Rome can be both cheap and outrageously expensive in the space of a single day.

In the morning, you can explore the squares, churches, viewpoints and much of the historic centre for free. By the evening, however, you’ll find that a standard hotel room costs more than your food, transport and admission tickets for the entire stay.

In the following budget, I’ve based my calculations on 3 days and 2 nights, for one adult and two people sharing a double room.

I haven’t included the cost of flights. Some people will fly in from Prague, others from Bratislava, Bucharest or New York. I’m only interested in how much you’ll pay from the moment you land in Rome.

How much does a 3-day stay in Rome cost?

For a typical three-day stay, I’d budget around 400 to 500 eur per person, excluding flights.

It’s possible to travel more cheaply, but it’s also very easy to spend twice that amount.

Travel style	Cost per person
Budget	250 eur – 330 eur
Standard stay	400 eur – 530 eur
Luxury	650 eur – 950 eur

If you are travelling alone, the price per person will be significantly higher due to the accommodation costs.

For a three-night stay, add roughly a further 70 to 220 eur per person, depending on the hotel you choose.

💬 How much did you spend in Rome? Let us know in the comments below this article.

Hotel: the most expensive part of your stay

A ticket to the Colosseum or dinner at a restaurant will affect your budget. But it’s your accommodation that really makes the biggest difference.

During my last trip, I stayed in three completely different places in Rome:

• I paid 168 eur
• the more central Domus Giulia, including breakfast, cost 144 eur
• two nights at the Hotel Forum cost 825 eur without breakfast

All these stays were at the end of April 2026, and I booked them approximately three to four weeks in advance.

So yes, Rome can be expensive. But you certainly don’t have to spend hundreds of euros every day.

As a rough guide, you should therefore budget the following for a double room:

• 120 eur 180 eur per night for a basic hotel or guesthouse
• 160 eur 250 eur per night for well-reviewed accommodation in the city centre or near the Vatican
• 250 eur up to 450 eur per night for a better hotel in an exceptionally good location

Compare hotels in Rome, starting with the cheapest

Prices may be even higher during peak season, public holidays or for last-minute bookings.

Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to stay right next to the Trevi Fountain or the Colosseum.

You’ll be walking through a large part of the city centre anyway, so I wouldn’t skimp at all costs by choosing a hotel an hour’s walk from the main sights.

• 👉 You can find a detailed overview of locations and tips on the best hotels in the article ‘Where to stay in Rome’

Don’t forget the city tax

A tourist tax is added to the price of accommodation for each person per night.

For a standard three-star hotel, it is 6 eur; for a four-star hotel, 7,50 eur. For the most expensive hotels, it can be as high as 10 eur per person per night. The tax is charged for a maximum of the first ten nights.

For two nights, a couple will therefore usually pay an additional 24 eur to 30 eur.

It is precisely the city tax that tends to be one of the items people overlook when calculating their budget.

How much does food cost in Rome? Less than I’d expected...

Rome is one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations, so I expected restaurants to be outrageously expensive.

In the end, though, I was quite pleasantly surprised, even at the tourist restaurants in the city centre.

Dinner and main courses

I went out for dinner every day.

Mostly to well-known restaurants in the city centre, but I avoided upmarket establishments.

These are the prices per person.

• Pasta + Crodino + Panna Cotta at Tonnarello restaurant, totalling 30 eur
• Pizza + tuna with tomatoes as a starter + water at Pizzeria alle Carrette, totalling 25 eur
• Pasta at the local fast-food restaurant Pit Pasta, totalling 10 eur

Bakeries and cafés

Coffee and Italian savoury and sweet pastries? You simply can’t miss out on these in Rome!

• An espresso usually costs 2,50 eur
• A cappuccino costs around 3 eur
• A maritozzo costs 5 eur
• A cornetto or croissant costs 6 eur
• Orbovská focaccia with mortadella and pesto for 8 eur

Ice cream

Italian gelato is also something you simply cannot leave Rome without trying. Not even in winter!

The usual price for two scoops of ice cream is around 6 eur.

Aperol and other alcoholic drinks

Another thing you simply cannot leave Rome without.

Having a glass of Aperol Spritz is simply a must.

• The usual price of Aperol is around 4,50 eur
• a glass of Prosecco for around 4 eur
• a cocktail in a nicer bar for around 13 eur

How much for food for 3 days?

This really depends on your eating habits.

I always had breakfast at the hotel, so I didn’t have to worry about that.

During the day, I tended to eat smaller meals such as focaccia, cornetta, various pastries and the like, and for dinner we always went to traditional restaurants.

• 90 eur 120 eur, if you combine cheaper eateries and restaurants,
• 120 eur 150 eurforstandard travel,
• 180 eur and more if you want better restaurants, cocktails or a longer evening out.

Personally, I spent around 150 eur on food and drink during my three days in Rome.

Looking for inspiration on where to eat? Have a look at my article:

• 👉 My tips for eating and drinking in Rome

Tickets can cost from €0 to more than 100 eur

You can spend three days in Rome with almost no admission fees.

