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There has been a lot of talk and hype about increasing prices in Rome, especially in view of the upcoming Jubilee Year in 2025. So, is Rome expensive or affordable? It depends on a huge number of factors.
The costs of vacation in Rome are subject to seasonality, the choice of the neighborhood, and obviously, the type of accommodation you choose to stay and the restaurants you want to eat in.
In this article, I’m going to break down all the costs you are certain to have in Rome during your trip and also those that you might have or can avoid. Let’s dive in!
Is Rome expensive or affordable to visit?
Rome is not the most expensive city in Italy, but not the cheapest either. I found Venice more expensive for accommodation and food, Florence more expensive when it came to accommodation, and even Parma, which is much smaller and definitely less touristy, with a higher price tag in the hotel landscape.
Rome is a big city so you are not going to find the prices of a small town. Adding to that, there are things that you can’t really avoid, such as either public transport or taxis depending on where you are.
Costs breakdown in Rome – What things cost
Cost of accommodation in Rome
It goes without saying that the price of accommodation in Rome varies greatly depending on what type of hotel you book. I’m positive that no one expects the price of a small guesthouse from a 5-star hotel.
Apart from the type, also the location impacts the price of a hotel and when you are looking for the best area to stay in Rome, this is something to keep in mind.
One more important thing to keep in mind is that prices are rising a lot as the Jubilee approaches and across the whole 2025, I’m guessing they will be even higher. If you are coming for the Jubilee, check out my new ebook “Jubilee in Rome 101” for a full guide to planning your trip in such a special time.
This being said, here is a rough breakdown of accommodation expenses you will need to budget when planning a trip to Rome.
- Five-star hotels. These are the most expensive accommodation options and rates can go from 800€ per night to 1800€. This depends on what room you choose and on the day, as for example, for the king-size Suite Metropolitan at The St. Regis Rome, rates start from 3500€ per night!
- Four-star hotels. These hotels don’t provide the luxury of a 5-star but they still offer well-equipped rooms with all the necessary services and amenities for a comfortable stay. A four-star hotel near Termini station will cost between 250 and 500€ per night, similar to a hotel of the same type towards the Vatican area.
- Three-star hotels. These are slightly more budget options than a 4-star and a boutique hotel. You can find 3-star hotels for fares between 150 and 230€ per night with peaks of 400€ on special days.
- Boutique hotels. The rates of a room in a boutique hotel in the city center can range from 250 to 500€ per night, sometimes even reaching 700€ per night in exclusive locations such as the Pantheon area.
- B&Bs and guesthouses. Just like for other types of accommodation, also B&Bs are more expensive in the immediate city center where they can cost from 120 to 250€ per night with some peaks of 450/500€ on important days like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. If you go a bit further away, fares start going down. A simple B&B in the Trionfale area some 800 meters on foot from the Vatican Museums can cost around 120/180€ per night. As usual, the prices depend on the season and on the day.
- Apartments. Apartments are usually the preferred accommodation for large families, especially if there are small children. While hotels often feature connecting rooms, they don’t always have large units where families of four or five can fit. If you want to save some money, consider areas out of the city center but near the metro or a train station such as Balduina, Baldo degli Ubaldi, Monte Mario, Appio Latino, or EUR. Houses are also very different from each other. You can find luxury apartments/penthouses with a price tag of some 500€ to 1300€ per night, more simple flats where you can stay for 250/300€, or more budget far from the Centro Storico for around 100 to 150€ per night.
Cost of eating out in Rome
Eating out in Rome is not too expensive, especially if compared to other European capitals like London or Brussels, or other large cities such as New York. Of course, if you plan on eating in Michelin-starred restaurants every night, you will need to expect a surge in your spending.
But Rome also has an old tradition of street food, so you will always find cheap and delicious eats around every corner if you prefer to save or eat on the go. Here is a rough breakdown of the food costs in Rome.
- Average restaurant meal. This depends on the restaurant and obviously on the number of courses you are going to order. For a meal that includes all the courses from the starters to the dessert, an average meal ranges between 30/40€ per person. The starters/appetizers are usually priced between 8 and 16€, a first course can range from 12 to 18€, a second course between 15 and 25€, while the dessert is usually between 5 and 8€.
