Cost of Living · CN vs IT
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇮🇹 Rome: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,489 in Italy — 47.24% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Italy
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 12.5%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 13.43%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 13.51%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +55.9%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +55.9%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +55.9%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Italy | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $1,014 (937 EUR) | +55.9% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $811 (749 EUR) | +55.9% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,853 (1,713 EUR) | +55.9% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $11.72 (11 EUR) | +41.72% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $48.83 (45 EUR) | +41.74% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $7.45 (7 EUR) | +37.45% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +30.65% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.34 (2 EUR) | +28.57% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.49 (2 EUR) | +29.02% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $7.32 (7 EUR) | +28.87% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.93 (3 EUR) | +29.07% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.51 (3 EUR) | +28.57% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $8.78 (8 EUR) | +28.93% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.46 (1 EUR) | +28.07% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $3.91 (4 EUR) | +41.67% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.84 (6 EUR) | +13.43% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $3.26 (3 EUR) | +41.74% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +28.24% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $44.01 (41 EUR) | +37.32% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.86 (2 EUR) | +36.76% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $2.60 (2 EUR) | +41.3% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.17 (1 EUR) | +40.96% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +12.5% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $135 (125 EUR) | +37.32% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $47.39 (44 EUR) | +37.32% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $30.47 (28 EUR) | +37.31% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $32.55 (30 EUR) | +41.71% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $9.12 (8 EUR) | +41.84% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $19.53 (18 EUR) | +41.73% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $47.05 (43 EUR) | +13.51% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $77.00 (71 EUR) | +13.54% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $163 (150 EUR) | +41.75% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Italy than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,489 in Italy versus $1,011 in China — 47.24% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Italy?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.91 in Italy (≈ 3.61 EUR), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Italy compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,014/month in Italy versus $650/month in China (+55.9%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.