pass where one exists: in Milan it saves you 138 euros.
Compare electricity and gas offers at least once a year and do not let fixed-price contracts expire.
Switch to a mobile plan of 6 to 10 euros: paying more is not necessary.
Shop at markets and discount stores, choose seasonal produce and own-brand products.
Use the ISEE: nursery, canteen, school transport and many benefits depend on the indicator.
If you are only travelling, use our guide when to go to Italy to choose the cheap months and our guide What a trip to Italy costs for the daily budget.

Data updated to November 2026.