- Wine. This is what makes the price of your meal rise. Wine can be quite expensive, reaching even 8/9€ for a single glass or even 30/50€ a bottle. Obviously, this depends on what type of wine you are ordering. If you want to save, you can order the house wine (vino della casa) that many restaurants can offer for around 10/15€ per liter.
- Beer. The beer can be served bottled or draft. The latter is usually more expensive, particularly craft beers that are usually of better quality than the more industrialized ones.
- Water. A 75-cl bottle of mineral water at a restaurant can even cost 3€ while at a bar, you can pay between €1 and €1.50 for a half-a-liter bottle.
- Soft drinks. Soft drinks like Coke and lemon soda can cost around 3/4€ at a restaurant while at the bar around 2€ and at the store, you can find a 2-liter Coke bottle for 2€.
- Pizza at the table. It depends on the pizza toppings. Usually, a quality pizza can range between 12 and 18€.
- Pizza by the slice takeaway. This depends on the toppings you choose but also much on where you go. For example, Bonci’s Pizzarium is much more expensive than your ordinary pizza al taglio around every corner but it’s also a guarantee of top quality. Generally speaking, with 4 to 6€, you can buy a good slice of pizza in Rome.
- Street food. In most street food and pizza al taglio places, you will also find nibbles like supplì, crocchette (patties), and deep-fried zucchini flowers. These usually cost between 2 and 4€, depending on the place.
- Coffee. Coffee at the bar counter costs between €1.20 and €1.50. If you sit at a table, bars can charge you more. At a restaurant, a coffee can cost around €2/2,50. Cappuccino is a bit more expensive and can cost around 2€, while caffè macchiato (with a splash of milk) is a few cents more than normal coffee.
- Pastries. Together with your coffee or cappuccino, sometimes you will also buy a cornetto (croissant), a saccottino (literally “little sack”, the Roman version of pain au chocolat), and other pastries. These usually cost between €1,50 and €2,50. In this case, too, it depends a lot on the place where you are, if in the city center and whether it’s more a bar or a bakery/coffee shop. For example, a place we particularly like for breakfast in the city center is Tulipane and their croissant stuffed with cream is €2,50, but the quality is visibly higher than many other places we have tried.
- Gelato. In Rome, you can find good artisan gelato quite affordable. A cone or cup with one scoop can be around €1,50, two scoops for €2/2,50, and three scoops for 3/4€. Prices can change if you pick a more gourmet cone such as those coated with nuts and chocolate. The whipped cream on top is usually free but sometimes it adds €0,50 to the price.
Cost of groceries in Rome
There are different places in Rome where you can buy your groceries. You can shop at your local open market or at a food store. I’m guessing you will need to buy groceries if you have rented an apartment and plan to cook at least one of your daily meals, and if you are staying in Rome for three days or even for a four-day holiday.
Food stores in Rome are called Conad, Carrefour, or the cheaper Lidl, MD, and IN’s. Another food store, slightly more expensive than Conad is NaturaSì where every product comes from organic farming.
Between Conad and Carrefour, prices don’t change much. So for example, a kg of normal white bread can cost around 3 to 4€ and the price rises for different types of bread such as wholegrain, with seeds, etc.
One kg of apples will cost between €1,50 and 2€ even though you will often find promotions for larger bags. I’ve been recently finding pumpkin 2€ per kg, bananas 2€ per kg, grape between 3 and 5€ per kg, cauliflower around 3€ per kg, and potatoes for less than 2€ per kg.
These are all from non-organic farming, while if you buy organic, prices rise. One of our favorite food stores is NaturaSì where you only find organic foods. Their prices are definitely higher than the Conad but we still go to NaturaSì because we often find better quality. Also, if you buy organic foods in the Conad, prices are similar to those in NaturaSì.
Check out our guide to decide how many days you should stay in Rome
Transportation
Public transportation in Rome is not very expensive. A single ticket with a validity of 100 minutes, 1 train ride, 1 metro ride, and unlimited bus rides (within the 100 minutes) costs €1,50.
There is also the possibility to buy daily (7€), weekly (24€), and monthly (35€) subscriptions that will save you a lot especially if you know you are going to use the modes of public transport often. If you are staying a couple of days, you can also consider the 48h ticket (€12,50) and the 72h ticket (18€).