For example, you can visit the following for free:

• St Peter’s Basilica
• the Spanish Steps
• Piazza Navona
• the viewpoints on the Gianicolo or the Aventine Hill
• much of the Vittoriano
• the streets of the historic centre
• 👉 Read more in the article ‘How I enjoyed Rome for free’

Entry to St Peter’s Basilica is still free. You do, however, have to pay for a specific time slot, an audio guide, a trip up the dome or an organised tour.

The current approximate costs for the main paid attractions are:

• The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill: 18 eur
• Vatican Museums: 20 eur
• The Pantheon: 5 eur
• entry to the area closest to the Trevi Fountain: 2 eur
• Further sights, including details of admission fees, can be found on the ‘What to see in Rome’ page

For a first visit, I’d choose no more than three or four of the main paid attractions.

A sensible combination might be:

• The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill: 18 eur
• The Vatican Museums: 25 eur
• The Pantheon: 7 eur
• Galleria Colonna: 30 eur

That makes a total of80 eur per person.

Organised tours, the Colosseum underground tour or tickets purchased from touts can quickly push the cost above 100 eur.

💡 Please note! For some attractions, you must buy your ticket online. Find out more in the article ‘Rome without queues: Where to book tickets in advance’.

Although it may seem that admission fees are quite expensive, Rome is actually one of the cheapest cities I’ve visited recently when it comes to ticket prices.

When I compare it, for example, with the absolutely crazy prices in Istanbul...

Transport from the airport: the smallest item in the budget

There are two airports in Rome, and the differences in transport costs are quite significant.

From Fiumicino Airport

You’ll most often use:

• the direct bus to Termini from 6 eur
• the regional train via 8 eur
• the Leonardo Express to Termini 14 eur
• a taxi to the city centre at a fixed price of 55 eur for the whole car

A return bus ticket costs approximately 10 eur to 13 eur. The Leonardo Express costs 28 eur for a return journey.

You can find the exact options in the article ‘Transport from Rome Fiumicino Airport’.

From Ciampino Airport

Ciampino is cheaper.

A city bus with a change to the metro costs just 1,50 eur, a combination of the airport bus and train to Termini 2,70 eur, and direct buses cost approximately 7 eur.

A taxi to the city centre has a fixed fare of 40 eur per car.

You can therefore pay as little as 3 eurif you use public transport.

You can find more details in the article ‘Transport from Rome Ciampino Airport’.

Public transport? Almost free

The centre of Rome is surprisingly compact.

The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps aren’t at opposite ends of the city.

If you choose a hotel in a good location, you’ll be able to cover most of your journeys on foot.

Book a hotel in the centre of Rome

A single ticket on Rome’s public transport costs 1,50 eur and is valid for 100 minutes. Season tickets are also available:

• 24 hours for 8,50 eur
• 48 hours for 15 eur
• 72 hours for 22 eur

Over the course of three days, I usually manage with four to six single tickets. So I spend approximately 9 eur.

A multi-day ticket is particularly good value if you’re staying further from the city centre or plan to visit more outlying destinations, such as EUR, Ostia or St Paul’s Basilica outside the city walls.

I describe all the options in detail in the article ‘Transport and Travel in Rome’.

A realistic budget for a typical 3-day trip

For someone who doesn’t want to stay in a hostel but doesn’t need a luxury hotel either, I’d estimate the costs roughly as follows:

• hotel for 2 nights: 220 eur per person
• city tax: 15 eur
• transport from and to the airport: 16 eur
• public transport in Rome: 9 eur
• food and drink: 130 eur
• tickets: 80 eur

Total: approximately 4700 eur per person, excluding flights.

This is not the lowest possible amount.

It’s a budget that will allow you to stay in a decent area, eat out every day and visit the main paid attractions without having to count every euro.

Where can you save the most money?

Don’t look for the biggest savings on coffee or ice cream. I’d focus on three areas.

Book your hotel well in advance

The difference between a good and a bad booking can easily be 100 eur per night.

The area around Termini tends to be cheaper than the Pantheon or Piazza Navona, but it’s still close enough to the city centre.

Prati, the area around the Vatican, or accommodation near a metro station are also good alternatives.

Book your hotel in Rome in advance

Don’t pay for public transport you won’t use

I wouldn’t automatically buy a 72-hour ticket.

If you’re staying in the city centre, you’ll probably walk through most of Rome, and single tickets will work out cheaper.

You don’t have to go inside every single attraction

Rome isn’t the sort of city where you have to visit three museums every day.

The Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and the Roman Forum are all worth a visit. But in between them lie dozens of churches, squares, viewpoints and streets that are free to explore.

That’s precisely why a three-day stay doesn’t have to be expensive, even if you don’t want to skimp on your hotel or meals.

So, is Rome expensive?

Rome is mainly expensive when it comes to accommodation.

Getting around the city is cheap, most of the best-known attractions are free, and you can manage on food without spending a fortune.

I find the admission prices for attractions to be relatively cheap.

And food is actually quite cheap too, considering just how touristy Rome is.

💬 Did you find Rome expensive? Where did you find the highest and lowest prices?