Rome Cost of Living vs Salary

Urban Stress Index: 73.33

Is Rome an affordable place to live? A typical resident spends around 55.3% of income on rent and 18.1% on food. That leaves approximately 26.7% of income available for savings and daily expenses.

The Urban Stress Index (USI) provides a structured way to evaluate cost-of-living pressure in Rome. By combining housing and essential food costs, it highlights how much income is required to maintain a basic standard of living relative to local wages.

Cost Breakdown

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Cost Structure Analysis

Rome records a USI of around 73, placing it in the severe burden category. In absolute terms, Rome’s cost of living is not exceptionally high compared with other European capitals. However, rent absorbs more than 55% of income, with food adding a further 18%, creating a relatively constrained budget.

As with other major tourist cities, part of the measured food burden may reflect the use of restaurant prices as a proxy. In Rome, tourism plays a major role in shaping restaurant pricing, which can be higher than everyday food costs faced by residents. This means the food component of the USI may slightly overestimate actual consumption patterns.

The city’s affordability profile reflects a combination of moderate wages and sustained housing demand. Compared with Milan, Rome has slightly lower income levels, resulting in a higher overall burden despite similar rent levels. Compared with Naples, Rome benefits from stronger income support, though not enough to offset housing costs fully.

Within Italy, Rome sits between the more balanced northern cities and the more constrained southern cities. Overall, it represents a structurally constrained capital where housing remains the dominant source of affordability pressure.

Methodology

The Urban Stress Index (USI) measures how much of a typical income is spent on housing and essential food.

USI = Housing burden + Food cost share.

See full methodology here.

Sources

Income, rental, and food cost data for Italy are compiled from national statistics, rental market data, and consumer price datasets.

• Income data: ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) – Average annual earnings by province (2023). Annual earnings are converted to monthly income and adjusted to 2025 levels using inflation data.
• Rental data: City-level rent estimates are based on aggregated rental listings for 1-bedroom apartments in city centre locations.
• Food cost estimates: Based on Numbeo data for an inexpensive meal, used as a proxy for essential food expenditure.

In major tourist cities, restaurant-based price proxies may slightly overestimate actual food costs for residents, as dining prices can reflect tourism demand rather than everyday consumption patterns.

For full methodology and assumptions, see Methodology.

See Related Cities & Comparisons

Other cities in Italy:

• Compare with Milan (USI: 68.0)
• Compare with Bologna (USI: 60.3)
• Compare with Naples (USI: 88.4)
• Compare with Turin (USI: 49.1)

Cities with similar affordability outside Italy:

• Compare with Vancouver, Canada (USI: 73.5)
• Compare with Toronto, Canada (USI: 73.1)
• Compare with Valencia, Spain (USI: 72.1)
• Compare with Halifax, Canada (USI: 76.3)