These tickets are also valid on the city trains, while if you are going to Fiumicino by train, it costs 14€ the Leonardo Express from Roma Termini or 8€ the regional from other stations such as Ostiense and Trastevere.
Taxis are naturally more expensive than buses. Taxi fees in Rome are progressive and go from 1,14 €/km to 1,66 €/km. A short taxi ride of about 10 minutes can cost around 10€, but it really depends on the distance.
Leisure and sightseeing
I don’t find Rome very expensive when it comes to sightseeing. The most expensive landmarks are the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum (from 18€ with 2-day validity for the ordinary ticket inclusive of Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill without SUPER sites) and the Vatican Museums (starting from 20€ for the single ticket).
These become more expensive if you book also a guided tour that can be from the official websites but also with a private company for smaller groups.
Check out the best Colosseum tours and Vatican tours
Other museums and attractions are not very expensive. For example, admission to the wonderful Trajan’s Markets in Piazza Venezia costs 13€, while to visit the recently-opened Archaeological site of Largo Argentina the price is only 5€.
The entrance to Galleria Borghese is 13€ while for Palazzo Barberini is 15€. Now the Pantheon has a paid admission that costs 5€, and to enter Castel Sant’Angelo, the price is 16€.
Adding to this, there are plenty of free things you can do in Rome. First of all, walking around the city center literally means visiting a giant open-air museum filled with beautiful palaces, fountains and squares, all free to admire. The bridges themselves are a work of art (I’m thinking of the wonderful Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge!) and are obviously free to see and cross.
Is living in Rome expensive?
Rome has often been nominated as one of the best cities to live in Italy, but unfortunately, it’s not the cheapest one. When living in Rome, there are many things to consider. Distances are one of the most important.
If you have to take the car for grocery shopping, going to work, taking your children to school (and picking them up!), do other eventual chores such as bank, post office, and more, this will obviously impact your fuel spending more than if you are living in an area where most of these things can be done on foot.
Of course, no comparison can be made with my hometown in Sardinia where I can reach everything on foot and I use the car far less often.
Fuel price in Rome and Italy in general varies often. It recently went down to €1,77 per liter from the 2+€ of not so long ago.
Apart from the fuel, if you own a car, keep in mind the mandatory insurance that in Rome is more expensive than in smaller towns. This year, for our little Yaris, we paid some 600€ for basic insurance without any fancy options.
Apart from car-related expenses, what costs more in Rome than other towns and cities are renting a house (more on this right below) and local housing and council taxes, while for grocery shopping, repairing and fixing services such as plumbers and electricians (from 50€ just the call), clothes, and homeware, I don’t think there is much difference with other places.
Average cost of long-term house rentals in Rome
Renting a house in Rome long term is not cheap and now is also hard to find because with the Jubilee coming, residents are preferring short-term rentals.
North of Rome, in areas such as Olgiata and Camilluccia, apartments between 80 to 100 square meters are priced from 1000 to 1300€ per month.
If you are looking at renting closer to the city center or right downtown, you can search in areas like San Giovanni, Testaccio, Ostiense, Trastevere or directly Centro Storico, Prati, and San Lorenzo.
For example, in Prati, an apartment of some 80/90 square meters ranges around 2000€ per month, while moving towards the Ostiense neighborhood more south, you can find a flat of around 100 square meters for 1700/1800€ per month.
To see some long-term rental prices in Rome, you can check out websites such as Immobiliare.it, Casa.it, Gabetti.it, and Tecnocasa.it.
Average cost of buying a house in Rome
The price of buying a house in Rome can be pretty hefty. This, too, depends a lot on the area. Naturally, houses in the Centro Storico, in Prati and in Trastevere will be more expensive than those in areas like Monte Mario or Tuscolana.
For example, in the Prati/Trionfale area, an apartment of around 100 square meters can cost between 400 and 500,000 euros, while in Trastevere, apartments of some 130 square meters can reach a price tag of almost 900,000 euros.
If we move closer to the city center, an apartment of around 150 square meters can reach 2 million euros and one of some 80 square meters, almost 900,000 euros.
To have an idea of the prices of houses currently for sale in Rome, you can also check out websites such as Immobiliare.it, Casa.it, Gabetti.it, and Tecnocasa.it.
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