Budget · Rome · Italy
Rome on a budget
What a trip to Rome really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Rome is moderately priced for most international visitors. Budget roughly $70–$120 per person per day on a tight budget, $170–$300 mid-range and $450–$1,100 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January–February and November.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $70–$120 a day
- Mid-range
- $170–$300 a day
- Luxury
- $450–$1,100 a day
- Local currency
- EUR
- Free sights
- 10
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $70–$120 | $210–$360 | $350–$600 | $490–$840 |
| Mid-range | $170–$300 | $510–$900 | $850–$1,500 | $1,190–$2,100 |
| Luxury | $450–$1,100 | $1,350–$3,300 | $2,250–$5,500 | $3,150–$7,700 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Rome, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| BIT 100-minute transport ticket | about €1.50 |
| Espresso at the bar | about €1.20–€1.50 |
| Supplì | about €2–€3 |
| Slice of pizza al taglio | about €3–€6 |
| Pasta dish in a trattoria | about €10–€16 |
| Colosseum, Forum and Palatine ticket | about €18–€24 |
| Vatican Museums ticket | about €20–€30 |
| Glass of house wine | about €4–€7 |
| Cup of gelato | about €3–€5 |
Money-saving tips
- St Peter's Basilica and most churches, including San Luigi dei Francesi with its three Caravaggios, are free to enter.
- Refill a bottle at the nasoni drinking fountains instead of buying water.
- Drink coffee standing at the bar, where prices are lower than with table service.
- Eat pizza al taglio or supplì for lunch and save restaurant meals for dinner.
- Rome charges a nightly city tax per person, added to hotel bills on top of the room rate.
- State museums and archaeological sites are usually free on the first Sunday of the month, when queues are long; check before planning around it.
- Book Vatican and Colosseum tickets on the official sites to avoid reseller mark-ups.
Free things to do
- St Peter's Basilica — One of the largest churches in the world, rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries with Michelangelo's dome and Bernini's colonnaded square, St Peter's holds Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's bronze canopy over the papal altar.
- Trevi Fountain — Nicola Salvi's Baroque fountain, completed in 1762, shows Oceanus in a shell-shaped chariot drawn by sea horses against the back of Palazzo Poli.
- Spanish Steps — The 135 travertine steps, built in the 1720s, climb from Piazza di Spagna and the boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain to the church of Trinità dei Monti.
- Piazza Navona — The long oval of Piazza Navona follows the shape of Emperor Domitian's 1st-century stadium.
- Trastevere and Santa Maria in Trastevere — Trastevere is best explored on foot from Piazza di Santa Maria, where the basilica's medieval gold mosaics glow in the apse.
- Villa Borghese park — Rome's central park covers about 80 hectares above the Spanish Steps, with a small lake where you can rent rowing boats, the Bioparco zoo, bike and pedal-cart hire and the Pincio terrace overlooking Piazza del Popolo.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for food lovers, budget and nightlife
Testaccio
Working-class food district around a much-loved covered market
$$ · Best for budget and solo travellers
Esquilino and Termini
Practical base around the main station, with the city's most multicultural streets
Eating well for less
- Supplì — Pizza-by-the-slice shops and fry shops, and as a starter in pizzerias.
- Pizza al taglio — Bakeries and slice shops everywhere, with well-known ones near the Vatican in Prati and in Testaccio.
- Maritozzo — Pastry shops and bars across the city; look for ones filled to order.
Getting around for less
BIT 100-minute ticket
A single ticket valid for 100 minutes on buses and trams, including one Metro journey.
24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets
Unlimited travel on ATAC Metro, buses and trams for the period, worthwhile if you take several rides a day.
Roma Pass
A 48- or 72-hour city card with free entry to one or two museums or sites, discounts on others and unlimited public transport.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Rome cost?
About $850–$1,500 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $350–$600 on a tight budget.
+Is Rome expensive?
It is moderately priced for international visitors. St Peter's Basilica and most churches, including San Luigi dei Francesi with its three Caravaggios, are free to enter.
+How much money do I need per day in Rome?
Roughly $70–$120 on a budget and $170–$300 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Rome?
Usually in January–February and November.