Cost of Living · IT vs GB
🇮🇹 Rome vs 🇬🇧 London: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,489 in Italy vs $2,037 in United Kingdom — 36.77% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United Kingdom
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 10.7%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 10.71%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 10.82%
Closest to Italy prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +42.76%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +42.76%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +42.76%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Italy | United Kingdom | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,014 | $1,447 (1,098 GBP) | +42.76% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $811 | $1,158 (879 GBP) | +42.76% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,853 | $2,646 (2,008 GBP) | +42.76% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.72 | $15.50 (12 GBP) | +32.25% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $48.83 | $64.59 (49 GBP) | +32.28% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.45 | $9.60 (7 GBP) | +28.86% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.81 | $0.99 (1 GBP) | +22.22% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.34 | $2.87 (2 GBP) | +22.65% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.49 | $3.05 (2 GBP) | +22.49% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.32 | $8.97 (7 GBP) | +22.54% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.93 | $3.59 (3 GBP) | +22.53% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.51 | $4.31 (3 GBP) | +22.79% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.78 | $10.76 (8 GBP) | +22.55% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.46 | $1.79 (1 GBP) | +22.6% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.91 | $5.17 (4 GBP) | +32.23% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.84 | $7.58 (6 GBP) | +10.82% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.26 | $4.31 (3 GBP) | +32.21% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.68 | $2.06 (2 GBP) | +22.62% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $44.01 | $56.75 (43 GBP) | +28.95% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.86 | $2.40 (2 GBP) | +29.03% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.60 | $3.44 (3 GBP) | +32.31% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.17 | $1.55 (1 GBP) | +32.48% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.81 | $0.90 (1 GBP) | +11.11% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $135 | $175 (133 GBP) | +28.95% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $47.39 | $61.11 (46 GBP) | +28.95% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $30.47 | $39.28 (30 GBP) | +28.91% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $32.55 | $43.06 (33 GBP) | +32.29% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $9.12 | $12.06 (9 GBP) | +32.24% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $19.53 | $25.84 (20 GBP) | +32.31% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $47.05 | $52.09 (40 GBP) | +10.71% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $77.00 | $85.24 (65 GBP) | +10.7% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $163 | $215 (163 GBP) | +32.28% |
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 United Kingdom than Italy?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,037 in United Kingdom versus $1,489 in Italy — 36.77% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United Kingdom?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $5.17 in United Kingdom (≈ 3.92 GBP), versus about $3.91 in Italy.
- How much is rent in United Kingdom compared to Italy?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,447/month in United Kingdom versus $1,014/month in Italy (+42.76%). 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.