City comparison
Cagliari vs Rome: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Cagliari is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €400 a month less than Rome, mostly because of rent. Cagliari has the milder winter (about 15°C vs 13°C average highs in Dec to Feb). Both are in Italy, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same: the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.
Choose Cagliari for
- Nature & green space
- Beach life
- Calm, slower pace
- Affordability
- Lower living costs
Choose Rome for
- Expat community
- Flights home
- Culture
- Nightlife
Cagliari vs Rome at a glance
| Cagliari | Rome | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Italy | Italy |
| Single budget / month | €1,700 | €2,100 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,550 | €3,200 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €750 | €1,300 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 15°C / 59°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 31°C / 88°F | 30°C / 86°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,729 | 2,724 |
| City size | Mid-size city | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | Yes | No |
| Direct flights to the US | No | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Cagliari or Rome?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,700 a month for one person in Cagliari and €2,100 in Rome, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,550 vs €3,200, and for a family of four €3,600 vs €4,600.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €750 in Cagliari against €1,300 in Rome, while a monthly transit pass costs - vs €35. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 15°C (59°F) in Cagliari and 13°C (55°F) in Rome. In summer it’s roughly 31°C vs 30°C. Cagliari gets about 2,729 hours of sunshine a year and Rome about 2,724.
2,729 hours of sunshine a year · 413 mm of rain a year · Source: Cagliari Elmas 1991-2020 normals (NOAA NCEI, Servizio Meteorologico) via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15°C / 58°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Feb | 15°C / 59°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Mar | 18°C / 64°F | 7°C / 45°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 68°F | 10°C / 49°F |
| May | 24°C / 75°F | 13°C / 56°F |
| Jun | 29°C / 84°F | 17°C / 63°F |
| Jul | 32°C / 89°F | 20°C / 68°F |
| Aug | 32°C / 90°F | 21°C / 69°F |
| Sep | 28°C / 83°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Oct | 24°C / 75°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Nov | 19°C / 66°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Dec | 16°C / 60°F | 7°C / 44°F |
2,724 hours of sunshine a year · 752 mm of rain a year · Source: Ciampino station, 1991-2020 normals via NOAA, as tabulated on Wikipedia (Rome). Ciampino is an airport station south-east of the center, so nights run cooler than in the historic center.
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12°C / 54°F | 3°C / 38°F |
| Feb | 13°C / 55°F | 3°C / 38°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 60°F | 6°C / 43°F |
| Apr | 19°C / 66°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| May | 22°C / 72°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Jun | 28°C / 83°F | 17°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 31°C / 88°F | 19°C / 67°F |
| Aug | 32°C / 89°F | 20°C / 68°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 80°F | 16°C / 61°F |
| Oct | 22°C / 72°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Nov | 17°C / 62°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Dec | 13°C / 55°F | 5°C / 40°F |
Daily life
Cagliari is a mid-size city on the coast; Rome is a capital / metropolis. Cagliari is a relaxed, safe seaside capital with an 8 km city beach and some of the Mediterranean's clearest water nearby. It is cheap and calm, but small, very Italian-speaking and poorly connected to North America. Rome is the Italian city with the biggest expat community and the most direct flights home, and it is heavy on history and light on efficiency. Expect a one-bed in the center to run about €1,300 a month, a comfortable single budget of about €2,100, and plenty of bureaucracy. Best for people who want big-city Italy more than ease.
Living in Cagliari: the upsides and downsides
- Poetto, a long sandy beach inside the city
- Calm, safe and easy to get around on foot
- Lower rents than mainland Italy's big cities
- Downside: Very small international community
- Downside: No direct flights to the US or Canada
Living in Rome: the upsides and downsides
- Largest international community in Italy and many English-friendly services
- Direct flights to the US and Canada from Fiumicino
- World-class museums, food and neighborhood markets at every turn
- Downside: Rome's hot August, plus crowds year-round in the center
- Downside: Patchy public transit with only three metro lines
Visas and residency
Both cities are in Italy, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:
- Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) - Citizenship by descent, changing
- Italy Digital Nomad Visa (Remote Worker Visa) - Digital nomad visa, open, €2,125/mo income
- Italy Elective Residency Visa - Retirement visa, open, €2,583/mo income
- Italy Investor Visa (Golden Visa) - Golden visa, open, €250,000 investment
Read the full guides: living in Cagliari and living in Rome.
Related comparisons
- Rome vs Milan
- Rome vs Paris
- Rome vs Florence
- Rome vs Bologna
- Cagliari vs Palermo
- Cagliari vs Valletta & Sliema
- Naples vs Rome
- Cagliari vs Naples
- Palermo vs Rome
- Cagliari vs Milan
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.