✦ Compare
Chicago vs
Rome
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Chicago, IL vs Rome, IT at a glance — Rome, IT is 2% cheaper than Chicago, IL overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,200/mo versus $1,900/mo. Top income tax: 43% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Rome, IT, you'd need
$73,153 / year
Rome, IT is 2% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Rome, IT vs Chicago, IL)
- Housing-5%
- Food & groceries+5%
- Transport-26%
- Utilities+33%
- Healthcare-18%
- Goods & services+2%
◎ How Chicago, IL and Rome, IT compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chicago, IL | Rome, IT | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 100 |
| Housing | 116 | 110 |
| Food | 95 | 100 |
| Transport | 101 | 75 |
| Utilities | 90 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 80 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 100 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,900/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,450/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,600/mo | $2,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $973 | $998 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $105 | $38 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 43% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 22% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 24% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 26% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | — |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $43,309✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 1.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Native | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 90 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 66 | 68 |
| Safety index | 48 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 78 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 85 |
| Public transport | 78 | 75 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 64 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -4 °C | +8 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 189 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 950 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Italy. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Chicago vs Rome — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Chicago
Big-city amenities and architecture at Midwest prices — the winters, though, are famously brutal.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ -4°C · ☀ 24°C · 189 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Loop · Wicker Park · Lincoln Park
Good to know before you move to Rome
Living inside an open-air museum — unbeatable food and history, but slow bureaucracy and patchy transit.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 100 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 8°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Trastevere · Monti · Prati
Plan your move to Chicago
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
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Plan your move to Rome
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Chicago to Rome: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chicago to Rome, your cost of living will be roughly 2% cheaper. Rome’s cost-of-living index is 100 versus 103 for Chicago (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chicago cheaper than Rome?
Rome is about 2% cheaper than Chicago overall — its cost-of-living index is 100 versus 103 for Chicago.
Which is more expensive, Chicago or Rome?
Chicago is more expensive than Rome. Its cost-of-living index is 103 vs 100 (US = 100) — about 3% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Chicago or Rome?
Rent is cheaper in Rome — about $1,200/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,900 in Chicago.
How much do you need to earn in Rome to live like in Chicago?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chicago is worth about $73,153 in Rome. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chicago or Rome?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 43% in Italy.
◷ More comparisons from Chicago
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.