Cost of Living in Rome
Acceptable standards of living vary wildly from person to person, of course, but here are some prices to give you an idea of the cost of living in Rome. These prices were last updated in 2009.
Paying Rent
It is relatively easy to find a room to rent in somebody else's apartment for about €500 a month, but a single one-bedroom apartment that's convenient for the city centre will push you towards €1000. A lot of rental property isn't advertised, instead going through word of mouth, so you may find yourself paying more at first, and then moving into a better apartment, at a better price, once you've made a few connections.
Cost of Food
Whether you eat out at a restaurant or buy groceries and cook at home, the cost of living has gone up in rome. Although it's been a while now, locals are still smarting from price hikes that came in with the conversion from lire to euros. Nowadays you can expect to spend €10-€16 on a meal at a pizzeria, depending on how much you eat. A meal in a trattoria will set you back about €15-€25 a head. The price of groceries in Rome is still cheaper than, say, Paris, but not as cheap as it used to be. As a general rule, the further away you get from the touristy areas, the cheaper (and better!) the food will be.
Travel
The real bargain in Rome is the public transport. A single ticket that lasts 75 minutes and allows unlimited use of trams and busses (but only one metro journey) costs just a euro. Another great deal is the abbonamento; this pass, which allows for a month of unlimited travel on Roman trams, busses and the metro, costs just €30 a month. Both the single ticket and the abbonamento cover you for travel all the way to Ostia and the beach.
