Cost of Living · PT vs IT
🇵🇹 Lisbon vs 🇮🇹 Rome: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,298 in Portugal vs $1,489 in Italy — 14.76% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Italy
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 3.85%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 4.59%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 4.6%
Closest to Portugal prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +17.05%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +17.05%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +17.05%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Portugal | Italy | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $866 | $1,014 (937 EUR) | +17.05% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $693 | $811 (749 EUR) | +17.05% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,583 | $1,853 (1,713 EUR) | +17.05% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.36 | $11.72 (11 EUR) | +13.13% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $43.15 | $48.83 (45 EUR) | +13.16% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.65 | $7.45 (7 EUR) | +12.03% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.74 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +9.46% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.14 | $2.34 (2 EUR) | +9.35% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.27 | $2.49 (2 EUR) | +9.69% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.69 | $7.32 (7 EUR) | +9.42% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.68 | $2.93 (3 EUR) | +9.33% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.21 | $3.51 (3 EUR) | +9.35% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.03 | $8.78 (8 EUR) | +9.34% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.34 | $1.46 (1 EUR) | +8.96% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.45 | $3.91 (4 EUR) | +13.33% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.54 | $6.84 (6 EUR) | +4.59% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.88 | $3.26 (3 EUR) | +13.19% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.54 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +9.09% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $39.32 | $44.01 (41 EUR) | +11.93% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.66 | $1.86 (2 EUR) | +12.05% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.30 | $2.60 (2 EUR) | +13.04% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.04 | $1.17 (1 EUR) | +12.5% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.78 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +3.85% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $121 | $135 (125 EUR) | +11.9% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $42.35 | $47.39 (44 EUR) | +11.9% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $27.23 | $30.47 (28 EUR) | +11.9% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $28.77 | $32.55 (30 EUR) | +13.14% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.05 | $9.12 (8 EUR) | +13.29% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $17.26 | $19.53 (18 EUR) | +13.15% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.98 | $47.05 (43 EUR) | +4.6% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $73.61 | $77.00 (71 EUR) | +4.61% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $144 | $163 (150 EUR) | +13.16% |
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 Portugal?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,489 in Italy versus $1,298 in Portugal — 14.76% 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 $3.45 in Portugal.
- How much is rent in Italy compared to Portugal?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,014/month in Italy versus $866/month in Portugal (+17.05%). 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.